Reminder: [NordiCHI 2026] [Tutorial] The Three Bodies Framework: Gesture Analysis for HCI | Oct 4, 2026 | Vaasa, Finland

Reminder to join us at NordiCHI 2026 for a hands-on tutorial on how to
analyze gestures and embodied actions in HCI and turn embodied insights
about people into design fuel!

* What: The Three Bodies Framework: A Hands-on Method for Gesture Analysis
in HCI (https://www.bodytalkbook.com/nordichi-2026)
* When: Sunday, 4 October, 9:30-13:00
* Where: =C3=85bo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.

Register here: https://sites.uwasa.fi/nordichi2026/registration/

**Don=E2=80=99t wait, early-bird registration closes on 14 August!**

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THE TUTORIAL

A participant says, =E2=80=9CNo, it should be more like this=E2=80=9D and s=
hows a sequence
of motions with fluid bodily movements. But all the transcript caught was
the ambiguous =E2=80=9Clike this.=E2=80=9D

Anyone who runs interviews knows these moments. Language gets vague exactly
when the mental and interactional demands in human-computer interaction get
high. It=E2=80=99s these moments of struggle where the key insights about h=
ow
people understand and relate to technology.

But what you may not have realized is that when words fall short, gestures
carry the thread: sustaining thought, completing explanations, keeping the
interaction moving.

The problem is most research methods either fail to capture this source of
insight or don=E2=80=99t know how to make sense of it systematically. And a=
s AI
tools increasingly synthesize interview text, this embodied evidence is
drifting even further out of the analytic frame.

This tutorial is your way back in.


WHAT YOU'LL DO

This is not a lecture, but a participatory learning activity. In this
tutorial you will:

* ENACT: Experience firsthand what gestures do=E2=80=94through a paper-fold=
ing
challenge you=E2=80=99ll be talking about at the coffee break
* ANALYZE: Work with real video data from a clinical case study, moving
from transcript to footage to see what the words alone missed
* SYNTHESIZE: Turn gesture observations into concrete design principles
through collaborative thematic analysis
* APPLY: Use those principles to ideate around design solutions and see how
embodied evidence meaningfully expands the design space


WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Academic researchers, industry practitioners, and doctoral students who
work with interviews or observational video. No prior experience with
gesture analysis required. Familiarity with qualitative methods helps but
isn't necessary. Bring a laptop.


WHAT YOU=E2=80=99LL LEAVE WITH

* The ability to identify gestures that matter using the Three Bodies
framework
* Analytic method to see and interpret gestures: gesture space,
gesture-speech alignment, type and function
* An eye for when gestures reveal insights transcripts can=E2=80=99t captur=
e
* A method for synthesizing gesture analysis into design principles
* Practice applying gesture-derived principles to a real design problem


ORGANIZERS

* Dane DeSutter, Ph.D. (Senior Product Researcher, Microsoft)
* Stephanie Scopelitis, Ph.D. (Learning Scientist & Executive Facilitator,
Butler University)

Co-authors of Body Talk: How Gestures Build Human-Centered Products
(Rosenfeld Media)


REGISTRATION

* Register through NordiCHI 2026:
https://sites.uwasa.fi/nordichi2026/registration/
* Tutorial details: https://www.bodytalkbook.com/nordichi-2026

Questions: [email protected]


Dane DeSutter, Ph.D.
Author =C2=B7 =E2=80=9CBody Talk=E2=80=9D =C2=B7 Rosenfeld Media
Senior Product Researcher  =C2=B7  Microsoft
=F0=9F=93=96 bodytalkbook.com   in linkedin.com/in/danedesutter

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