Function and form of gestures in a collaborative design meeting

TL;DR

This study investigates how gestures' functions relate to their forms in architectural design meetings, revealing that gestures with similar functions can have diverse forms, emphasizing the importance of context and semantics.

Contribution

It introduces a nuanced analysis of gesture functions and forms in collaborative design, highlighting the variability and the potential role of semantic characteristics.

Findings

Gestures with specific functions can have various forms.

Form-function associations are not strictly consistent.

Context and semantics may better differentiate gesture functions.

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between gestures' function and form in design collaboration. It adopts a cognitive design research viewpoint. The analysis is restricted to gesticulations and emblems. The data analysed come from an empirical study conducted on an architectural design meeting. Based on a previous analysis of the data, guided by our model of design as the construction of representations, we distinguish representational and organisational functions. The results of the present analysis are that, even if form-function association tendencies exist, gestures with a particular function may take various forms, and particular gestural movements as regards form can fulfil different functions. Reconsidering these results and other research on gesture, we formulate the assumption that, if formal characteristics do not allow differentiating functional gestures in collaboration, context-dependent, semantic characteristics may be more appropriate. We also envision the possibility that closer inspection of the data reveal tendencies of another nature.