Body and the Senses in Spatial Experience - The Implications of Kinesthetic and Synesthetic Perceptions for Design Thinking

Sep 5, 2026

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Body and the Senses in Spatial Experience examines how spatial perception is multimodal and bodily grounded, challenging the tendency of “design thinking” to separate conceptual thought from physical expression. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s multisensory perception, the article emphasizes kinesthetic and synesthetic processes and links them to bodily awareness in built-environment contexts. Through conceptual, theoretical, and precedent analyses, it proposes three models—Synesthetic Translation, Kinesthetic Resonance, and Kinesthetic Engagement—supported by neurological interpretations of haptic perception, interoception, and proprioception.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Conceptual analysis

Introduction

Body and the senses in spatial experience

Kinesthetic and synesthetic perceptions

Proposed models for design thinking

CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS published: 07 April 2022 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.864009 Edited by: Eugenio De Gregorio, Università Link Campus, Italy Reviewed by: Danilo Saretta Verissimo, São Paulo State University, Brazil Sachi Sekimoto, Minnesota State University, Mankato, United States *Correspondence: Jain Kwon [jain.kwon@colostate.edu](jain.kwon@colostate.edu) [Specialty section:](Specialty section:) This article was submitted to Environmental Psychology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology Received: 27 January 2022 Accepted: 14 March 2022 Published: 07 April 2022 Citation: Kwon J and IedemaA (2022) Body and the Senses in Spatial Experience: The Implications of Kinesthetic and Synesthetic Perceptions for Design Thinking. Front. Psychol. 13:864009. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.864009 Body and the Senses in Spatial Experience: The Implications of Kinesthetic and Synesthetic Perceptions for Design Thinking Jain Kwon * and Alyssa Iedema Interior Architecture and Design, Department of Design and Merchandising, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States Human perception has long been a critical subject of design thinking. While various studies have stressed the link between thinking and acting, particularly in spatial experience, the term “design thinking” seems to disconnect conceptual thinking from physical expression or process. Spatial perception is multimodal and fundamentally bound to the body that is not a mere receptor of sensory stimuli but an active agent engaged with the perceivable environment. The body apprehends the experience in which one’s kinesthetic engagement and knowledge play an essential role. Although design disciplines have integrated the abstract, metaphoric, and visual aspects of the body and its movement into conceptual thinking, studies have pointed out that design disciplines have emphasized visuality above the other sensory domains and heavily engaged with the perception of visual configurations, relying on the Gestalt principles. Gestalt psychology must be valued for its attention to a whole. However, the theories of design elements and principles over-empathizing such visuality posit the aesthetics of design mainly as visual value and understate other sensorialand perceptual aspects. Although the visual approach may provide a practical means to represent and communicate ideas, a design process heavily driven by visuality can exhibit weaknesses undermining certain aspects of spatial experience despite the complexity. Grounded in Merleau-Ponty’s notion of multisensory perception, this article discusses the relationship between body awareness and spatial perception and its implication for design disciplines concerning built environments. Special attention is given to the concepts of kinesthetic and synesthetic phenomena known as multisensory and cross-sensory, respectively. This discussion integrates the corporeal and spatiotemporal realms of human experience into the discourse of kinesthetic and synesthetic perceptions. Based on the conceptual, theoretical, and precedent analyses, this article proposes three models for design thinking: Synesthetic Translation, Kinesthetic Resonance, and Kinesthetic Engagement. To discuss the concepts rooted in action-based perception and embodied cognition, this study borrows the neurological interpretation of haptic perception, interoception, and proprioception of space. This article suggests how consideration of the kinesthetic or synesthetic body can deepen and challenge the existing models of the perceptual aspects of environmental psychology adopted in design disciplines. Keywords: design thinking model, spatial perception, interior design and architecture, kinesthetic perception, synesthetic perception, sensory experience, multisensory design, embodied design INTRODUCTION Spatial perception involves the tangible elements of the setting and the intangible attributes, including atmosphere and ener

FAQs

Why does the article claim that “design thinking” disconnects thought from physical expression?

The article argues that many studies emphasize visuality and abstract conceptualization, treating the body as a receptor rather than an active agent engaged in spatial experience.

What role do kinesthetic and synesthetic perceptions play in spatial experience?

Kinesthetic engagement and knowledge are presented as essential to how people apprehend spatial experience, while synesthetic cross-sensory phenomena help integrate cross-modal understanding.

What three models does the article propose for design thinking?

It proposes Synesthetic Translation, Kinesthetic Resonance, and Kinesthetic Engagement as frameworks to incorporate embodied kinesthetic and synesthetic aspects into design thinking.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Ophelia