Secomandi, F., & van Amstel, F. (2023). Human bodies. In: Blonkvist, J; Clatworthy, S; Holmlid, S. The Materials of Service Design (pp. 167-172). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802203301.00032
Abstract: This chapter discusses how human bodies can be approached as materials for service design. Service design often involves human-to-human exchanges and the way humans use their bodies to mediate these exchanges can be designed and enacted as artifacts. Using a postphenomenological perspective, the chapter frames the human body as a key service interface, acknowledging that human bodies, like other forms of technology, can be designed as artifacts. The chapter also discusses how body schemata and body images, which are not necessarily co-extensive with the boundaries set by the human skin, can be extended and influenced through technology. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding and designing human bodies as a material in service design to create meaningful and effective service experiences.
