Sharing imagination and emotion through the use of lively interactive products

People using the same product may also share meaning and affect. Grounded in phenomenology in philosophy, cognitive semantics in cognitive science, and the psychology of emotion, this paper argues that lively interactive products, which feature dynamic images with reactivity and contingency, can evoke shared mental images and feelings via familiar sensorimotor experience in two states of interaction, namely continuous feedback (i.e., coupling of user input and system feedback) and extended change (i.e., system change while input pauses). The overall enduring interaction triggers imaginative conceptual blends in users at multiple cognitive levels. Meanwhile, emotions are elicited during different moments. Users thus echo similar imagined thoughts and feelings through the use. This paper introduces interpretive analysis for designers or researchers, showing how the model assists in analyzing inter-subjective user experiences and opens up possibilities for creating more socially resonating products.