Applying ”designerly framing” to understand assisted feeding as social aesthetic bodily experiences

Journal article, 2023

What could it mean to take a designerly perspective of a robotic eating aid to get a more holistic understanding of meals as social and embodied experiences? In this paper we provide a new perspective of bodily experiences of assisted feeding. We apply ”designerly framing” in the context of meals and Human Robot Interaction (HRI) and contribute with insights for researchers with backgrounds other than design into how ”designerly framing” can foreground social and aesthetic use. The study focuses on experiences of assisted feeding of five people with impairments in their arms or hands. All of the subjects have long-term experience of meal assistance, and four also have experience of using a robotic eating aid. The data collection comprises seven interview sessions held in peoples homes, a functional analysis of the meal experience, and a workshop held at a design agency. The ”designerly framing” is also supported by a theoretical framework describing different types of use to open the meal as a design space. This complements and extends existing knowledge on acceptance and abandonment of assistive technology and assistive robotics for the meal.