Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Drs. DeSutter and Scopelitis discussed how User Experience (UX) researchers can triangulate and enrich information from one-on-one interviews by attending to users’ co-speech gestures—the spontaneous movements that humans make with their hands and body when communicating. Gestures are a “window to the mind” and can reveal unspoken information about users’ emotional states as well as the structure and composition of their mental models. They concluded with a practical guide for efficiently implementing gesture research.
Key Insights
-
•
Gestures provide a non-verbal window into users' mental models, often revealing thoughts not expressed in speech.
-
•
Representational gestures, especially those made in personal gesture space, indicate cognitive processes and implicit imagery.
-
•
Users commonly hold multiple, context-dependent mental models rather than a single static one.
-
•
In interviews, interviewer gestures increase participant gesturing and improve conversational rapport.
-
•
Video interviews pose challenges for capturing gestures fully; positioning and prompting can mitigate this.
-
•
Speech-gesture mismatches often signal ongoing mental model construction or word searching by users.
-
•
Gestures can reveal emotional attachment or disengagement with technology, influencing adoption and retention.
-
•
Mental models can be anchored by recent technology prototypes, such as chat GPT for AI understanding.
-
•
Structured interview protocols that elicit gesturing and separate talking from tool use optimize gesture data collection.
-
•
Open source motion tracking and gesture analysis tools can aid qualitative research by quantifying gesture patterns.
Notable Quotes
"Gestures are a window to the mind."
"Gesture and speech form an integrated system; they reinforce one another."
"We’re really leaving half of our data on the table by not attending to gesture when eliciting mental models."
"Gesture is not computer and smartphone gestures, but spontaneous movements people make with hands and arms."
"Four me gestures happen in that personal gesture space and serve as thinking tools for the speaker."
"When gestures and speech mismatch, it often means the speaker is still refining their mental model."
"Without looking at the gesture, we would have come to a less complete mental model."
"Users have more than one mental model; they can be constructed on the fly depending on context."
"The degree to which the user feels in control with an intelligent agent brings up conversational mental models."
"The more you gesture, the more your interviewee will gesture."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Networking isn’t just asking for favors — it’s about building relationships and doing something for others first."
Dave Hoffer Joanne WeaverUX Job Search AMA #2 with Joanne Weaver and Dave Hoffer
May 21, 2025
"Equipped with the right tools, we can truly meet students where they are."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"Understanding is not a scientific process, it’s relational, personal, human, and qualitative."
Robert FabricantShifting dynamics: The evolving relationship between researchers, participants, and organizational systems
March 11, 2025
"Using generative AI for design risks losing the human creativity that makes design special."
Nick LewisDesigning and building low-carbon websites independently
November 18, 2025
"All of this content would not have been possible without your support and your feedback."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
June 10, 2021
"If you’re not inspired and motivated, you cannot connect the dots across functions for a seamless customer experience."
Iram ShahClosing Keynote: The View from the Top
June 4, 2019
"Timely engagement helps stakeholders make faster, more informed decisions leading to better business outcomes."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"When I pressed enter it said product added to cart, but I had to check if it was actually the right product."
Samuel Proulx Laur BaekInclusive Research: Debunking Myths and Getting Started
March 12, 2025
"There’s an African proverb that says if you wanna go fast, you go alone. But if you wanna go far, go together."
Jamika BurgeEmbracing change: Navigating shifting landscapes with compassion and agency
March 11, 2025
