EMBODIED:INTENT
A workshop for interdisciplinary product teams to work together to design digital systems more thoughtfully. Experiencing and discussing trust, rather than simply explaining it.
A Bachelor’s project by Theresa Hußke
7th semester 2025/2026
Supervisors: Prof. Andrea Krajewski and Prof. Tsunemitsu Tanaka
The initial situation
Digital systems influence people’s behaviour and trust. Although trust is strongly shaped by design decisions, it often remains abstract and elusive during the development process. Interdisciplinary product teams work under time pressure, with differing perspectives and without a common language for ethical and trust-related issues.
This leads to decisions whose impact on users only becomes apparent at a later stage – for example, through a decline in trust or misunderstandings when using the system. There is a lack of a format that not only explains trust in theoretical terms, but also makes it directly tangible and creates a shared space for reflection.
The idea
The aim of this project is to make trust in digital systems comprehensible not merely as a theoretical concept, but as a shapable experience. Rather than simply imparting knowledge, the aim is to create a framework within which interdisciplinary teams can jointly explore, observe and reflect on the implications of design decisions.
The focus is on translating abstract dimensions of trust – such as competence, goodwill and integrity – into an experience-based setting. By consciously experiencing different design approaches, it becomes apparent how seemingly minor decisions can have long-term effects on trust.
The concept does not view trust as a fixed quality attribute, but rather as the result of relational processes between people, systems and context – and as something that only emerges through joint discussion within teams.
The solution
The solution developed is a structured workshop that combines theory, interaction and reflection. By varying the dimensions of trust, participants experience different system behaviours and discuss their impact on perception and trust.
The use of a physical robot as a haptic artefact translates abstract questions of trust into concrete experiences. Supplementary materials such as reflection cards and guiding questions support joint analysis and help to derive shared values and guiding principles from individual impressions.
The result is not a traditional training session, but a strategic decision-making space that supports teams in integrating trust into product development at an early stage and actively contributing to the process.
The prototype
As part of the project, a workshop concept was developed, including a structure for the session, materials and a prototype. The workshop is divided into several phases – ranging from establishing a shared understanding of trust, through interaction with the robot Klausi, to deriving specific guiding principles for the participants’ own development process.
In parallel, a physical robot prototype with varying behavioural modes was created, along with a web-based interface for controlling the trust dimensions. Form, interaction and technical implementation were developed iteratively – from low-fidelity cardboard models, through a 3D model, to a fully functional prototype.
The result is a hands-on concept that combines theoretical research, UX design and physical interaction, and which can be further developed as a basis for future workshops.
