Embodied Cognition in Customer Experience (CX)
Authors: Nagasawa Shinya 
Published: June 2024

In this paper, we will focus on ACT (behavioral/physical experience) as a specific customer experience among the five strategic experiential modules (SEM) proposed by Schmidt. Like RELATE (relational experience), ACT (behavioral/physical experience) is said to be difficult to understand among the five strategic experiential modules (SEM), and it is difficult to understand whether it is possible to create it in the first place.Therefore, the authors redefined ACT (behavioral/physical experience) from the idea of embodied cognition, and then proposed ways to create that ACT (behavioral/physical experience) and realize differentiation. demonstrated the methodology.(1) ACT (behavioral/physical experience) by SchmittBernd H. Schmitt defines ACT (behavioral/physical experience) as `the experience that appeals to physical experience, lifestyle, and interaction with others.' Schmitt's definition of the behavioral/physical experience makes it difficult to understand the concept of `physical experience,' and that `interaction with others' is not related to the behavioral/physical experience. Therefore, it is easy to confuse it with RELATE (relational experience). This difficulty in understanding the concept of behavioral/physical experience is thought to be connected to the difficulty in its application.However, as mentioned in the previous chapter, according to Schmitt, ACT (behavioral/physical experience) is derived from the concept of Embodied Cognition (Schmitt, 1999, p.258). Therefore, in this paper, we reorganize the content of ACT (behavioral/physical experience) by reconfirming the concept of embodied cognition.(2) Redefining ACT (behavioral/physical experience)Schmitt developed the concept of embodied cognition into ACT (behavioral/physical experience). Embodied cognition is based on the concept of ecological psychology as described in the previous section. In ecological psychology, `body movement is determined by the interaction between the body and the environment,' and the characteristics of the environment in this interaction are called affordances.Therefore, we reorganized ACT (behavioral/physical experience) from this concept of embodied cognition and redefined it as follows. Physiological and psychological activities that occur along with the actions of consumers themselves during consumption activitiesBased on the concept of embodied cognition, which involves perceiving the environment through physical movement, both "behavior" and "physiological and psychological activities associated with behavior" can be said to be ACT (behavioral/physical experience). For example, physical movements such as running, sitting, and grasping, as well as the actions themselves such as studying, driving a car, and going to the park, as well as the feelings and emotions that come with these movements and actions, such as feeling good, refreshing, and having fun. Both are included in ACT (behavioral/physical experience).This definition of ACT (behavioral/physical experience) is an original proposal by the authors.(3) Interaction between ACT (behavioral/physical experience) and productsFrom the perspective of embodied cognition and ecological psychology, behavioral/physical experience is generated through interaction with the environment. Considering the process of consumer experience of acquiring, using, and disposing of products and services, the environment that is most affected is the product and service. In other words, the consumer's behavioral/physical experience is generated through the interaction between the product/service and the consumer. Movements and actions occur depending on how a product or service is used, and emotions such as pleasure and pleasure are also generated in the process of using the product or service.For example, it is the movement/behavior and feeling of use related to a product, such as the pleasantness of a moderate response when closing a car door or the comfort of opening a foldable cell phone, and this is behavioral/physical experience. The design of the product has a lot to do with this operation and usability. Nintendo's home game consoles Wii and Switch Sports are designed with new game controls such as `shaking,' `turning,' and `aiming' using the remote control.Donald A. Norman, called the design of products that convey the joy and utility of use in this way as behavioral design, and pointed out its importance (Norman, 2004). Furthermore, affordances are pointed out as an important element on the product side that influences and determines the usability (Norman, 1990). In the field of product design, Fukasawa et al. also refer to affordances and point out the importance of design that takes human behavior into consideration, using the expression `design that corresponds to behavior' (Fukasawa, Sasaki, and Goto, 2004, p.86).