This paper critiques the limits of human-centered design in HCI, proposing a shift toward Interface-Centered Design. Drawing on Hookway's philosophy of interfaces, phenomenology, and embodied interaction, we created Umbilink, an umbilical interaction device simulating a uterine environment with tactile sensors and rhythmic feedback to induce a pre-subjectivized state of sensory reduction. Participants' experiences were captured through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with grounded theory. Our contributions are: (1) introducing the novel interface type of Umbilical Interaction; (2) demonstrating the cognitive value of materialized interfaces in a human-interface-environment relation; (3) highlighting the design role of wearing rituals as liminal experiences. As a pilot study, this design suggests imaginative applications in healing, meditation, and sleep, while offering a speculative tool for future interface research.
@article{arxiv.2510.10258,
title = {Exploration of Embodied Space Experience through Umbilical Interaction: A Grounded Theory Approach},
author = {Shuai Guo and Dawei Liu and Tiantian Zheng},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2510.10258},
year = {2025}
}