These frameworks provide a rigorous lens for analyzing and designing interactions. The first—4E Cognition—comes from cognitive science and gives us a vocabulary for embodied interaction. The second—Poetic Qualities—draws from literary analysis and design philosophy to evaluate openness and interpretive space.

Use them together to evaluate existing interactions or to guide new designs. They're meant to be practical tools, not just theoretical constructs.

The 4E Cognition Framework

The 4E framework comes from cognitive science research that challenges the traditional view of cognition as purely mental computation happening inside the brain. Instead, it argues that cognition is:

• Embodied - shaped by the body's physical form and capabilities
• Embedded - situated in and constrained by environmental context
• Enactive - brought forth through action and doing
• Extended - distributed across body, tools, and environment

These aren't separate categories—they're overlapping dimensions. An interaction can (and should) be evaluated across all four.

1. Embodied

What this means for interaction design:

• Physical form determines what interactions are possible and how they're experienced
• Sensory modalities (vision, touch, hearing, proprioception) shape understanding
• Bodily metaphors ground abstract concepts (e.g., "grasping" an idea)
• Movement and gesture can be cognitive acts, not just input mechanisms

Examples: A swipe gesture that mimics turning a page. Haptic feedback that makes digital actions feel tangible. VR environments that engage proprioception and spatial reasoning. Musical instruments where sound is literally embodied in physical action.

2. Embedded

What this means for interaction design:

• Context determines interpretation and use
• Physical environment (lighting, noise, space) affects interaction
• Social context shapes meaning (public vs. private, formal vs. casual)
• Cultural embedding determines what metaphors, gestures, and patterns resonate

Examples: A navigation app that adjusts based on walking vs. driving context. Smart home controls that respond to time of day and occupancy. Interfaces that adapt to ambient light levels. Social features that change behavior in public vs. private spaces.

3. Enactive

What this means for interaction design:

• Learning happens through interaction, not just instruction
• Meaning is made in the process of use, not predetermined
• Active exploration reveals possibilities and constraints
• The interaction itself can be the understanding, not just a means to an end

Examples: A drawing app where you learn tools by using them, not reading about them. A musical interface where sound creation is the act of learning synthesis. Games where mechanics are discovered through play. Tangible interfaces where manipulation reveals function.

4. Extended

What this means for interaction design:

• Tools become cognitive prosthetics, not just external aids
• Offloading cognition to the environment (external memory, visual organization)
• The system + user forms a coupled cognitive unit
• Designing for how the tool changes thinking, not just enables tasks

Examples: Note-taking apps that become external memory. Calculators that change how we approach math problems. GPS navigation that alters spatial cognition. Social media that extends social awareness across distance.

Poetic Qualities Framework

If the 4E framework helps us understand embodiment, the Poetic Qualities framework helps us evaluate openness, ambiguity, and interpretive space. It draws from how poetry works—creating meaning through imagery, rhythm, and what's left unsaid.

These aren't separate from embodiment—they're complementary lenses. An interaction can be deeply embodied AND poetically open.

How to Use These Frameworks

For Evaluating Existing Interactions

Step 1: Choose an interaction to analyze
Be specific. Not "Instagram" but "the double-tap to like gesture" or "the Stories swipe interface."

Step 2: Apply the 4E framework
Go through each dimension systematically. Ask the questions. Rate each dimension (low/medium/high engagement) and note why.

Step 3: Apply the Poetic Qualities framework
Map the interaction across the six dimensions. Where does it sit on each spectrum? What's strong? What's weak?

Step 4: Synthesize
What's the overall profile? Highly embodied but not poetically open? Rich metaphor but poor appropriability? Look for patterns and tensions.

For Designing New Interactions

Use the frameworks as design constraints:

• Embodied: What bodily experience do we want to create? Which senses?
• Embedded: What contexts will this be used in? How does that shape design?
• Enactive: How do users learn through doing? What's discovered vs. explained?
• Extended: How does this extend cognition? What do we want to become part of their thinking?
• Poetic: Where do we leave interpretive space? What's the central metaphor? What's the white space?

Use them to critique your designs:
As you iterate, regularly evaluate your work against these frameworks. Are you prescribing too much? Not enough embodiment? Missing opportunities for enaction?

Combining the Frameworks

The magic happens when you use both together. An interaction can be:

• Highly embodied, low openness: Engaging physical interaction but prescriptive use (most game controllers)
• Low embodied, high openness: Conceptually open but limited physical engagement (many software tools)
• Highly embodied AND highly open: Rich physical engagement with interpretive space (musical instruments, artist tools)
• Low embodied, low openness: Neither physically engaging nor interpretively open (most forms, bureaucratic interfaces)

The goal isn't always to maximize both—context matters. But being intentional about where you sit on these dimensions, and why, makes for better design.