Exploring Extended Mind-Wandering Through an Interactive Haptic Fidget Object

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Mind-wandering (MW) and fidgeting are both present as pervasive phenomena in everyday life and can positively impact ideation. Importantly, within the MW experience, MW can manifest in bodily behaviors such as physical fidgeting. Here, we use an extended mind framework to consider fidgeting as a case of extended MW, where (part of) a MW episode is mediated by a fidget object. We position extended MW, fidgeting, and cognition as interrelated processes. We present the design of an interactive haptic fidget object that aims to support introspective self-awareness in MW and aid in idea synthesis. We discuss the results of an exploratory user evaluation in which the fidget object was used by designers during a personally relevant work session combining research, synthesis, and creativity. We close this paper by discussing the initial findings of our research, the implications for extended MW, and additional propositions for future research directions.