pattern set
Embodied Sensemaking
Think with the Whole System
Using movement, interaction, physical modeling, and lived experience as legitimate ways of understanding systems.
Practice Area > Modes of Cognition
Adopt Multiple Ways of Knowing
Different ways of thinking - analytical, intuitive, embodied, narrative - shape how people perceive and act. Designing for multiple modes expands what a system can understand.
Related Pattern Sets
Explore related modes of cognition salons that help you adopt multiple ways of knowing.
pattern set
Reframing Practices
Shift the Lens
Deliberately changing how a situation is perceived so new patterns, assumptions, and interpretations become visible.
Understand Modes of Cognition
Design for Multiple Ways of Thinking
No single way of thinking is sufficient for complex systems. Analytical reasoning provides structure. Intuition provides speed. Narrative provides meaning. Embodiment provides grounded awareness. This practice area focuses on recognizing and working across these modes rather than privileging one as correct. When systems rely on only one mode, usually analytical, they miss important signals, exclude forms of knowledge, and create brittle decisions. The goal is access to the full range of human cognition.
