Kokonaisvärinähahmoja

Kokonaisvärinähahmoja, literally “whole-vibration characters,” is a term used in Finnish media theory and haptic design to describe a class of characters whose expressivity is built from coordinated vibrational cues. The concept joins kokonais (whole) and värinä (vibration) with hahmo (character) to indicate a character whose emotional state is conveyed through an integrated system of bodily and environmental vibrations.

The term emerged in the context of embodied interaction, accessibility, and immersive media. It is used to discuss how designers and performers leverage multisensory feedback to communicate mood, intention, or tension beyond traditional visual or verbal cues. Though not a single standardized framework, kokonaisvärinähahmoja are often described as comprising a consistent mapping between affective states and vibration patterns, which are synchronized with voice, movement, and sound design.

Core design characteristics include a multi-layer vibrational language that can encode varying arousal levels, deliberate synchronization with speech and motion, and an emphasis on embodied perception. They are frequently implemented with haptic actuators and motion‑capture data, enabling audiences to perceive a character’s interior state through felt cues as well as seen and heard signals. In accessibility contexts, these cues can aid users who rely less on visual channels to understand character intent.

Applications span interactive games, VR/AR experiences, live performance with wraparound sensing, and immersive installations. While still developing, the concept prompts discussion about interpretability, cognitive load, and ethical considerations around bodily data and sensory design.