Embodied design grows from the idea of embodied cognition: that the actions of the body can play a role in the development of thought and ideas. Embodied design brings mathematics to life; studying the effects of the body on the mind, researchers learn how to design objects and activities for learning. Embodiment is an aspect of pattern recognition in all fields of human endeavor. Embodied design has an increasing role in mathematics education. Designers can use embodied cognition as a tool to study human behavior and create user-centered designs. Embodied design examines the meaning of abstractions, analyzing student reasoning and connecting mathematics to other subjects; for example, students can look at proportional relationships in a work of art. Learning strategies based on embodied design rely on motion and visualization; physical activity is helpful in learning a mathematical concept. When students are physically and mentally involved in learning, they retain content better. Recent theoretical advances such as Embodied Cognitive Load Theory have been suggested to harvest the potential advantages of embodied interaction modes for learning without filling up cognitive resources. Embodied design frequently includes trial-and-error learning. Embodied cognition is a tool designers can use to study "human behavior normally unobservable in order to create human-centric designs". For teachers, embodied design is planning experiences for students with lesson plans, curricula, activities and lessons. Mathematical manipulatives One aspect of embodied design is the use of manipulatives in learning. Manipulatives allow students to explore mathematical concepts by working with physical objects, linking their discoveries to abstractions. Although manipulatives are primarily used to illustrate modern elementary mathematics, educators use objects to represent abstract topics taught in high school, college and beyond. A function of embodied design is to expand the use of manipulatives to foster the understanding of undergraduate abstract mathematics. One disadvantage of manipulatives is that students struggle to connect the physical activity to mathematical symbols and notation. Although manipulatives allow students to develop a deeper understanding of a concept, they need support to transfer that knowledge to algebraic representations. Although an influential theory in the field of instructional design, cognitive load theory, recommends designs involving lower levels of interactivity in order to save up cognitive resources for learning, the benefits of embodied interactions are evident. As a result, a synthesis, embodied cognitive load theory, has been proposed to aid in embodied design. In this model, embodied interactions are conducive to learning if the