Some of the physical icons will be designed to recognize their motion, and hence the user's gesture. Interacting with physical icons have advantages over conventional mouse-based interactions, the learners eye and hand are separated: although the hands manipulate visual representations on a screen, the user's eye never sees the hand. With the physical icons, the eye, the hand and sense of touch are integrated.

The forms of the physical icons relate to the possibilities of shapes created by hand and finger positions. Possibilities of motion of the hands create a rich space of gestural and postural interaction. Objects can be gestured according to the meanings developed within a particular cultural context.