What Is Experience Design: Readers' Replies

Welcome to “What Is Experience Design” Week, Episode 1.

This week, we’ll look into this question over three episodes. We’ll find that the answer is … complicated.

The good news is we’ve already started. You have, anyway: last week you gave me your ideas about it. So we’ll go long today to publish as many of those as we can.

Here’s what you said (my mysterious italics will become clear later):

… carefully planning the intended effect … on a visitor through all the stages of their engagement with it …
— Reader J.T.

… creating spaces that communicate content, often in narrative modalities, and engage visitors and participants physically, emotionally and cognitively. 
— Reader B.C.

… shaping a collection of artifacts/information/words/images/forks in such a way that [people] have similar experiences … as close as possible to the outcome the designers/organizers want to achieve.
— Reader M.H.

Creating for engagement of individuals or audiences in public. 
— Reader (a different) M.H.

… to immerse yourself in it. But so much that you can’t feel it. 
— Reader A.P.

… shap[ing] … the physical/psychological environment of the institution to convey the messaging, the feel, of those goals, and the mission of the institution.
— Reader C.A.

The product of an effective exp[erience] design spans time and space beyond the physical and didactic components that are at its core. 
— Reader G.S.

… a practice focused on shaping a user's perception, emotion, cognition, and actions over time through the intentional design of interactions, environments, and touchpoints.
— Reader N.L.

… the tones and overall moods that are felt while interacting or in an environment.
— Reader W.R.

… how one designs the experience of a visitor to your space, from the moment of buying tickets to their exit …
— Reader R.P.

Here’s the thing:

Apparently, if you ask readers of a niche newsletter for exhibition people what “experience design” means, you’ll get … very different answers.

Which is, of course, significant on its own.

But there are hints of what a shared answer might eventually be.

Tomorrow: Everyone’s Saying Experience Design.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. I’d love to hear from you about today’s note and our question. Hit REPLY and let me know. No wrong answers, no judging.

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This week, the MtM Word of the Day is … the Word of the Week. Stay tuned.