Co-experience: Understanding user experiences in social interaction

The analysis of the user experience approaches and frameworks has proceeded
by comparing models to each other and identifying similarities and
differences. The groupings have been revised as the work has progressed, and
thoughts have become clearer and better defined.
The concept of co-experience has also gone through several cycles of descriptions
and definitions, which are evident in articles 2 (Battarbee 2003a) 3
(Battarbee2003b), 4 (Battarbee & Koskinen forthcoming) and 5 (Forlizzi & Battarbee
2004). The early attempts to describe what kinds of experiences become
shared or what dimensions describe such shared experiences also address different
audiences. The short article 2 (Battarbee 2003a) is for the computer human
interaction audience and article 3 (Battarbee 2003b) is aimed at a design
audience with an interest in pleasure and its relation to design. The definition
of co-experience became more solid in article 4 (Battarbee & Koskinen forthcoming),
where it was described as a process of lifting up and responding to
experiences. Article 5 (Forlizzi & Battarbee 2004) further attempted to connect
the concept to other evolving models of user experience.
1.6 THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION
32 1 INTRODUCTION
This dissertation contains two parts: the introduction essay and the articles.
The purpose of the introduction essay is to present the work that has been
published in the articles as a coherent whole, describing the backgrounds of
the arguments, the arguments themselves, and connecting the work and ideas
described in the articles together.
1 INTRODUCTION describes the aims of the study. It states the problem of
individualistic bias in the understanding of user experience, and the general
lack of a common definition. It seeks to explain this situation with a review of
the emergence and development of the term user experience through the last
one hundred years. The concept of meaning is described as a key aspect of user
experience. The data, methods and structure of this article-based dissertation
are also explained.
2 USER EXPERIENCE DEMYSTIFIED reviews a broad selection of existing frameworks
that describe or define user experience and compare them to each other.
As emotions are identified as a key element of experience, the chapter also
reviews current research approaches to emotion and design, defining their essential
differences. The interactionist approach is selected as the most valid
one, and emotions in interaction are also discussed. The chapter also compares
and analyses four well-published approaches of understanding and designing
for user experience.