Katja Battarbee UNDERSTANDING USER EXPERIENCES IN SOCIAL INTERACTION 2004 Academic dissertation Publication series of the University of Art and Design Helsinki A 51 Publication Series of the University of Art and Design Helsinki A 51 http://www.uiah.fi /publications © Katja Battarbee Graphic Design: Kalle Järvenpää English Revision: Cindy Kohtala All photographs by the author(s), unless stated otherwise. All photographs published with permission. ISBN 951-558-158-3 (printed book) ISBN 951-558-161-3 (electronic book) ISSN 0782-1832 Yleisjäljennös – Painopörssi Printed in Helsinki, 2004 FOR YOU ON- CTENTS S UMMARY 8 A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS 10 INTRO 1 DUCTION 15 1.1 FOCUS AND AIMS OF THE STUDY 15 1.2 THE EMERGING RELEVANCE OF USER EXPERIENCE 16 1.3 WHAT IS DESIGN FOR USER EXPERIENCE? 25 1.4 USER EXPERIENCE AND MEANING 27 1.5 DATA AND METHODS 30 1.6 THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION 32 USER EXPERIENCE 2 DEMYSTIFIED 37 2.1 USER EXPERIENCE THEORIES AND FRAMEWORKS 37 2.2 EMOTIONS AND USER EXPERIENCE 52 2.3 SHARING THE SUBJECTIVE 61 CO-EXPE- 3 RIENCE 79 3.1 REALITY SEEKS THEORY FOR SERIOUS PARTNERSHIP 80 3.2 DESIGN FOR CO-EXPERIENCE 92 3.3 REFLECTION 96 PRESENTING 4THE ARTICLES 101 1 IT’S FUN TO DO THINGS TOGETHER – TWO CASES OF EXPLORATIVE USER STUDIES 105 2 CO-EXPERIENCE – THE SOCIAL USER EXPERIENCE 113 3 DEFINING CO-EXPERIENCE 119 4 CO-EXPERI-ENCE – USER EXPERIENCE AS INTERACTION 133 5 UNDERSTANDING EXPERIENCE IN INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS 168 6 POOLS AND SATELLITES – INTIMACY IN THE CITY 173 EFER- RENCES 195 PPENDIX: AHISTORICAL TIMELINE 207 UM- S MARY This dissertation focuses on user experience, and in particular co-experience: user experiences in social interaction. User experience is a term that has become popular in user centred design in recent years. It off ers a holistic approach to understanding the relationship between the user and product, and the experi- ences that result from their interaction. However, a review of the current user experience literature reveals that the term user experience lacks a common defi nition. Instead, it is often used to embrace a broader context for design that relates to the needs, emotions and experiences of users and to the products that contribute to them. It then de- pends on the fi eld of design how broad and inclusive the defi nition becomes. In concept design the focus is on the experiences that the future users fi nd meaningful, useful and delightful, which are used instead of the more common problem-solving approach as the starting point for design. In the design of in- teractive content, the focus tends to be on the interface solution itself. However, there is also research that attempts to defi ne user experience in a way that is theoretically informed. These recent approaches defi ne user experience as both the “moment” of interaction and its diff erent qualities between person and en- vironment, as well as the meaning making activities that relate the past to the present and anticipate the future. It is the aspect of meaning and its relation- ship to time that is often lacking from the practice-oriented approaches. In the design literature there is a clear bias towards treating experience as a private phenomenon and supporting ways to let people express what they have experienced to researchers and designers. However, the social interaction 8 situation infl uences what is communicated and how. When deciding how to share an experience, the recipient is used as a resource to determine what experiences 9 are appropriate for sharing and how they need to be presented to off er desir- able interpretations. Therefore, direct involvement with future users should be balanced with empathic observation of interactions between future users and the experiences they determine meaningful for each other. However, despite understanding the current state of the users’ life, it is dif- fi cult, if not impossible to predict changes in people’s behaviours when a new technology or product is introduced into their lives. This thesis proposes that to study co-experience, experience prototyping should happen early and in the fi eld, in the real social and physical contexts of the future users’ lives. By ob- serving how users lift up experiences for each other and how others interpret and respond to them, researchers can begin to develop an empathic understand- ing of the experiences that are relevant for users. At the same time, it is possible to study the interaction with the products and the emergence of meanings and purposes for technology. By focusing on co-experience, user experiences and the adoption and appropriation of products and technology are not artifi cially separated, but all three happen in context as they are studied over time. CKNOWL- A EDGEMENTS The birthplace of this dissertation is an academic community that is interested in current user centred design, best practices, method development and related theoretical and philosophical issues. As a member of this user centred design fan club I have also followed the latest articles and books and followed the ac- tivities of the key fi gures in the fi eld. With fellow fans I have evaluated bits of information and debated identifi ed problems and improvement suggestions. One of the topics this community has been writing and talking about in the past years is user experience. It has been rewarding and challenging to move up from being observer to become one that plays the fi eld, this dissertation connecting many previous pitches into an actual game plan. The running joke is that designers do not read, they look at the pictures. It is proven that designers can be taught to read and write as well, but at heart we still are make-doers, eager to apply, impatient with purpose and ready to snatch and run off with anything that looks like it might fi t. Meanwhile, decades, if not centuries, worth of research elsewhere has been dedicated to pondering the light matters of experience and meaning. Negotiating a path that neither denies design what it needs, nor pretends the other research does not exist would be diffi cult without a knowledgeable guide. Thanks to my supervisor Ilpo Koskinen, who showed me how to turn my work into a thesis – a feat I still fi nd amazing. Also, the comments from the evaluators Minna Isomursu and Kees Overbeeke greatly helped in the fi nal stages of revision. Thanks also to good friends and colleagues! Tuuli Mattelmäki, Esko Kurvinen 10 and Salu Ylirisku have been good friends, research companions and offi ce mates. It takes a group to turn a design student into a researcher, and I would like to 11 extend my gratitude to all fellow smart researchers of past and present. A spe- cial thanks to Turkka Keinonen and Simo Säde, who have defended their dis- sertations before me. They also originally put me in touch with Anu Kankainen and the hugely inspiring Maypole project – which is the true starting point for this work. There are other people I wish to thank also. Andrea Botero is a dear friend with wisdom, curiosity, humour and integrity. Thank you for bringing to me to many thoughts, sources and ideas that I might not have found on my own. Stephan Wensveen and Tom Djajadiningrat from TU Eindhoven have helped keep these northern corners aware of the ongoings of the rest of the world’s research activities, and commiserated with paper writing hardships. Jodi Forl- izzi from Carnegie Mellon has brought to me opportunities I would never have imagined seeking and has been a helpful critic and collaborator. I have met many more wonderful people at projects, courses, classes, workshops and vis- its over the years, all over the place (Helsinki, Tampere, Liverpool, Eindhoven, London, Ivrea, Delft, Pittsburgh, Copenhagen, Sønderborg, Boston…) You are too numerous to list here but all remembered nonetheless. Thanks also to Kaisa, Aila, Maria, Osse, Joona, Oliver, and the many other people who keep things going on the 8th fl oor. Some of you have known me since when I started my BA in 1993 (time fl ies!) – but it has been a pleasure to stick around. Thanks (kiitos, gracias, etc.) to all my friends near and far who have both kept me on track and provided distraction, in suitable amounts. The funding that has made this work and its reporting possible is gratefully acknowledged to a large part to the Academy of Finland through two separate projects: the Usability of Smart Products in Information Society and Living in Metamorphosis – Control and Awareness in a Proactive Home Environment. Other contributors are also the telecom operator Radiolinja (now known as Elisa) with the Mobile multimedia messaging project and the University of Art and Design Helsinki with other intermediate employment as well as numerous travel grants. A scholarship grant from the Nokia Foundation has also been in- strumental in publishing and fi nishing the work. Kalle Järvenpää gave this work a visual style and appearance that in my opin- ion greatly contributes to the reading experience. Thanks also to the Publica- tions unit, Annu and Sanna, for managing the publishing process. Finally: dear immediate and extended family and dear Brian: it’s done! Happy co-experiencing! 1.1 FOCUS AND AIMS OF THE STUDY 1.2 THE EMERGING RELEVANCE OF USER EXPERIENCE 1.3 WHAT IS DESIGN FOR USER EXPERIENCE? 1.4 USER EXPERIENCE AND MEANING 1.5 DATA AND METHODS 1.6 THE STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION INTRO- 1DUCTION 1.1 FOCUS AND AIMS OF THE STUDY The seed for this thesis was found in a project for developing social communi- cation concepts for children.