If Heidegger says "go back to the things themselves", a UX designer must say "go back to the users themselves."
The task of a User Experience designer is built into the title. A User Experience (UX) designer creates experiences for people. Although design elements are important, a UX designer’s job is to broadly consider the experience of the person engaging with the design.
Phenomenology shares this interest in experience with UX design. A phenomenological perspective offers us a way to understand and talk about experiences. As we “go back to the user”, we remember to place the user at the center of the design process.
In this article, I will give a brief overview of some ways that UX design can be explored from a phenomenological perspective. How can we create better user experiences by applying phenomenology in our design process?
Obra: Perspectiva interna
Autor: Ernst Mach.
Phenomenology: The Philosophy of Experience
The root of the word “experience” comes from the Greek word έμπειρία (empeiría). It’s related to the word “empiricism” — associated with the type of knowledge that’s acquired through practice and founded on repetition. Experience is a way of knowing, a way of acquiring knowledge.
Phenomenology focuses on the experience of the things as they appear. Since phenomenology pays close attention to the way that we experience and perceive things, it’s sometimes known as the “philosophy of experience”.
Phenomenology focuses on the experience of the things as they appear. Since phenomenology pays close attention to the way that we experience and perceive things, it’s sometimes known as the “philosophy of experience”.
In phenomenology, something that’s observed, or appears, is known as a phenomena. Phenomena is what is seen or perceived by us. Objects in nature, tools, people — everything around us could be considered phenomenon.
In Greek, the present participle of “phenomenon” is “phainsethai” — to appear. Of course, what appears today is complex. The phenomenon of user experiences today are highly interactive systems, advertisements, a huge variety of features, pop-ups, and more. When we consider these things as phenomenon rather than taking them for granted, there’s an opportunity to learn to create better experiences.
Working and studying online has led me to spend a great deal of time in front of a screen. And according to the American Opportunity Survey from McKinsey, I’m in good company. In June 2022, they reported that 58% of job holders in the US say they can work remotely at least part of the time. That’s around 92 million people, just in the US alone.
The phenomenon of user experiences today are highly interactive systems, advertisements, a huge variety of features, pop-ups, and more.
As it becomes more common to work, study, and socialize virtually, it’s important to recognize the role that technology and design play in our lives. As interacting with technology is an essential part of daily life for many in modern society, in the design industry we have to remember to place the person and their experience at the center of the design process. Instead of focusing solely on the product, we need to think about the well-being of the user.
The “why” behind everything from visual elements to the content interface should relate back to the user’s experience. Digital product designers are responsible for making decisions that provide their users with the best possible experience.
What Makes a Good Experience?
So, how can this goal of providing an optimal experience be achieved? In the field of UX design, it’s common to ask what will appeal to the human brain. There’s a constant stream of explorations happening about what will make users happy or satisfied with an experience. There’s also the question of the usability of products. How usable a particular product is and how easy it is for the user to intuit how to use it.
With UX design, it’s possible to add sparkle to everyday moments that might otherwise feel mundane. By creating applications and websites that are easy to navigate and fun to use, we can add positive experiences to people’s everyday lives.
To answer the question of what makes a good experience, we have to think from the point-of-view of a user. Of course, design experience is complex and includes many elements. Also, humans are diverse, so the array of experiences that different users may consider to be “good” could vary wildly.
In my own experiences as a user, I find that my favorite experiences have balanced design. By balanced, I mean that the design elements or phenomena have proportions that are pleasing to the eye. There isn’t overwhelming clutter that prevents me from navigating the experience. Rather, I can flow through the experience easily.
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As both users and designers, we can evaluate UX designs by noting how it feels to go through an experience. A confusing experience might lead to physical tension or feelings of frustration. On the other hand, a positive user experience has the power to bring relaxation or evoke joy.
With UX design, it’s possible to add sparkle to everyday moments that might otherwise feel mundane. By creating applications and websites that are easy to navigate and fun to use, we can add positive experiences to people’s everyday lives
Conclusions
Phenomenology makes a call for UX designers to adopt new attitudes towards what experience is. It can guide us to take better care of the user experience and strive towards creating better experiences.
In every product ideation phase, there has to be a user research method. A way to approach the user’s needs. “Going back to the user” means thinking about the user experience in fresh ways that center around the user’s perspective.
Each element of a digital interface — dimension, color, position — is a portal to feelings and experiences.
Experiences are a source of knowledge, according to phenomenologists. Any experience is an experience of the world itself. And the fact that we are able to have experiences is a foundation of meaning and order.
An exercise to explore this idea further — try out what phenomenologists call description. The goal is to describe as many details as you can. You can do this for any experience. Start with physical sensations. Then think about the surroundings, and end with statements related to the mind and thoughts. This task has to be executed as an unfolding of meaning. It’s a way to share in words things that can not be seen.
Write your experiences down. This exercise is great for all of us to try now and again. And for UX designers, this type of exercise can be helpful to expand our perspectives when approaching the design process.
Sources:
Edmund Husserl: The Idea of Phenomenology
Johns Hopkins Guide for Literary Theory and Criticism entry (2nd Edition 2005) Paul B. Armstrong / Source: http://litguide.press.jhu.edu/
Fenomenología de la experiencia en Edmund Husserl* Bernhard Waldenfels
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1016-913X2017000200008#:~:text=Experiencia%20de%20lo%20extra%C3%B1o&text=Pertenece%20a%20las%20prioridades%20de,elementos%20constitutivos%20de%20la%20experiencia.
https://www.phenomenologyonline.com/inquiry/orientations-in-phenomenology/transcendental-phenomenology/#:~:text=Transcendental%20phenomenology%20is%20therefore%20a,by%20consciousness%2C%20or%20the%20cogito.