Interaction Design Group

In our book Technology as Experience and John McCarthy and I tried to develop an account of human experience that encompassed the aesthetic, sensual and emotional aspects of our interactions in the world. The aim was to provide a richer set of concepts with which to understand “the human” in human-centred design.

In our new book we want to shift the focus slightly to explore the relationship between “designer” and “user” and ask the question, what does it mean to “know the user” in this brave new world of experience-centred design? The aim is to develop some form of critical framework to make sense of the burgeoning number user research methods. I haven’t got one (a framework) yet, but I have had a fascinating time looking for one. In this slightly half-baked talk, I want to share with you some of that journey to see what you make of it. Along the way we might touch on ideas like “coming-to-an-understanding” “women’s ways of knowing”, “the dialogical imagination” and “autoethnography” in an effort to understand what’s going on between designer and user.

Peter Wright is Professor of human-centred design at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He has 20 years of research experience in HCI and has worked in departments of linguistics, psychology, computer science and now art and design. He has published widely in interaction design and user research and is best known for his work on theory and methods for experience-centred design. His current projects include; the SMART project developing technologies to support rehabilitation, and the Landscapes of intergenerational engagement project, part of the UK’s New Dynamics of Ageing initiative.

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