Beyond Flow: When User Experience Becomes Transcendent

@ebuie
Beyond Flow
ELIZABETH BUIE
Senior User Experience Consultant
Sigma Consulting Solutions, Ltd.
@ebuie
When User Experience
Becomes Transcendent

@ebuie Image from Vimeo, used under Crea2ve Commons
Mihályi Csikszentmihályi

@ebuie
Flow:
A dance of
challenge
and skill
h5ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Challenge_vs_skill.svg

Characteristics of Flow
!  Intrinsically rewarding activity
!  Clarity of goals
!  Complete concentration on activity
!  Merged actions & awareness
!  Loss of awareness of oneself
!  Sense of control over activity
!  Relative absence of emotion
!  Time distortion
List adapted from Ilona Boniwell’s “Living in Flow”,
Posi2ve Psychology UK
h5p://posi2vepsychology.org.uk/living-in-ﬂow
@ebuie

Key aspects of ﬂow
!  Centered around an activity
!  Usually personal, individual
!  May be shared with others,
when all are in ﬂow
with the activity
Flow is centered on an activity.
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Flow in human-computer interaction
Research began >25 years ago
!  What flow looks like in interaction
!  How flow affects task performance
!  Designing to support flow
Various contexts
!  Gaming
!  Shopping
!  Learning
!  Social networking
!  Health & well-being

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An early study (1991)
Face-to-face activity Computer-mediated activity
Ghani, J. A., Supnick, R., & Rooney, P. (1991, January). The Experience of Flow in Computer-mediated and
in Face-to-face Groups.
In ICIS (Vol. 91, pp. 229-237).
Signiﬁcantly greater ﬂow intensity

@ebuie
A very recent study (February 2017)
!  Reviewed information systems research on flow
!  Found that flow is not well defined or measured
!  Offered an integrative theoretical framework of
flow in information systems
!  Concluded that design was important to flow:
Rissler, R., Nadj, M., & Adam, M. (2017). Flow in Informa2on Systems Research: Review, Integra2ve Theore2cal Framework, and Future Direc2ons.
‘…the design and implementation of IS plays an important role in
whether or not users have holistic experiences such as “flow”
when interacting with technology.’
– Rissler, Nadj, & Adam (2017)

Transcendent experience — What is it?
A sense of intense connection
with something greater than oneself
??
What might that be??
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What is “something greater”?
Do we think ﬁrst of a deity?
Sinagoga di Torino (Italy), ©Elizabeth Buie
OR…
Mosque photo by MohammadReza Domiri Ganji h5ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nasir_al-_mulk_mosque,_Shiraz.jpg. Used under Crea2ve Commons BY-SA 4.0
Hay Street United Methodist Church (USA), ©Elizabeth Buie

The grandeur of the Universe NASA photo

The compassion of a humanitarian cause
Photo: Interna2onal Community of the Red Cross, www.ﬂickr.com/photos/icrc/8536526544/in/set-72157632930713318/. Used under Crea2ve Commons BY-
SA 2.0.

The intimacy of a community with shared purpose
Photo © Chris2ne Kipper, h5ps://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/info-graz/15975507965. Used under Crea2ve Commons BY
2.0.

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Is it always the same?
No.

@ebuie
Is it always the same?
No.
Transcendent experience (TX)
takes on many forms,
comes in many ﬂavors,
goes by many names.

Many forms,
ﬂavors, names
!  Spiritual experience
!  Mystical experience
!  Peak experience
!  Religious experience
!  Numinous experience
!  Samādhi
!  Cosmic Consciousness
!  Satori
!  The peace that passeth
all understanding
!  (etc.)
Levin, J., & Steele, L. (2005). The transcendent experience: conceptual, theore2cal, and epidemiologic perspec2ves. Explore, 1(2),
89–101.
@ebuie

An experience
that transcends
the ordinary —
!  reality
!  worldview
!  sense of self
!  boundaries
Transcendent
Experience:
the key
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Is it Flow or Transcendence?
Flow experience
! Rewarding activity, clear
goals, sense of control
Transcendent experience
! Activity not critical,
may not even matter

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Flow experience
! Loss of awareness of self
may not even matter
! Awareness of self, sense of
connection beyond oneself

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Flow experience
! Usually individual
may not even matter
! Individual or communitarian

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Flow experience
! Long (hours to days)
may not even matter
! Short (seconds to minutes)

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Flow experience
! Fun, enjoyment
may not even matter
! Wonder, awe, chills, tingles

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Flow experience
! Fun, enjoyment
! Repetition (do it again)
may not even matter
! Wonder, awe, chills, tingles
! Transformation

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What does all this
have to do with UX?
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A tale of two ﬁelds
! Experience is the focus
! Artifacts seldom play a role
in the work
! Experience is usually brief:
!  “An” experience
! Design??
User experience
! Artifact is a major focus
! Experience revolves around
artifact
! Experience may be ongoing:
!  “Experiencing”
! Design is crucial

Can we bridge these ﬁelds?
Transcend
ent
Experienc
e
User
Experienc
e
Bridges over the River Tyne, Newcastle, ©Elizabeth Buie

Can we bridge these ﬁelds?
Transcend
ent
Experienc
e
User
Experienc
e
What about user experiences
that involve transcendence?
Bridges over the River Tyne, Newcastle, ©Elizabeth Buie

Of music and mystery
Several years ago I realized a long-held dream — I joined a group that sings
Medieval & Renaissance sacred polyphony.
I’ve resonated with early music for as long as I can remember — even in
childhood, my favorite Christmas song was the 16th Century “Coventry Carol.”
Now, I’m not religious in a traditional sense, but this music just speaks to me.
Polyphony is a musical texture in which two or more independent melodic lines
weave in and out, creating complex harmonies. Some of the rhythms are
difﬁcult.
For someone raised in the 20th Century, used to having all voices sing the same
words more or less together, learning to sing early music is just plain hard.
Fortunately, we don’t use this notation any more.

One of our members transcribed old manuscripts into modern notation;
this is mostly what we sing from.
I’m grateful for technology that enables me to learn this glorious and
difficult music.
One month before the first rehearsal, our director sends out the sheet
music, along with MIDI files to give a general idea of how the pieces
sound.
(I’d like to play you one of these, but SlideShare has made it impossible for me to test that capability).
It’s really hard to tell the lines apart. I’d never be able to pick out my part
by listening to that.
Fortunately, I have music notation software that can. I set my part to a
French horn played loudly and the other parts to softer instruments… and
voilá! I save the results to MP3.

Live with pieces
Photo © 1998, Elizabeth Buie
For two months before each concert, I lived with these pieces.
I had a handy little gadget that allowed me to play my iPod through my
car radio…
…which I did, any time I had a drive of more than about 15 minutes.
(Note that this was before most cars had USB connections.)
Not only did it help me learn the music, it made my commute more
enjoyable.

Live with pieces

Commute - spirit soared
One morning I commuted through Rock Creek Park in Washington DC…
… singing along with my learning files and feeling intensely connected to
the Universe…
… cherishing the fall colors, the flowing stream, and the mystery that this
magnificent music evokes in me.
My spirit soared.
Thanks to music technology, the DC rush hour didn't faze me one bit.

Mystery/wonder part of my UX
Creating this experience involves three software apps and three pieces of
equipment (not counting the car).
My sense of connection to the Universe — the mystery and wonder I feel
— are part of my user experience of these tools.
The tools help nourish my spirit.
In his goal-directed design approach, Alan Cooper would say that
connection and wonder are two of my goals.
I say they’re my fundamental goals.

@ebuie
This experience and
insight launched my
PhD journey
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Bridging the ﬁelds
Transcend
ent
Experienc
e
(TX)
User
Experienc
e
(UX)
transcendent experience supported/facilitated by technology

Bridging the ﬁelds
Transcend
ent
Experienc
e
(TX)
User
Experienc
e
(UX)
transcendent experience supported/facilitated by technology
Transcendent User Experience (TUX)

@ebuie
Brief overview of my
PhD activities

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Enrolled in PhD program(me)

Research Activities
Background Studies
!  Analyze ACM literature on techno-
spirituality
!  Inventory/analyze iTunes App Store
oﬀerings
!  Analyze comments on top YouTube
meditation videos
Along the way
!  Explore design ﬁction for techno-
spirituality

Research Activities
Background Studies
spirituality
oﬀerings
meditation videos
Along the way
spirituality
Empirical Research
!  Design/conduct/analyze interviews
!  Develop grounded theory of
transcendent user experience (TUX)
!  Design/conduct game workshops
to elicit speculative design ideas
!  Analyze ideas from workshop;
map them to grounded theory
!  Assess workshop’s potential for
generating TUX design ideas

Research Activities
Background Studies
spirituality
offerings
meditation videos
Along the way
spirituality
Empirical Research
!  Design/conduct/analyze interviews
!  Develop grounded theory of
transcendent user experience (TUX)
!  Design/conduct game workshops
to elicit speculative design ideas
!  Analyze ideas from workshop;
map them to grounded theory
!  Assess workshop’s potential for
generating TUX design ideas
Peripheral/Oblique Design
!  Use workshop-generated ideas to seed TUX design fictions
!  Develop new forms of design fiction for TUX

@ebuie
Compared App Store & ACM Digital
Library for coverage of tech in
spirituality & religion
!  6,000 apps in late 2012 (1% of App Store)
!  19 HCI research papers focused on
techno-spirituality
!  Apps included many uses that
research had not studied
…
!  123,000 apps in mid-2017 (4% of App Store)

Analyzed comments on YouTube videos
for meditation
!  87 videos
!  Three main types of
comments:
!  The video or its creator
!  The viewer’s reaction
!  Convos among viewers
!  Very little ﬂaming

Analyzed comments on YouTube videos
for meditation
!  87 videos
!  Three main types of
comments:
!  The video or its creator
!  The viewer’s reaction
!  Convos among viewers
!  Very little ﬂaming
WHOOOAAA ! ! !
THAT WAS INSANELY AWESOME ! ! !
thank you for sharing ! Namaste
I felt the top of my head tingling
look deep, you are god Makes me wanna poop slowly and peacefully…
some viewer
comments

Explored design
fiction for techno-
spirituality research
Developed several “imaginary
abstracts” for techno-spiritual
products
Investigated inspirations that science
fiction can offer
Blythe, M., & Buie, E. (2014). Chatbots of the Gods: Imaginary
Abstracts for Techno-Spirituality Research. Proc. NordiCHI ‘14 (pp.
227-236). Helsinki, Finland: ACM Press. Explora2on of science fic2on for techno-spirituality
Presented at NordiCHI 2014
Chatbots of the Gods

Empirical research began with
interviews
!  24 people of varying backgrounds and perspectives
!  One or two transcendent experiences they’d had
!  How they used artifacts* in
their spiritual practices
!  Desires for enhancement
to experiences
*artifacts = devices, objects, high-tech
products, low-tech items

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Constructed grounded theory of
transcendent user experience
!  Coded/categorised
interview data
!  Related categories
to existing literature
!  Identified
relationships
among categories
surrounds or
contributes to
Desiring
Enhancement
wishes for
wishes for
evokes or
satisfies
evokes or
satisfies
wishes for
Living the Experience
Perceiving Phenomena
- Connection
- Consciousness, Control
- Numinous Presence
- Physicality
- Duration, Frequency
- Quality of Experience
evokes
Reacting as
Exp. Unfolds
- Emotion
- Interpretation
- Effect, Action
Creating
the Context
- Developmental
- Spiritual
- Social
- Physical/Activity
- Psychological
- Temporal
Integrating
the Experience
- Reflection
- Continuing Effects
- Sharing
responds to
Using
Artefacts
(supports)
supports
wishes for
evokesresponds to
makes a change to
supports
reacts to
These
relationships
make it a
grounded
theory.

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Designed & conducted a game to elicit
design ideas
!  “Transcendhance” — for
enhancing transcendence
(More on this later)

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Developed new forms of design ﬁction
!  Diﬀerent versions of imaginary abstracts
!  Imaginary usability tests
!  Design poetry

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Why do we care
about TUX?
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@ebuie
Why do transcendent
experiences matter?
Why are they so hard
to design for?
– and –
Why do we care
about TUX?

@ebuie
Why do transcendent
experiences matter?

Transformation
change in beliefs
le-ng go
release
unburdening
accomplishment
resolu5on
forgiveness
loss of fear of death
acceptance
open-mindedness
freedom
lovingness
comfort
joyfulness
growth
openness
reduced anxiety
compassion
change in values
kindness
peace
Photo © 2005, Elizabeth Buie@ebuie
qui-ng smoking

Pssst: Why did we get into UX, anyway?

@ebuie
Why are TUXs so
diﬃcult to design for?

Normally, we use interviews
to gain an understanding
of users and their needs and experiences.

TUXs are Ineﬀable
“I have no words
for what I felt.”
“To this day
I couldn’t describe it.”
“I can’t ﬁnd the words for it.”
“It was like nothing else
I’ve ever experienced.”
“It was beyond words.”
“I cannot begin to tell you
what it was like.”

TUXs are Ineﬀable
“I have no words
for what I felt.”
“I can’t ﬁnd the words for it.”
“It was like nothing else
I’ve ever experienced.”
“It was beyond words.”
“I cannot begin to tell you
what it was like.”
“To this day
I couldn’t describe it.”

No.
“…you can’t dial it up…”
– interview participant

How do we evaluate a design’s
ability to support TUXs —
if we can’t ensure we can
observe one happening?
@ebuie

“…you can’t dial it up…”

“…you can’t dial it up…”“Althou
gh

“Although you can’t dial it up,
you can kind of put yourself
in the way of it.”
– Interview participant

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TUX design calls for
an oblique approach

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An oblique approach to TUX design
!  Elicit ideas — “Transcendhance” game
!  Elaborate selected ideas — spin-oﬀs
!  Explore potential scenarios & people’s responses —
design ﬁction
!  Evoke impressions & feelings — design poetry
What’s next??

“Transcendhance” board game
!  Draws on fun, play, and embodiment
!  Uses concepts from my grounded theory of TUX
!  Focuses on experience more than on technology
!  Can be played by designers & others (a mix is good)
!  Encourages players to be fanciful
Come and play! C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Sigma_Estimate_171159_trancendhance_board_A1.pdf 1 17/05/2017 10:21
Transcendhance forms part of the Wednesday/
Thursday workshops with Alastair Somerville and me

Design Fiction
“the deliberate use of diegetic prototypes
to suspend disbelief about change”
– Bruce Sterling, SF author
and design ﬁctioneer
Diegesis involves
!  narrative
!  characters
!  props
!  other elements of story
i.e., elements that make the storytelling possible

@ebuie
Design ﬁctions from design ideas
Design ﬁctions are stories that illustrate concept
designs and how people might use and react to them

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“…to suspend disbelief about change” –Bruce Sterling

@ebuie
“…to suspend disbelief about change” –Bruce Sterling
“Design ﬁction can also help designers
suspend our own disbelief about the
beliefs and practices of people and
communities for whom we are
designing”
–Elizabeth Buie

Design poetry
!  Takes advantage of metaphor and oblique language
!  Aims to convey impressions and feelings of
ineﬀable experience
!  Can be a design tool for giving a ﬂavor of the kind
of experience we hope to support
I’m still working on this and would value some collaborative
camaraderie.
@ebuie

An illustration: Showerfall
!  Elicited during
Transcendhance
game play
!  Integrates nature
impressions into
daily life
!  Projects images of
water falling onto
stones while the
person showers
!  Came from a non-
designer

participant drawing

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Elaborations (spin-oﬀs)
!  Other types of precipitation (e.g., snowfall)
!  Seasonally appropriate precipitation
!  Sounds, scents, colors
!  Images of vegetation, wildlife
!  Other contexts

@ebuie
Explore design fictions
!  Imaginary abstract: testing Showerfall as originally
envisioned, with busy London professionals
!  Imaginary abstract: testing it with cancer patients in
a chemotherapy treatment facility
!  What other environments might we imagine for it?
!  What effects can we imagine it might have in
different circumstances and with different features?

Evoke impressions/feelings
!  Design poetry can take many forms
!  I tried limerick and haiku
!  Limerick doesn’t work well — too irreverent
!  Perhaps longer poetic forms might be suitable
@ebuie
On the other hand…

@ebuie
Haiku seems perfect.
’Midst soundless snowﬂakes
I breathe winter’s fragrant depths,
Showerfalling free.

Beyond Flow: When User Experience Becomes Transcendent

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