Experiential Design

Whether you are designing a website, developing an app or building an immersive exhibit, user feedback is essential to understanding how your users interact with your product. It allows you to identify where they are confused, where the experience is frustrating and where it is delightful. You can collect this feedback throughout your design process, no matter which design method you are using (design thinking, human-centered design or otherwise).

Experiential design is an increasingly popular way to create an engaging customer experience. It is a broad term that encompasses several different disciplines, but at its core, it is about creating a memorable experience for your customers. Whether you are creating a museum exhibition, a new retail store, or a brand activation, Experiential Design can be used to communicate a story and create an emotional connection with your audience.

Have you ever walked into an office space, a restaurant, or an airport and immediately understood what the company or organization was all about? This was likely the result of an experiential design project. Whether the space was infused with imagery, music, or interactive elements, these spaces were designed to pull on your senses and convey a message.

The Role of User Feedback in Experiential Design

While the use of this type of design is primarily found in museums and art galleries, it is becoming more prevalent in other areas as well. From large event spaces to airports, more designers are choosing to incorporate experiential design into their projects in order to engage and connect with their audiences.

One of the biggest differences between experiential design and other contemporary perspectives is that it takes the user into account. Unlike some designers who base their work on trends or aesthetics, experiential design is all about meeting the needs of your users. This is why getting feedback from your to-be occupants is so important.

The goal of a good experiential design is to produce delight for your user, so it’s important that you provide them with feedback in an immediate and meaningful way. For example, if you’re designing an interaction that uses a touch screen to navigate through your product, it’s best to give the user immediate feedback on their actions. Research shows that even a delay of 100 milliseconds is noticeable and can frustrate your user.

In addition to identifying what aspects of your product or service are delightful, user feedback can help you pinpoint areas that need improvement as well. You can gather this feedback through forums, surveys, or focus groups. It’s also important to remember that most user feedback is skewed towards the negative, so it’s important to take this into consideration when analyzing your data.

While many companies are using experiential design to create more engaging interactions with their audiences, others are still working to figure out how to implement it into their marketing and branding efforts. To get started, consider the following three major questions before you kick off an experiential design project: