On the experience of love: The underlying principles

Abstract

In design research, general theories on experiential concepts have been accessed, conceptual models of experiences have been developed, and design strategies for experience have been presented. However, due to the complex nature of experiences and the multidisciplinary nature of design, we argue that designers may not be fully equipped with information to design for particular experiences. In our previous study, we adopted general theories of interpersonal love to conceptualize the 'experience of love' in person-product interaction. In this paper, we complete this conceptualization and present the underlying principles of love. The principles of love are fixed and predetermined 'modes of action' that trigger what is experienced as 'love' in the interaction with consumer products. We believe that, equipped with a complete and clear set of information over experiential concepts, designers and developers would be free to develop their own creativity and, consequently, have more control over their work. © 2007 ACM.