Introducing Performative Experience Design

Abstract

Chapter 1 begins with an introduction to the concept of Performative Experience Design (PED) as a methodology, a field, and a framework for understanding interactions with technology in which the device, system, or situation creates an opportunity for the user to engage in performance for and/or with others. It works from concrete examples in the HCI literature to paint a picture for readers who may have any number of conflicting or confusing ideas of what ‘performance’ or ‘performative’ means, particularly in the context of experience design. The chapter defines the aims and design space of PED, which indicates its scope in terms of the continuing developments of third-wave HCI. It then raises the questions: what is the point of pursuing performative experience design? What use is it to designers and researchers, and what larger purposes does it serve? Several initial responses are proposed: as a development of critical design, an exploration of speculative and transformative interactions, and a design-oriented methodology that addresses the ethical dimensions of design research into interactions with technologies that are deeply personal and yet often widely disseminated. The chapter concludes with an overview of the argument presented in the text.