Lost in time: the meaning of temporal aspects in user experience

Abstract

The long-term and dynamic nature of user experience (UX) is challenging both UX design and evaluation activities. Although the CHI community acknowledges the importance of a temporal perspective on UX, we are still lacking an understanding of time and the meaning of temporal aspects in UX. In order to close this gap, we organized a workshop at NordiCHI 2012 exploring the topic with researchers and practitioners, especially searching for a common understanding of long-term UX and its relevance to the field. In this paper, we analyze the current state of the topic, discuss definitions and theoretical models based on previous work and the outcome of the workshop. We conclude with a working definition for long-term UX, its relevance for design and summarize future research directions.