Making sense with design : a taxonomy of designed experiences

So automatically do we perceive things through sight, sound, smell, and touch that we easily can take our senses for granted. My design research strives to deepen the understanding of our senses by creating innovative experiences that make us react in new ways, even to the most common experiences. My aspiration is that the resulting experiences will re-shape our memory and perception of the world. This report is a documentation of my inquiry into the design of human experience; where I look beyond applied products and broaden my view to include all sorts of objects and environments with which people interact. Serving as a guidebook, it outlines the different disciplines of design that address the design of experiences. Additionally, selected case studies from the body of work I have pursued during my graduate studies are presented as a collection of stories of my experience designing user experiences. My design philosophy embodies the importance of engaging multiple senses in each designed activity to better enhance the overall quality of the experience for everyone, including people with disabilities.