New Perspectives for Phenomenology in Interaction Design

In recent decades, phenomenology and post-phenomenology have gained significant prominence within Interaction Design. In the process, various phenomenological theories have found their way into scholarly dialogues and design practices. In this essay, I trace the diverse influences and transformations that phenomenological thinking has undergone within theoretical discourse and design practice. This paper demonstrates how phenomenology has left its mark on the creative process and enhanced our comprehension of users’ experiences. However, I contend that there remains a disconnect between theoretical aspirations and design execution, with many designs lacking the required analytical depth to transcend a simplistic human-technology dichotomy. To address these gaps, I propose to formulate a distinct ’Interaction Design Phenomenology’ that (1) provides a comprehensive understanding of the many phenomenological approaches and their practical applications and (2) offers a a vocabulary for expanding and deepening phenomenologically informed design work.