Experience goals have been introduced to guide experience-driven design, but there are few tools to test whether those goals are met. This research introduces an evaluation technique that addresses the practical evaluation needs of experience-driven design projects in organizations. The XGoalTest technique was developed through thirteen design students’ experience-driven design course projects in two countries over twelve years. This article reports a literature review and analysis of ten selected course projects. A literature review on UX goal evaluation revealed a research gap in evaluation methods targeted for testing if the design outcomes match the UX goals. The student projects revealed seven important requirements for such an evaluation technique. After two decades of research on how to determine what experience to aim for and to design something that is expected to evoke that experience, this article proposes an instrument to evaluate whether that experience is actually realized. While numerous methods exist for evaluating user experience, the XGoalTest technique offers a novel, structured approach to assess whether design outcomes meet a specific experiential goal.
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a short-form version of the experience type scale (ETS) to measure individuals’ perceptions of experiences as memorable, meaningful or transformational. The resulting four-item tool, the ETS–short form (ETS–SF) is based on previous scholarship related to the experience type framework (ETF) and the validated ETS (sixteen-item). To test the reliability and validity of the ETS–SF, we recruited 278 college students to participate in a structured experience (i.e. short film) and then reflect on their experience using the ETS and the ETS–SF. Findings suggest that the ETS–SF is a reliable and valid measurement tool. It produced findings that align with the proposed ETF structure. The ETS–SF is a practical tool for assessing the degree to which participants in different types of experiences perceive them as ordinary or extraordinary. These single-item measures can quickly provide insights into the perceived impact of designed experiences. There are no other single-item measures to assess memorable, meaningful and transformative experiences. The ETS–SF is a first-of-its-kind measurement tool that can be used in any experience context.
Welcome to the second Special Issue of experience research in Journal of Design, Business & Society , guest edited by the Experience Research Society. The first Special Issue included five articles primarily contributing to experience design. In practice, improving a design requires evaluative activities, or as Lord Kelvin famously put it: ‘If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it’. Therefore, this second issue is particularly relevant to experience design, through its focus on evaluating experiences, through five articles demonstrating research on the challenging activity of experience evaluation.
Purpose/audience: A successful customer experience (CX) requires change management to adapt to evolving customer behaviours and digital touchpoints. Small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) face challenges in CX management due to limited resources, but an effective strategy should outline customer journey stages and channels. While digital footprints and qualitative insights are valuable, they must be transformed into actionable knowledge for business growth. We explore how SMEs can improve their capabilities in generating customer insights for better CX. Methodology/approach: We conducted 26 interviews to explore how SMEs gather customer data during holistic journeys. By visualizing customer journeys, we analysed digital tools for data collection and automated analytics and identified gaps in insights, incorporating qualitative research to explain customer emotions and motivations. Findings: We highlighted challenges with CX data that leave customer understanding incomplete. Information gaps in purchase decisions and a lack of customer perception knowledge resulted in confusing service structures. Despite face-to-face interactions, companies often fail to utilize this unstructured data. Furthermore, software platforms integrating multiple customer interaction channels (omnichannel) may hinder the effective use of CX data. Implications for practice, society or research: Fragmented customer data require skills in data literacy and qualitative research. While SMEs recognize the importance of gathering these data, they often lack the resources to analyse these effectively. The study illustrates how a company’s customer journey analysis and omnichannel strategy visualization highlight information gaps and guide data analysis from various sources to achieve actionable insights for better CX through triangulation. Originality/value: SMEs often lack resources for CX data sourcing and insight building. Visualizing the complexity of CX from the customer journey helps identify information gaps and opportunities for lightweight data sourcing. This can support SMEs in utilizing simple, practical methods for prioritization and relevant multimethod data sourcing, leading to action-based insights.
Pine and Gilmore’s The Experience Economy has had a substantial impact on how experiences and services are planned and implemented. But empirical confirmation of mechanisms for providing valued experiences in various attractions and guest services has been limited. Our article addresses that issue. Specifically, we examined relations between dimensions of experience value and three sets of predictors: experience industry strategies (theming, multisensory embellishment and personalizing touchpoints), service performance and participant co-creation (co-design and co-actualization). Experience value dimensions included experience-value-during-use (EVDU), experience-value-in-exchange (EVIE) and experience-value-after-use (EVAU). Our intention was to evaluate techniques experience providers in tourism, hospitality and leisure industries can use to maximize experience value for visitors and customers. Six hundred sixty-nine students enrolled in a college of business at a faith-based university visited self-selected sport, art, entertainment, food service and worship venues on and near campus. After each visit, students completed an online questionnaire measuring provider performance variables (i.e. experience industry strategies and service performance), participant co-creation and the three experience value dimensions. We hypothesized that provider and participant strategies (e.g. theming, service performance and co-creation) increase EVDU (e.g. engagement, immersion and absorption), which in turn yields EVAU (proclivity to recommend) and EVIE (satisfaction and perceived value of time spent). Providers who used experience industry strategies (e.g. theming and personalization) and delivered strong service performance increased the EVDU of guests. Participant co-creation (co-design and co-actualization) also increased experience value. EVDU had significant correlations with EVIE and EVAU. Results support theory and prior untested assertions about factors promoting experience value. Results affirm the benefit of experience providers using experience economy tools and service performance. Findings also suggest benefits from facilitating co-creation. Results provide empirical support for influential propositions about experience value. Experience industry strategies, service performance and co-creation yield experience value.
