Theoretical foundations for experiential systems design

As multimedia researchers analyze and design "experiential systems' there is a pressing need to place that work on a solid theoretical foundation. Without careful analysis of the objects and methods, terminology, and conceptual frameworks of experiential systems design, misconceptions about what experiences are and how they can be computationally addressed can allow research to proceed in less fruitful directions. This paper addresses core theoretical issues in experiential systems design about the nature of experience, especially the distinction between data which can be represented computationally and experiences which are internal mental events We draw from theoretical work in the humanities that addresses models of human communication and meaning creation, the philosophical investigation of the structures of lived experience (phenomenology), and the application of that philosophical method to understanding the forms and functions of mediated experience (aesthetics). Phenomenology and aesthetics form a theoretical foundation for reassessing the limits and possibilities of computationally modeling and shaping experiences. Radically interdisciplinary work is required that truly integrates technical and humanistic research in order to design experiential systems.