Perception of Distance Learning through the Lens of a Holistic User Experience Model: A Case Study of Students in Psychoanalytic Programs

The article discusses the use of the concept of holistic user experience, which combines students' subjective perceptions of all aspects of interaction with a distance learning product, to evaluate distance learning. Existing tools focus on the technical and, to some extent, educational aspects of systems, which does not fully reflect the entire range of experiences gained during training. The purpose of this work is diagnostic: to determine the perception of the holistic user experience by students involved in long-term distance learning programs, which will form the basis for the development of a new tool for comprehensive evaluation of distance learning. The study uses qualitative methodology to determine the user experience of students enrolled in second higher and additional professional education programs at the East European Institute of Psychoanalysis. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 20 students enrolled in distance learning programs, and the data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis with MAXQDA Analytics Pro 24 software. The study resulted in the formation of five categories that constitute a holistic user experience, comprehensively covering the experience of students' interaction with distance learning products: “technical,” “educational,” “methodological,” “existential,” and “interaction”.