Traditional studies of usability have focused upon goal-based measures of efficiency and effectiveness. As a consequence of the recent shift in the focus of technology from the workplace to the home however, the field of Human-Computer Interaction has become increasingly concerned with a number of factors including satisfaction, enjoyment, creativity, entertainment and aesthetics, which together form the concept of user experience.
A variety of approaches have been taken in order to clarify and analyse this elusive concept, and a corresponding number of frameworks have been formulated. Whereas certain frameworks contemplate the study of user experience from a practical, design-based approach, others take a more abstract, holistic approach. With a number of exceptions however, neither approaches appear to have had a significant impact upon the design community.
Thus, the current investigation marks an attempt to supplement the existing theoretical frameworks with a means of analysing user experience that is rooted firmly in the data. Drawing heavily upon Grounded Theory, a number of techniques are established in order to facilitate the understanding of the user experience of smartphones. From this a number of experiential categories are identified, each of which having significant implications for the design of products that engender user experience.