Mdes 2016: Sensual Thread

The sensual thread of experience is concerned with what we sense through our sensory organs. Many factors affect the sensual experience of humans. Personality and current mental states of an individual, as well as his/her talents and behavioral characteristics, can all influence it. However, these are the factors that we cannot control by adjusting the design of products or services. With what aspects can we then strategically manage a user's sensual experience through design? The answer is 'a sense of presence.'

A sense of presence in virtual environments is a hot topic of interests in recent years. A virtual environment is an artificially constructed space through some medium. People these days are mostly stimulated through some medium and feel its presence.

Presence can be largely divided into three types - physical presence, social presence, and self-presence - depending on the subject that is present (Lee, 2004).

Physical presence means that objects are being felt.

Social presence is about feeling others that are connected to a system or network.

Self-presence is about being able to feel oneself in the moment.

Users can indeed feel a high sense of presence when they can feel a high physical presence, social presence, and self-presence. If I felt a great sense of presence through the online game, it means that what I saw on the screen felt like reality, that I felt close to the other gamers, and that I felt like I was actually there fighting off enemies.