Abandoning the Fetish of the Thing: The Case for Experience-Centered Museums

I've written about semantic satiation before — It describes the experience of a word losing its meaning.

But what happens when an object loses its meaning? Is there a term for that? 

Is it even possible to really view the world around us not as things but as experiences? I doubt that it's possible to literally turn off the part of your brain that names the things around you, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying — especially if you're someone steeped in a field that has traditionally prioritized objects over experiences. 

Abraham Burickson, a co-founder of Odyssey Works, is one of our guest experts this season in the MAP Community, and his TEDx Talk got me thinking about all this:

I think Abraham's ideas are worth your time — no matter what part of the museum you're in. One of my favorite lines from the presentation:

The old mode of object-obsessed specialization has got to go.

I imagine that makes you, dear reader, either want to applaud or grind your teeth in frustration and fear — and not much in between.

Abraham makes the case for an experience-centered approach to… Well, I would say supporting people's goals, but I'm not sure he would use that language. I'm looking forward to talking with him about the ethics of experience design and how prioritizing experience can impact every corner of an organization next month. Community member Rachel Ropeik will lead the interview, and we're opening up this event to non-community members as well.

Register here.

As always, reply to this email to let me know your thoughts, or leave a comment on this post. 

Kyle

P.S. Odyssey Works just announced its new Experience Design Certificate Program. The program consists of once-a-week, online sessions covering the fundamentals of experience design across a broad range of disciplines and is bracketed by two on-site weekend intensives. I've participated in OW's Experience Design Incubator and definitely recommend checking out this new certificate program if you want to access a deeper awareness of the purposes that fuel your work. Scholarships are available — Learn more and apply by October 1st.