Designing for Transcendence – the Interface as a Vehicle for Traveling between Selves

Adopters of new technologies tend to interpret them in their own way, rather than simply using them as their inventors meant them to be used. There seems to be a deep social need to break free of technology as intended by its designers. This resonates with the yearning for transcendence, that mystics, artists and philosophers have been turning their attention to since time immemorial and which is the subject of recent research efforts in cognitive neuroscience. A case is made for conceptualising the interface as a vehicle for transcendence between different selves. If one accepts it, it follows that user experience can be improved by not sealing in the user in a predetermined role, and in extension by allowing for a more open-ended adoption of technology by users. The paper makes use of empirical data collected during preparation and teaching of an undergraduate course commissioned by Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. It attempts to translate the implications of re-thinking the interface as a vehicle for transcendence into guidelines to be embedded in designing for human-computer interaction. 3 Design för transcendensGränsnittet som färdmedel mellan olika subjekt