Alastair Somerville is a sensory design consultant who works with museums, galleries, and public spaces. He discusses how emotions and actions form a feedback loop that adapts to increasing complexity. Simple things can have emotional meanings, and people sense their environment, make meanings, and then make conscious decisions to take action. Emotions and consciousness enable people to adapt and imagine, forming meanings iteratively with emotion. Complexity itself is not problematic; confusion is what needs to be understood and avoided in the design process.

1. Start Making Sense
FUNDAMENTALS OF SENSORY DESIGN

2. Introduction

3. Introduction
Who am I?

4. Alastair Somerville
Sensory Design Consultant
Museums, galleries and public spaces
Speaking – SxSW, Generate
Workshops – UXWeek, ConveyUX, UXLX

5. Emotions and actions
A FEEDBACK LOOP ADAPTING TO GROWING COMPLEXITY

6. Emotions
and
actions

7. Simple things can have emotional
meanings
Emotions
and
actions

8. A simple structure of sensing & meaning
Sense
Take
action
Emotions
and
actions

9. A simple structure of sensing & meaning
Sense
Make
meaning
Take
action Emotions
and
actions

10. A simple structure of sensing & meaning
Senses
Emotions
Make
meaning
Take
action
Emotions
and
actions

11. A simple structure of sensing & meaning
Senses
Emotions
Make
meanings
Conscious
Decision
Take
action
Emotions
and
actions

12. Emotions and consciousness are ways of
enabling action
Emotions
and
actions

13. We adapt
Emotions
and
actions

14. We imagine
Emotions
and
actions

15. Emotions
and
actions

16. Emotions
and
actions

17. Emotions
and
actions

18. Imagination is adaption
Emotions
and
actions

19. Complexity is not the problem
Emotions
and
actions

20. Confusion is
Emotions
and
actions

21. Understand how people make meaning
iteratively with emotion
Emotions
and
actions