Do relationships between brands and consumers arise naturally, or are they designed? If the goal of design is to influence, modify, and drive behavior, shouldn’t we explore the meaning of those underlying interactions? The idea that designed elements must be easy to interpret has greater potential for consumers and brands than just ensuring that a website or web application is usable. Designing interfaces that are usable is important, but what if there is more to designing a successful user experience than merely ensuring that it is usable? At FutureM in Boston, on October 25th, 2012, Roundarch Isobar hosted a panel discussion titled “Creating Meaningful Digital Experiences: The Semiotics of UX,” which explored these ideas along with questions such as: - Do relationships between brands and consumers arise naturally, or are they designed? - If the goal of design is to influence, modify, and drive behavior, shouldn’t we explore the meaning generated by those underlying interactions? - How do evolving paradigms such as gestural and natural user interfaces (NUIs), wearable tech, and pervasive social media affect the relationship between consumers and brands?

1. CREATING MEANINGFUL #UXsemiotics
#FutureM
DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
THE SEMIOTICS OF UX

2. WELCOME
#UXsemiotics
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 2
-­‐
Thank
everyone
for
coming,
especially
like
to
thank
our
hosts:
FutureM,
event
sponsors
-­‐
As
the
session
<tle
states,
we
are
going
to
spend
the
next
hour
and
a
half
talking
about
Crea%ng
Meaningful
Digital
Experiences
through
the
lens
of
semio<cs.

3. Creating Meaningful Digital Experiences
Agenda
• Initial presentation
• Speaker presentations (45 minutes)
- Josh Glenn
- Thomas Wendt
- Katie McIntyre
• Panel discussion
• Q&A
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 3
We
have
a
liCle
less
than
90
minutes,
and
our
plan
is
to
spend
the
first
half
or
so
listening
to
our
panelists,
maybe
spend
a
few
minutes
kicking
some
ideas
around
up
here,
and
then
open
the
discussion
for
ques<ons
from
you.

4. Creating Meaningful Digital Experiences
First Presentation
• A bit about Roundarch Isobar
• What is semiotics (briefly)?
• Why semiotics and UX?
• Why it matters
• Our panelists
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 4

5. ROUNDARCH ISOBAR
@roundarchisobar
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 5

6. We are an agency of 3,000 creatives and creators bringing
people and brands together like never before…
…with offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, New York,
and 34 countries around the world.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 6
Roundarch
Isobar
is
the
North
American
incarna<on
of
what
is
known
globally
as
Isobar.

7. What we do — Roundarch Isobar conceives, designs, and
builds digital experiences for the world’s largest organizations.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 7
-­‐
We
work
with
companies
like
adidas,
Fidelity
Investments,
HBO,
and
Motorola
-­‐
OK,
so
that's
that.
Here’s
a
segue
you
don’t
hear
everyday:
let’s
talk
about
semio<cs!

8. WHAT IS SEMIOTICS?
(BRIEFLY)
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 8
Emphasis
on
briefly.

9. What is semiotics?
se•mi•ot•ics: the study of signs and symbols
and their use or interpretation
“ Semiotics is concerned with everything
that can be taken as a sign.”
– Umberto Eco
• What is a sign?
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 9

10. Not a sign, but a sign system
Pierce’s Semiotic Triad
Meaning
Object Symbol
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 10
Let’s
illustrate
this
using
a
tree
Symbol
-­‐
The
word
or
image
represen<ng
the
tree
Object
-­‐
The
tree
itself
Meaning
or
Interpreta<on
-­‐
The
idea
of
a
tree
(which
in
itself
can
become
a
symbol...the
tree
of
life,
tree
falling
in
the
woods,
and
so
on)
-­‐-­‐-­‐Great
for
studying
language
and
communica<on,
but
what
about
UX?

11. WHY SEMIOTICS & UX?
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 11

12. Why semiotics and UX?
Beyond the merely usable, to the meaningful
Usable
Intuitive
Valuable
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 12
A
semio<c
view
of
user
experience
is
not
new,
but
it
is
not
o]en
discussed.
Don
Norman
popularized
the
idea
with
his
use
of
“affordances”
in
his
1988
book
“The
Design
of
Everyday
Things”
-­‐
At
the
level
of
tac<cs
and
implementa<on,
the
greatest
aspira<on
for
any
user
experience
is
usually
“value.”

13. Why semiotics and UX?
Beyond the merely usable, to the meaningful
Usable
Intuitive
Valuable
Meaningful
Memorable
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 13
For
both
brands
and
users/consumers,
aspiring
to
have
merely
usable
experiences
is
sefng
the
bar
low.
Consumers
may
not
ask
for
meaningful
and
memorable
experiences,
but
they
do
appreciate
them.
For
brands,
providing
memorable
experiences
is
cri<cal
to
standing
out
from
the
compe<<on
and
for
engendering
long-­‐las<ng
rela<onships
with
their
customers.

14. Why semiotics and UX?
Beyond the merely usable, to the meaningful
“ Meaning is at the heart of consumer
behavior. Yet meaning is not a
manufactured, concrete given.
Meaning is up for negotiation and
interpretation, and the role of the
individual in the creation of meaning
is a very active one.”
– Mark Batey, Brand Meaning (2008)
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 14
Which
gets
us
back
to
brand
and
the
role
of
UX.
If
user
experience
is
by
its
very
nature
INTERACTIVE
and
if
meaning
is
generated
during
interac<ons,
the
beCer
ques<on
might
be
why
NOT
a
semio<c
approach
to
UX?

15. WHY IT MATTERS
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 15

16. Why this topic matters
This is important…this means something.
Copyright
©
1977
Columbia
Pictures
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 16
For
some
reason,
I
couldn’t
kill
this
darling.
At
one
point,
I
even
considered
basing
my
en<re
presenta<on
around
Close
Encounters,
given
all
the
themes
around
communica<on,
interpreta<on,
signs,
and
even
the
difference
between
interac<ons
and
experiences.
Only
the
movie
s<ll
remains
(thank
goodness).
But
the
key
point
here
is,
even
if
my
pursuit
of
a
semio<c
approach
to
UX
seemed
to
lose
focus,
the
several
thoughts
kept
bringing
me
back.
The
following
three
slide
spell
out
why
I
think
this
topic
is
important.

17. Why this topic matters
This is important…this means something.
• Digital experiences aren’t just tools or
services, they are media; they are means of
communication. As media, they should be
studied and understood in that way.
• The medium is still the message...but what
is the meaning?
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 17

18. Why this topic matters
This is important…this means something.
• Because a brand is “a person’s gut feeling
about a product, service, or organization,”
brands are defined by the experiences they
engender…and those experiences are
increasingly delivered digitally.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 18

19. Why this topic matters
This is important…this means something.
• More and more, digital experiences are
personal and intimate. The “relationship”
between consumer and brand is
becoming less useful as a metaphor
and more of a reality.
• As marketing and design professionals,
it behooves us to understand the effect
we have on that relationship.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 19

20. OUR PANELISTS
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 20

21. Joshua Glenn
Semiotic Brand Analyst, King Mixer LLC
@HILOBROW
• Joshua Glenn is a Boston-based editor, publisher, and a freelance
writer and semiologist. He's worked in commercial semiotics, as a U.S.
cultural and brand decoding expert, since 1999.
• A former Boston Globe columnist and editor, he
is cofounder of the cultural criticism blog
HiLobrow and the international culture and brand
semiotics website Semionaut.
• He's written and edited several books, most
recently Significant Objects and Unbored: The
Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun. In the '90s
Joshua was co-producer of the DIY and social
networking startup Tripod.com, and he published
the zine Hermenaut.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 21
Born
and
raised
in
Boston,
Josh
is
here
today
because
he
likes
a
challenge
—
and
cracking
the
semio<c
codes
of
user
experience
is
an
increasingly
important
one.
Josh
works
frequently
with
agencies
and
consultancies
like
Fresh
Squeezed
Ideas
(Toronto),
Space
Doctors
(Brighton,
England),
and
Consumer
Eyes
(New
York).
Non-­‐disclosure
agreements
prevent
him
from
gefng
specific,
but
he
has
consulted
on
dozens
of
brands
—
from
chocolate
milk
to
beer,
from
automo<ve
to
credit
cards,
and
from
women's
razors
to
erec<le
dysfunc<on
pharmaceu<cals.
He
also
decodes
cultural
and
communica<ons
themes
like
"powerful
relief,"
"healthy
food
pleasure,"
and
"super-­‐premiumness."

22. Thomas Wendt
UX Strategist, Surrounding Signifiers
@thomas_wendt
• Thomas Wendt is the founder of Surrounding Signifiers, a
UX strategy and product development shop in NYC. He
works with startups, agencies, and large corporations to
define strategic product vision and user
experience design.
• With a background in psychology,
cultural studies, and comparative
literature, his interests include contextual
design, semiotics, and the future of the
interface. Find him on Twitter or visit his
website at surroundingsignifiers.com.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 22
Thomas
was
born
in
Niagara
Falls,
NY,
went
to
school
in
Minneapolis,
MN,
and
has
lived
in
NYC
for
about
a
year.
He
joined
our
panel
because
the
interplay
between
UX
and
semio<cs
has
been
on
his
mind
for
a
few
years.
The
two
fields
complement
one
another
so
well,
and
he
wanted
to
be
part
of
facilita<ng
more
discussion
around
them.
Clients
and
accounts
have
included:
IBM,
Capital
One,
DIRECTV,
LensCra]ers,
and
many
startups

23. Katie McIntyre
Brand & UX Strategist
@mcintyrekm
• Katie combines technology and an understanding of
everyday human behavior to craft more natural, intuitive
digital experiences.
• She has worked in branding, advertising,
and digital agencies with clients ranging
from start-ups to organizations such as
General Motors, the Department of
Defense, and Microsoft.
• Katie holds a B.A. from Wake Forest
University and an M.A. in Sociolinguistics
from Georgetown University.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 23
Hickory,
NC
is
Ka<e’s
hometown,
and
she
has
lived
in
Washington
DC
for
six
years,
which
is
an
eternity
for
such
a
transient
town.
Ka<e
joins
us
today
because
she
thought
the
blend
of
linguis<cs,
branding,
and
user
experience
was
unique
and
intriguing.
She
is
interested
in
contribu<ng
to
and
learning
from
our
panel
as
well
as
thinking
more
about
how
the
different
disciplines
could
help
each
other.
She
has
worked
with
brands
like
General
Motors,
Microso],
Synchronoss,
Defense
advanced
Research
projects
agency
(DARPA),
Great
American
Restaurants

24. DISCUSSION TOPICS
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 24

25. Discuss
Pop Culture References
Copyright
©
1997
Columbia
Pictures Copyright
©
1999
Warner
Bros.
Copyright
©
1939
MGM
(Warner
Bros.) Copyright
©
1977
Columbia
Pictures
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 25
Josh’s
pick:
The
1997
French
science
fic<on
movie
The
Fi]h
Element,
in
which
Bruce
Willis
and
Milla
Jovovich
have
10
minutes
to
crack
the
code
of
an
instruc<on
manual
—
wriCen
in
ancient
hieroglyphics
—
for
a
weapon
capable
of
saving
the
Earth
from
total
destruc<on.
Thomas’
pick:
The
Matrix,
of
course
(yeah,
I'm
gonna
be
that
guy
who
picks
The
Matrix).
It
illustrates
the
difference
between
experience/reality
and
representa<on/interpreta<on
beCer
than
any
other
I
can
think
of.
Ka<e’s
pick:
The
Wizard
of
Oz
My
pick:
Close
Encounters
of
the
Third
Kind,
for
the
reasons
men<oned
earlier.

26. Discuss
Mediated Relationships
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 26
If
the
first
introduc<on
to
a
brand
is
through
Google,
if
the
next
fi]y
are
through
the
brand
page
on
facebook
or
Amazon,
what
does
that
mean
for
your
brand?
What
are
the
differences
and
similari<es
for
each
of
these
media/technology
intermediaries?

27. Discuss
Locating the Experience
UI UX vs.
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 27
Even
if
we
examine
the
defini<on
of
the
terms
user
interface
and
user
experience,
we
can
see
that
there
is
a
difference:
the
interface
is
*for*
the
user,
but
the
experience
must
be
*of*
the
user,
at
some
level.

28. Discuss
Representation & Metaphor
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 28
Thinking
about
how
informa<on
is
displayed
to
the
user
and
the
metaphors
used
in
representa<on.
Is
there
something
worth
talking
about
there
with
regard
to
UX
and
how
brands
communicate?

29. Discuss
Natural User Interfaces
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 29
Rather
than
look
at
the
companies
that
mediate
our
rela<onships
and
interac<ons
with
brands,
what
about
the
devices
that
enable
ever
more
natural
and
personal
interac<ons?

30. THANK YOU
Continue the discussion at #UXsemiotics
@mbadger | #UXsemiotics 30