TY - JOUR
T1 - Conceptualizing meaningful experiences
AU - Bastiaansen, M.
AU - Duerden, M.D.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Despite increased interest in experience and experience design in hospitality, tourism, and leisure, the field remains emergent. For experience design to mature in research and practice, clear consensus conceptualization of key constructs, like memorable, meaningful, and transformative experiences, is needed. While existing research identifies emotions as the key to memorable experiences, more conceptual work is needed to understand the unique impact and process behind meaningful experiences. This paper proposes an expanded conceptualization of the impact and process associated with meaningful experiences. We suggest that as individuals reflect on existing experiential (i.e., autobiographical) memories, they can extract insight from those memories. If any of the extracted insights connect with core sources of meaning, then the individuals perceive their experience as meaningful. Suggestions for potential strategies to design for meaningful experiences are also shared.
AB - Despite increased interest in experience and experience design in hospitality, tourism, and leisure, the field remains emergent. For experience design to mature in research and practice, clear consensus conceptualization of key constructs, like memorable, meaningful, and transformative experiences, is needed. While existing research identifies emotions as the key to memorable experiences, more conceptual work is needed to understand the unique impact and process behind meaningful experiences. This paper proposes an expanded conceptualization of the impact and process associated with meaningful experiences. We suggest that as individuals reflect on existing experiential (i.e., autobiographical) memories, they can extract insight from those memories. If any of the extracted insights connect with core sources of meaning, then the individuals perceive their experience as meaningful. Suggestions for potential strategies to design for meaningful experiences are also shared.
KW - Experience design
KW - Experience impact
KW - Experience type framework
KW - Meaning in life
KW - Meaningful experience
KW - Tourism experience
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=wosstart_imp_pure20230417&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001386247500001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
U2 - 10.1177/10963480241308344
DO - 10.1177/10963480241308344
M3 - Article
SN - 1096-3480
JO - Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research
JF - Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research
ER -