Abstract
This study explores how users mentally and emotionally project product experiences into the future through narrative-based accounts. Building on the concept of prolepsis—a narrative technique that introduces future events into present discourse—this research investigates how users articulate anticipatory product experiences that reflect both emotional states and temporal orientations. A four- phase research methodology was employed, consisting of Survey, Quantification, Categorization, and Interpretation. A total of 22 narrative examples of proleptic product experiences were collected and analyzed. Through content analysis and multidimensional scaling (MDS), two interpretive axes were identified: emotional orientation (Anticipation vs. Concern) and temporal specificity (Clear Time vs. Ambiguous Time). The resulting conceptual space was further categorized into three clusters, each reflecting distinct patterns of user needs and product interactions. Based on these findings, this study proposes the Prolepsis Design Model—an interpretive framework that integrates narrative insight, emotional-temporal dimensions, and functional mechanisms. The model offers practical guidance for designers to develop products that resonate with users’ projected futures and emotional expectations, thereby enhancing user experience across functional and symbolic dimensions.
Keywords
Proleptic Experience; Narrative-based Research; Product Experience; Anticipatory Interaction
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.576
Citation
Chen, P.(2025) When Product Use Meets the Future: Proleptic Experiences and Narrative-Based Design Research, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.576
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 2 - Design Futuring
When Product Use Meets the Future: Proleptic Experiences and Narrative-Based Design Research
This study explores how users mentally and emotionally project product experiences into the future through narrative-based accounts. Building on the concept of prolepsis—a narrative technique that introduces future events into present discourse—this research investigates how users articulate anticipatory product experiences that reflect both emotional states and temporal orientations. A four- phase research methodology was employed, consisting of Survey, Quantification, Categorization, and Interpretation. A total of 22 narrative examples of proleptic product experiences were collected and analyzed. Through content analysis and multidimensional scaling (MDS), two interpretive axes were identified: emotional orientation (Anticipation vs. Concern) and temporal specificity (Clear Time vs. Ambiguous Time). The resulting conceptual space was further categorized into three clusters, each reflecting distinct patterns of user needs and product interactions. Based on these findings, this study proposes the Prolepsis Design Model—an interpretive framework that integrates narrative insight, emotional-temporal dimensions, and functional mechanisms. The model offers practical guidance for designers to develop products that resonate with users’ projected futures and emotional expectations, thereby enhancing user experience across functional and symbolic dimensions.