b'TopicsUser experienceThe term user experience (UX) is very popular in the tech industry where it is used to describe what people experience when using software and websites. It even rates its own ISO norm (ISO 9241-210, to be precise), which defines UX as: a persons perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service.The concept can easily be applied to buildings. Just like other technologies, buildings can trigger particular emotional or psychological responses in their users. People may, for example, feel at home when entering a cosy hotel lobby or safe when walking through a parking garage that is well-lit and provides good overview. Likewise, office workers may feel appreciated when working in a well-designed office. Patients may feel better when staying in a hospital building with lots of daylight, privacy, greenery and views out.User experience is not a discrete quality of a building, but something that relates to many of the other topics discussed in this chapter. It relates to spatial aspects (e.g. routing, degree of enclosure, sizes), physical aspects (e.g. fixtures and furniture), sensory aspects (e.g. smells and sounds) and even social aspects (e.g. the behaviour of receptionists).For the brief, relevant questions are: How should people feel when entering, moving through and using the future building? What, if any, kinds of thoughts and associations should the building and specific spaces trigger? And should there be a difference in the desired UX for different user types (e.g. visitors vs staff)?Requirements concerning user experience can be described in different ways. The easiest, but least imaginative way is to use adjectives (e.g. the entrance area should feel as welcoming, inviting and pleasant). A more elaborate, but also more powerful approach is to create short narratives (e.g. As a visitor, you are intuitively guided towards the buildings entrance. No need to ask or to look for signs. When entering, the first thing you see is , etc.).To be able to describe the desired UX you need a solid understanding of the buildings users, which can be acquired through active engagement, e.g. via interviews and workshops, and by asking users to describe the desired experience in their own words.Strategic briefDescribe the desired overall user experience. When relevant, do so from different perspectives- (staff, visitors, etc.).Functional brief-Describe the desired user experience for key areas or spaces (e.g. entrance area, caf/restaurant, etc.).Technical brief-Define specific sensorial technologies, materials or comfort conditions in so far as these are critical for the desired UX.126'