What is User Experience Really: towards a UX Conceptual Framework

Abstract: For more then a decade the term User Experience (UX) has been highly debated and defined in many ways. However, often UX remains as a vague concept and it may be hard to understand the very nature of it. In this paper we aimed at providing a better understanding of this concept. We explored the multi-faceted UX literature, reviewing the current state-of- the-art knowledge and emphasizing the multi-dimensional nature of the concept. Based on the literature review we built a conceptual framework of UX using the elements that are linked to it and reported in different studies. To show the potential use of the framework, we examined the UX delivered by different phone applications on different mobile devices using the elements in the framework. Several interesting insights have been obtained in terms of how the phone applications deliver different UX. Our study opens up a promising line of investigating the contemporary meaning of UX.