25 Jul Lesson 3: Two Ways of Knowing
Reference: Robert Wilson
Learning Objective
To explore how temporality and spatial design influence user perception, memory, and understanding — and how slowing down can deepen insight in both research and experience design.
Headline
What if the user’s attention is a stage — and our job is to light it, not fill it?
Narrative and UX Interpretation
Robert Wilson’s productions move slowly — deliberately. Characters freeze in gestures, light shifts inch by inch, and silence fills the air with tension. His work asks the audience not just to watch, but to see — to stay with discomfort, to notice minute changes, to become aware of time as material.
In UX research, we often rush. We compress interviews, rush synthesis, and look for answers before all the questions have unfolded. But what happens when we allow silence? When we let the participant lead the tempo? Or when we sit longer with ambiguity in our findings?
Wilson’s practice invites a different orientation: presence over pace. Research becomes a slow choreography — not just of information, but of awareness.
Developing Critical Thinking
Wilson’s work helps students challenge their assumptions about time and clarity in research:
- Slowness is not inefficiency. It’s an intentional tool that reveals layers.
- Gesture matters — not just what participants say, but how they move, pause, or look away.
- Duration changes meaning. A long silence may signal trust or discomfort; your role is to feel the difference.
- Staging is part of the message. Where you sit, when you ask, and how the space is lit affects the conversation.
- Reflection needs room. Don’t rush analysis. Return to the same insight from multiple angles — let it unfold.
Anchor & Process Grounding
This lesson aligns with NN/g’s principle of context matters in usability and user research. Wilson’s influence pushes this further: context isn’t static. It evolves in time. Research needs to be sensitive to the tempo and rhythm of each user’s experience — not just its structure.