Augmented places: exploring human experience of technology at the boundary between physical and digital worlds

This chapter presents a reflection on how lived space, 18place 19 (according to its phenomenological definition), is defined experientially by the ever-increasing mix of physical and digital elements that characterize contemporary life, and suggests that a multidisciplinary approach is needed to inform the design of novel interactive technologies. Such an approach is necessary to study place experience and technology, in order to design appropriate and engaging interactive systems for everyday life. The perspective is that of Interaction Designers, the experts who seek to understand and support meaningful interactions between human users and digital technologies with an emphasis on human activities and needs, rather than on the technology per se.