The Art of the Abductive in Experience Design

An abductive experience is all about movement.

When you feel punched in the gut by a poem or piece of music, when you feel wholly embodied in dance or sex, when you feel truly seen or heard by someone else... these moments abduct us.

We often describe them as feeling “taken” with, or feeling “moved.” .

An abductive experience is moving in two ways—as we are being abducted out of the quotidian (the daily routine), we are simultaneously moved closer to our selves.

For many of us, these are the moments that most deeply and viscerally remind us of our aching aliveness.

This image was created for me by a live artist, Cal Brackin, during my talk at Boulder Startup Week 2019: “The Art of the Abductive: How to Design Unique Experiences for High-Value Relationships.”

Does anything here spark movement in you? I’d love to hear about it if so.