If XCI extended HCI to any user, XMI extends it to any experience, digital or not. It is the piece of Quantum UX that reaches beyond the screen.
XMI (X-User Model Interface) is the branch of UX that studies the relationships between users and experiences, and how they communicate, interact and respond. Where HCI is human-to-computer, XCI swaps the H for X (any user) and XMI also swaps the C for M (any experience or model, physical, digital or sensory). Its natural home is IoT, but it works even for a non-digital case like a customizable dog mattress. In Quantum UX, XMI reasons about ‘entities’ acting across six measurable UX dimensions.
Key takeaways
- HCI -> XCI (any user) -> XMI (any user and any experience/model).
- XMI's clearest domain is IoT, but it also covers non-digital experiences.
- Quantum UX replaces the limited idea of 'user' with 'entities', which act in dimensions.
- An XEl is an experience element that can shift from inert to energetically charged (positive or negative).
- Six UX dimensions structure it: physical, virtual, quantum, psychological, sensory and abstract.
From HCI to XCI to XMI
HCI studies humans, computers and the interface between them. XCI replaces the H with X so the user can be any entity (human, cybernetic or other). XMI goes further: it replaces the C (computer) with M (model), so the second term is any experience, physical, digital or sensory. XMI can contain XCI and operate in more complex dimensions, which is why IoT is its textbook example.
A simple, non-digital example
Consider a dog mattress the owner can adjust by the dog’s size, weight, smell and personality. You have a non-human biological user (the dog), an experience or model (the mattress), and an interface to control it. There is also a secondary experience: the owner’s reaction. A positive reaction creates a latent, positively charged XEl (the owner is more likely to buy the same brand again); a negative one charges it the other way. Complex-sounding, but it is just applied behavioral psychology, loaded with useful data.
The six UX dimensions
| Dimension | What happens there | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Perceived through the basic senses; the domain of Physical UX. Easiest to measure. | A chair |
| Virtual | Formed by the actions of digital entities, not the entities themselves. | Data transmission |
| Quantum | The interaction of multiple entities and dimensions; measurable by its effects. The AI and cultural-UX dimension. | Big data / ML |
| Psychological | Behavior, learning and conduct; the dimension of marketing and branding, usually measured qualitatively. | Advertising |
| Sensory | The nine recognized senses, measured via psychology and physiology (psychophysical stimulus-response). | Multisensory products |
| Abstract | The unexplainable; measurable only by its effects, with unknown causes. Designers can analyze but not plan it. | A disease re-emerging |
Every dimension shares one property: it is measurable, perceivable, or feasible to measure. Not everything is a UX dimension; it has to meet that bar. Because XMI is data-driven, you mainly need elements that react, which keeps the work tractable.
The X-User Model Interface: the branch of UX that studies the relationship between any user and any experience or model, and how they interact and respond.
HCI is human-to-computer. XCI replaces the human with any user (X). XMI also replaces the computer with any model (M), covering physical, digital and sensory experiences.
IoT is the textbook XMI domain: complex systems where digital and physical models coexist and respond to user behavior, like a smart home or an automated warehouse.
An experience element that can start inert and become energetically charged, positively or negatively, based on how an entity reacts, which then shapes future behavior.
Six: physical, virtual, quantum, psychological, sensory and abstract. Each must be measurable, perceivable or feasible to measure.
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