Paracosmic Immersion

"A paracosm is a detailed imaginary world involving humans and/or animals, or perhaps even fantasy or alien creations. Often having its own geography, history, and language, it is an experience that is developed during childhood and continues over a long period of time: months or even years". 1

The concept was first described by a researcher for the BBC, Robert Silvey, with later research by British psychiatrist Stephen A. MacKeith, and British psychologist David Cohen. The term "paracosm" was coined by Ben Vincent, a participant in Silvey's 1976 study and a self-professed paracosmist. [2] [3]

Marjorie Taylor is another child development psychologist who explores paracosms as part of a study on imaginary friends.4

Applications to UX Design

To a UX Designer, building wireframes is related to paracosmic immersion because to properly design an interface the designer must try on different personas, invent different types of users and see their their eyes. It uses critical thinking, analysis, imagination and creativity. Compressing multiple steps into smaller sets of steps, anticipating how a certain user or group of users might approach things, and synthesizing these variables together is a process helped by those who are good at imagining alternate realities. It is also a process that uses both the left and right sides of the brain.

Sources

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracosm
2. David Cohen and Stephen MacKeith, The Development of Imagination: The Private Worlds of Childhood (Concepts in Developmental Psychology). Routledge, 1992.
3. Morrison, Delmont C. and Shirley L., Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection: Unsuccessful Childhood Grieving and Adult Creativity. Baywood, 2005. ISBN 0895033097.
4. Taylor, Marjorie, Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them . Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0195146298.