THE EXPERIENCE BOOK: FOR DESIGNERS, THINKERS AND MAKERS
Authors: Adam Scott and Dave Waddell
Publisher: Black Dog Press, 2022
The Experience Book is an authoritative and extensively illustrated account of experience design, in both theory and practice. Taking the reader on a playful, provocative and eclectic romp through millennia of human creativity, while never losing sight of the destructive potential that is part and parcel of our ability to shape the world to our own ends, it will be a trusted companion and lifelong resource for anyone interested in design as a means of creating experiences that have the capacity to change the way we think, feel and act.
The Experience Book forms the intellectual foundation of Experience Foundation’s work, revealing experience as a universal design discipline: the connective tissue linking policy, place, and people. Its insights underpin our methods and inspire a global community of city-makers, educators, and leaders to put human experience at the centre of transformation.
“If the Post-It Notes hanging out the side and top of my copy are any indication, I love The Experience Book and its focus on “the experiencing human”. You will too.”
Image credit: Black Dog Press
RE-THINK DESIGN GUIDE: ARCHITECTURE FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
Editors: Nicola Gillen, Julia Park, Adam Scott, Sumita Singha, Pippa Nissen, Ian Taylor, Helen Taylor, Sarah Featherstone
Publisher: RIBA Publishing, 2022
Developed in the wake of COVID-19, this landmark RIBA publication brings together leading voices from across architecture, planning, and design to ask: how can we build back better? Combining essays, case studies, and provocations, it reframes design as a tool for health, equity, and resilience — urging practitioners to move beyond recovery toward reinvention.
Adam Scott, of Experience Foundation, contributes the chapter “Reimagining the High Street”, which explores how our most familiar civic spaces can evolve from transactional corridors into shared experiences that rebuild trust and belonging. Drawing on global examples and lived experiments, it argues that the future high street must be designed not just for commerce, but for connection - a platform for community life.
Image credit: Charlotte Boyens
INTEGRATIVE BRIEFING FOR BETTER DESIGN
Authors: Fiona Young, Hiral Patel, Alastair Blyth, John Worthington
Publisher: Routledge, 2026
This book sets out to redefine the briefing process as a collaborative, evidence-led, and integrative discipline. It explores how design briefs can act not merely as instructions, but as frameworks for learning, experimentation, and innovation — aligning client intent, user needs, and wider societal impact. Through theory, methodology, and real-world examples, it positions briefing as a strategic lever for shaping better design outcomes across sectors.
Experience Foundation’s Su Lim, Dave Waddell, and Adam Scott contribute the chapter “Escape from Zombie Campus,” detailing their work with the University of Leeds. It explores how experience-led masterplanning transforms static campuses into dynamic, narrative-driven environments, engaging students, staff, and communities, and tackling the higher education engagement crisis through co-design, pilot interventions, and pace-layered strategies.
COMING SOON
Image credit: DEGW