It’s a Pleasure to Meet You

The need to identify ourselves has become part of our everyday lives; we constantly need to authenticate and validate who we are both to other human beings and more recently to machines to gain access to buildings, products and services. The public has responded to this need for authentication in unexpected ways, for instance the introduction of a new British ID card had to be stopped as result of public and political resistance (Whitley and Hosein, 2009); a contrast with the fact that it is the same British public who have been eager adopters of loyalty cards schemes (Lacey and Sneath, 2006). While it is undeniable that disclosing personal information can have negative consequences and people have been warned to be careful about it, this paper will explore some of the pleasurable and delightful experiences that users have as a result of managing their identities while interacting with different artefacts and technologies. A series of pleasurable experiences with loyalty schemes are considered to contrast with a variety of smart design devices and wearable technologies that address our deeper personal and emotional values.