ressenti

Ressenti is a French noun derived from the verb ressentir, meaning a subjective feeling, impression, or perception of a situation or stimulus. It denotes the personal experience that accompanies sensations or events, and is distinguished from objective measurements or facts.

In psychology and medicine, ressenti refers to how a person experiences symptoms or discomfort, emphasizing subjective reporting alongside clinical signs. In sports and physical activity, the term is widely used to describe perceived exertion or the overall sense of effort, fatigue, or strain during a workout. This subjective sense is often collected through qualitative notes or standardized scales to complement objective data such as heart rate or speed.

In user experience and marketing, ressenti captures the overall impression a product, service, or interface leaves on the user, including usability, aesthetics, and emotional resonance. It is used to assess how a design feels in practice, beyond technical performance. In the arts and media, ressenti describes the emotional impact or mood evoked in a viewer or listener, focusing on personal reception rather than technical analysis.

Ressenti is inherently subjective and can vary widely between individuals or contexts. It complements objective data but cannot substitute for measurable indicators. In English, equivalents include “felt experience,” “perceived experience,” or “subjective impression.” The term is most common in French-language discourse but appears in cross-cultural discussions of experience, ergonomics, and performance where the emphasis is on the human, experiential side of phenomena.