Emotional Design

I chose to read the book Emotional Design by Don Norman because after reading the blurb I was intrigued into his ideas about how we as people relate to products. He talks about three different emotional states, beyond the perspective of a product being for practical use. I agree with Don’s opinion that emotions and cognition are intertwined, I definitely believe that we can design products that are beautiful and usable at the same time.

He talks about attractive products making us more creative and imaginative when we need to solve a problem, this he said is because attractive things make people feel good and are more tolerant of difficulties, therefore encouraging a more creative thinking process. I think that Don has an interesting idea and he is absolutely correct. For example, an iPhone has poor battery life and the screen is prone to cracking easily, however this hasn’t stopped millions of people buying the phone because it is aesthetically pleasing.

Another reason that emotion is important in design is that users' relationships to objects are built on more than just the perceived usability and pleasure in using the items. Emotion is important because it taps into higher level human concerns such as image and status.

Norman’s book suggests three levels of design: visceral, behavioural and reflective. These are areas that as a designer we should consider in every design; however, no product is going to satisfy every person. Each area is important in the design and I will remember these areas for when I am designing as to create an emotionally stimulating design.

As a designer I need to think about marketing segmentation, making sure that the product that I design fits the market segment and the aesthetic preferences that those particular people have. Norman also speaks about product development in his book and I found it very helpful to remember that:

• Enhancement is making an existing product/service better

• Innovation is a completely new way of doing something

I would definitely recommend this book as it has made me think a lot when I am designing, I need to think how people will connect emotionally with the product and how attractive I can make it, as well as the practicality of the design.