The Emotional Design's Capacity to Mirror Feelings
In a nutshell:
There's certainly some items that aren't likely to become personal symbols in people's lives, such as Ethernet routers, no matter how stylish they are or how well they work. However, when a product's design taps into users' objectives and motivations, going deeper than the product's primary purpose, it significantly enhances the opportunity for creating reflective meaning.
The emotional design model, developed by Donald Norman, Andrew Ortony, and William Revelle, offers a fresh perspective on emotion and design. Their model focuses on the user's emotional response to a product, moving beyond usability considerations that usually take the center stage. The emotional design model consists of three layers or processing types, with reflective processing being the highest and the most conscious one. Reflective processing examines how a product relates to us on a personal and cultural level, encompassing self-image, personal connections, and stories.
Getting inside the users' heads
To design for the reflective level, it's essential to understand what the product means to the intended user base, whether there's an established set of attitudes towards the product or the designer seeks to attach specific and significant messages to it. Regardless of the situation, the user's self-image plays a critical role in this design approach. Today, convincing users or potential customers on an emotional level is paramount when products elicit a positive emotional response. This emotional response creates a connection with the product, influencing our behavior towards the product and the brand.
Tapping into the emotional side
Advertising is one way to tap into the reflective level, but packaging, branding, and ensuring the product possesses specific properties, qualities, and functions are also effective approaches. Many decisions we make while shopping are informed not just by the practical or functional elements but other factors that have minimal influence on our behavioral experience. Here are some reflective operations that influence our decisions and emotional attachments to things in our environment:
- Appearance and Aesthetics: We make decisions based on the product's appearance and aesthetics, how we feel at the time, where the product will end up, how we intend to use it, and who will see it.
- Past Experiences: How did we feel the last time we used a particular product? If a product has qualities similar to something we've used before, it might evoke some of the emotions and thoughts from that time.
- Personal Growth and Aspirations: When we look at a product, we might project our thoughts, attitudes, hopes, and aspirations onto it. For example, many fitness enthusiasts buy workout equipment, driven by aspirations for a better, healthier version of themselves.
Wrapping it up
The highest level of the emotional design model is the reflective level, which combines information from both visceral and behavioral layers (the other layers) with users' knowledge and experiences. To create a deep emotional connection with users, it's crucial to understand their motivations, aspirations, and what they want from our products, not just how they intend to use them but also how the product might fit into and support their lives. Emotional design is a complex task requiring knowledge of the target market, their culture, psychology, and a keen understanding of what they aspire to achieve.
Where to Learn More
Explore the "Emotional Design – How to Make Products People Will Love" course to master the art of emotional design. Other valuable resources include:
- Ortony, A., Norman, D. A., & Revelle, W. (2005). "Affect and proto-affect in effective functioning". In Who needs emotions (173-202).
- Sharp, H., Rogers, Y., & Preece, J. (2015). Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction (4th edition). Wiley & Sons
- Robert Reimann (2005). Persona, Goals, and Emotional Design
- In the process of interaction design, understanding the usability of a product is essential, but focusing on the user's emotional response can significantly enhance the opportunity for creating reflective meaning, as stated in the emotional design model.
- To achieve a deep emotional connection with users, it's crucial to consider not just how they intend to use a product, but also how the product might fit into and support their lives, tapping into their motivations, aspirations, and personal growth, as seen in the reflective level of the emotional design model.
