Full Blog - Emotional Design

Chapter 1

This is yet another book from Donald Norman. In the first chapter the author explains why are attractive things and things with aesthetic beauty more efficient. He explains that looking at attractive things causes change in emotions and emotions lead us to take decisions. The author states that looking at beautiful things causes happiness and happiness leads to creative things and helps us to look at the bigger picture. On the other hand, fear and anxiety curb creativity, however, we tend to pay attention to minute details rather than the big picture when we are anxious and nervous. Thus, when the details are important, it's important to generate anxiety in people, and that is what alarms and sirens do.

The author also talks about three levels of processing - visceral layer, behavioral and reflective level. The visceral layer is preprogrammed into us. It's the automatic layer that deals with reflex actions. Behavioral layer dictates everyday behavior and the reflective level is the contemplative layer. This involves some thought process. Our actions are a result of interaction between these three layers.

Chapter 2

In this chapter, the author Donald Norman talks about three levels of emotional design:

• Visceral Level: This level deals with the attractiveness of the design, its appearance, look, touch and feel. Positive impact at this level triggers user creativity and curiosity, which is why attractive things are more effective.
• Behavioral Level: This level describes the functionality of the product. This is about the user experience with the product.
• Reflective Level:This is where memories, consciousness and highest levels of feelings reside. This level deals with the overall experience of using the product.

To explain these three levels, he does provide some examples like a video game than can be designed to look stylish and rugged for the young adult male games, should be available in feminine colors like pink in delicate looking packaging for girls, stylist and and decent looking for the kitchens as a cooking aid tool and rugged for the garage as training tool.

Chapter 3

This chapter seems to be a continuation of the second chapter. He talks about the same three levels of emotional designs that he talked in last chapter - Visceral, Behavioral and Reflective. However in this chapter, he goes into much detail.

• Visceral level is about the first impression or the initial impact of the product. The factors contributing to visceral design are - look, feel, appearance and attractiveness.
• The behavioral level is about functionality and the experience of the user in using the product. If the systems solves a problem or meets a need and is fairly easy to use, then the product does well at the behavioral level.
• The reflective level is the highest level of emotional design. It's about the memories that the user forms about the experiences of using the product.

Norman also talks about two designing approaches - design by the individual and design by committee.