In addition to a system's functionality and usability, emotional design takes into account how users will feel when using it. A system or product can provoke emotions on one of three emotional design levels:
Here are the Don Norman's emotional designs-
- Visceral Design,
- Behavioral Design,
- Reflective Design.
Visceral Design (Emotional Design):
The initial, instinctual, and immediate response that people have to a product or system is referred to as visceral design, which is the first level of emotional design. This reaction is frequently influenced by sensory elements like color, shape, texture, and sound. The visceral design seeks to elicit a strong emotional response from the user right away, which could be either positive or bad.
Visceral design cues that are positive might elicit feelings of pleasure, enthusiasm, or delight. A well-designed smartphone with svelte and visually pleasant features, for instance, might make consumers feel good. Similar to how a smooth, polished exterior on a luxury car might influence purchasers' emotions favorably.
Negative visceral design features, on the other hand, might arouse negative feelings like disgust, annoyance, or discomfort. For instance, a product with a cluttered and perplexing user interface may cause people to get frustrated or perplexed. Similar to this, people may feel unfavorably towards a poorly designed website with an unappealing layout and color scheme.
Visceral design plays a vital role as it triggers an immediate emotional response in users, influencing their overall perception and interaction with the product. Designs that engage the senses can create a positive first impression, enhancing user engagement, loyalty, and retention. On the other hand, a poorly executed visceral design can quickly turn users away from a product or system.
Visceral design refers to the aspect of design that focuses on our instinctive reactions to a product. To leave a strong and lasting first impression on consumers, designers and product managers need to thoughtfully consider the visceral design elements of their products and systems, including colors, shapes, textures, and sounds.
Behavior Design (Emotional Design)
Behavior design focuses on creating products and services that consider the psychology of users. It often works alongside user experience design to foster a positive overall experience. By understanding user interactions with a product, we can enhance its effectiveness and user-friendliness.
The user's experience with a system or product is examined through the lens of behavioral design, which represents the second tier of emotional design. This phase addresses how a product functions, how it helps users meet their goals, and how easy it is to navigate. Behavioral design aims to forge an emotional connection with users by delivering a satisfying experience.
Design elements that encourage positive behavior can evoke feelings of satisfaction, happiness, or delight. For example, an effective e-commerce website can provide users with an excellent experience due to its straightforward and intuitive navigation. Similarly, users may feel pleased after engaging with a mobile app that features a smooth onboarding process and user-friendly functionalities.
Conversely, negative aspects of behavioral design can lead to feelings of annoyance, confusion, or frustration. For instance, a poorly designed chatbot that fails to understand customer queries can create a negative user experience, resulting in irritation and dissatisfaction. Likewise, users may have a frustrating experience on a website that is slow to load or contains broken links.
Reflective Design (Emotional Design)
Reflective design is the third level of emotional design and is the user's ongoing relationship with a product or system. It is grounded in the user's memories, values, and beliefs concerning the product or system, which have been constructed over time through numerous usage occasions and experiences. Reflective design seeks to establish an emotional relationship with users by connecting with their values and beliefs and resonating with their sense of self.
Positive reflective design aspects can bring about loyalty, pride, or nostalgia. For instance, a product with an attractive design that is associated with the user's values and beliefs can create pride and loyalty. In the same way, an effective learning application that has enabled a learner to accomplish their studies can create feelings of nostalgia and appreciation. Reflective design is where you can reasonably expect users to deliberately consider the value and performance of your design once they have experienced it.
Although we've been designing emotional experiences for many centuries, only in recent times have we started scientifically examining and learning about them. In 2003, psychologist and design thinker.
Emotional design is a type of design that is centered on the user's emotions. This form of design has been proven to provide a more positive experience for the user and can result in greater loyalty and satisfaction.
In UX, emotional design can be employed to make the user experience more positive by considering the emotions of the user. Designing for emotion is a fairly new practice in UX design. Emotional design is the practice of designing products that elicit positive emotions from users.
Well-designed emotion can result in users feeling happy, engaged, and loyal towards a product. Emotional design matters because it has the power to determine whether a product is used once and left behind, or becomes an integral part of users' lives.
To develop an emotionally compelling user experience, there is a need to apply the emotional design principles. The principles are used to develop a sense of connection between the user and the product. Understanding how emotions work, we are able to design interfaces and experiences that are more engaging and convincing.
Emotional design is a key aspect of user experience and should be taken into account when developing systems. It can enhance the overall experience because it makes the system user-centered.
In terms of documentation, we utilize specific products, for example, MailChimp, Trello. Users adore such products because they offer an amazing user experience.
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| Image Source: Trello | MailChimp |
For example, if a product is designed in a way that makes the user feel angry, they're much more likely to complain or take action against the product. Design thinking is a process that helps designers to think about products from a user's perspective.
Emotional design in user
experience is important for many reasons. It can help create a more
positive experience for the user, which can help increase loyalty and
engagement. Additionally, emotional design can make the user feel more
connected to the product. This can be done through things like surveys,
interviews, and focus groups. It is used to create products that are
more user-friendly and engaging.
