EMOTIONAL

PRODUCT

DESIGN

Why the difference in liking ???

It is no longer sufficient for a product to function properly, to

be usable and efficient or to have an aesthetic appeal

A product

called

Telephone

Initially….

Just a means to communicate through

long distance

A few years later…

Then came the need for mobile

communication

Today!!!

A phone means…

Why do we

LOVE or HATE

things???

EMOTIONS

• In customer behaviour there is a degree of emotional response to objects

• Markets become flooded with products, consumers are overwhelmed with choice

• In an effort to maximise their market potential company’s have to satisfy the user’s inner emotions to provide an increased likelihood of product purchase

• Whiteley - “This is to decrease the wasteful nature of today’s ‘throw away’ society”

Influence of emotions in product design

• Purchase

• Why people desire a certain product

• Use

• Why attractive things work better

• Attachment

• How personalization affects the product

The X-factor : “I want it and I don’t know why”

• Desire of consequence : appraisal of motive compliance

• Desire of presence : appraisal of appealingness

• Desire of identity : appraisal of legitimacy

All these three desires exert the “buy now” or “X-factor” influence

Desmet – “The product resonates with what we want to be or become, want to experience or own, and want to achieve or obtain”

Why attractive things work better???

As Norman states –

“When we are happy your thought process expand, becoming more creative, more imaginative. i.e. attractive thing make you feel good”

“Negative emotions kick in when there is a lack of understanding, when people feel frustrated and out of control – first uneasiness, then irritation, and, if the lack of control and understanding persists, even anger.”

Personalization

As Desment states –

“Emotional attachment to products can encourage people not to discard a product”

Example – Apple offering free engravings on i-pods an i-phones

People can respond in a variety of ways to the same design

Design

for

EMOTION

How do you establish and measure emotions ???

THEORIES

Norman’s three levels of design

Visceral design

Behavioral design

Reflective design

Visceral design

• Visceral layer : pre-wired layer

• Concerns itself with appearance

• Customer says “I want it” before asking “how much it costs?” or “what does it do?”

• Visceral level is incapable of reasoning

Behavioral design

• Behavioral layer : layer that controls everyday behavior

• Concerns with pleasure and effectiveness of use (functionality) of the product

• Deals with experience ( function, performance, usability ) with the product

Reflective design

• Reflective layer : contemplative layer

• Concerns with the rationalization and intellectualization of the product , i.e. the self image and personal satisfaction the product provides

The three levels of design are interwoven

Visceral design Reflective design

Behavioral design

Visceral design Reflective design

Behavioral design

Visceral design Reflective design

Behavioral design

Visceral design Reflective design

Behavioral design

A product

called

Telephone

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhoII3VzHZ0 )

Many other theories :

• Desmet’s model of product emotions

• Jordan’s pleasure model

• Forlizzi’s model

• Desmet created a tool : PrEmo ( Product Emotional Measurement Instrument ) , specifically for measuring the emotions elicited for a product appearance

• Tool will be able to• Work in different cultures

• Not require extensive equipment or technical expertise

• Measure product appearance emotions

• Measure mixed emotions

Measuring emotions ( PrEmo )

PrEmo comprises of 14 emotions : • 7 pleasant

• 7 unpleasant

Participants rate emotions felt in 3 point scale :

• I do not feel the emotion expressed (lower part of the scale)

• I somehow feel the emotion expressed (middle part of the scale)

• I do feel the emotion expressed (upper part of the scale)

Facial expressions, movements and sounds produced help focus and objectify emotions

• To understand the concerns and focus of the user, designers must increase their user understanding; this methodology is known as user-centered design

• Steve Jobs – “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them”

• User-centered methodology and a product emotion toolset helps designer’s move towards an aspiration to add emotional value to a product

How can designers apply this knowledge?

References

• The structure, influence and application of emotion in product design – Luke Woolfson

• The field of design and emotion: Concepts, arguments, tools, and Current issues - ErdemDemir

• Special Issue Editorial: Design & Emotion - Pieter M. A. Desmet and Paul Hekkert

• Emotional design : why we love or hate things? –Donald A. Norman

Thank you !!!

P. VAZAHAT FATIMAM.Des (Electronic Systems)

IIITD&M, Kancheepuram, TN, INDIA