Emotional Design

1. What do you feel were the author’s key points in this chapter?
2. How does this chapter compare to the earlier writing (The Design of Everyday Things) by the same author?
3. Give examples, from your own experience of 1) something that succeeds as Visceral Design, 2) something that succeeds as Behavioral Design, and 3) a Reflective Design success? What do you think makes each thing successful?

1. The author had one overall idea throughout this chapter. It was the idea that there is more to design then simply function. A device that functions well and is the happy median between usability and function is in the end, as he puts it, dull. This entire chapter deals with this concept and the author refers to it as, “emotional design.” This type of design focuses on the way a product makes you feel over how simple its use is. There are two main types of emotional design. First is, “visceral design.” This type of design involves our natural attraction to certain things. Why we like certain colors, regular beat patterns in music, and sleek curves on our cars. All of these things are involved with visceral design. Think of this type of emotional design as the surface, because that is all that it is. It does not go any deeper than that. There is, however, a type of design that goes below the surface and plays on your deeper emotions. This type of design is called reflective design. Reflective Design covers a broad spectrum of things, but put simply it is how you feel about the product, and how it makes you feel about yourself. For the former type of reflective design, use a necklace. The necklace you are about to purchase is not the most expensive or the most in-style, but it is the same as your best friend’s and you want to buy it so you two can share that bond. For the latter type of reflective design, take a shirt for example. If somebody has on a hundred dollar shirt, most of the time he will feel more confident, because he knows that very few people have or can afford the shirt that he is wearing. Behavioral design is a part of emotional design and it is, in the end, simply the usability of the product. Unlike the first two concepts, which seem to be the new ideas and main points of this chapter, this type of design refers to the author’s previous work that is all about functionality. How well does the product do what it is supposed to do? The author makes the argument that no design matters if it does not function.

2. This chapter is, in one way, behavioral design, similar to his last writing. Yet the chapter, in two other ways, reflective and visceral design, is quite different. The most obvious difference to the two works is that the author concedes that there is more to design than merely its ultimate simplicity of functioning. Although he remains true to this point with his example of behavioral design, he also admits that both, visceral and reflective design, are very important. The author seems to hold true to his old work, while simple adding two additional points. He stands true to the fact that if a product does not work than it is almost useless, but it also must look good and play on the emotions of a customer to be a great product. Although a great usable product will be good, a great usable product that plays on the emotions of the consumer will be great.

3. One thing that succeeds as visceral design is patron tequila. Although it does have reflective aspects such as its price which makes the one drinking it feel superior and confident, it also has a hand blown bottle, and a unique design which is different and initially very attractive to the eye. Its bottle alone stands out and sells itself. An example of behavioral design would have to be my black dell computer. It does not look extremely good, or make me feel any better about myself. It does, however, get the job done. Lastly, reflective design has a lot of great products in clothing. Almost everyone buys expensive clothes not because they cover your body better, but because they give you a feeling of superiority and confidence when wearing them. One thing makes them all successful. How they make you feel. A visceral product attracts you to it naturally, a reflective product attracts you based on how it will make you feel when you are near it, and a behavioral product puts you at ease because it does what it is supposed to do. The key is, as in many things, in the balance.