Key takeaways while enrolled in a course at Interaction Design Foundation

The Meaning of Emotion In Design

Part 2: Emotional Design Series — Why They’ll Love Your Product

Emotion effects the bottom line in business.

The emotional experience a user has really matters. Think of your emotional response when you see a product, feel it with your fingers, or select the color you like. How about your favorite restaurant.

Why do you go back again and again? Or, what about when you browse a website or view another YouTube ad?

We are emotionally based creatures. The objects, products, and services we use during our day subconsciously invoke emotional responses. These responses are manifested as internal emotions and prove to be evident externally through the actions we take.

In this article, you will learn why emotional responses to a product are at the very core of user experience. You’ll also consider the fact that every product is a tool for the user to achieve a particular goal.

Before we dive in, if you are skeptical about learning how to influence user emotions, abandon that notion. Hundreds of others have figured it out, there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

Emotional State

This word we call “emotion” represents differing mental states or feelings. Our brain takes in data from our five, and sometimes, six senses, and translates that to perceptions and responses.

Here are three aspects of what makes up “emotional state”:

• Disposition: a person’s current mood, possible habitual temperament, emotional outlook, the lens by which a person views the world and their circumstances.
• Interpersonal Relations: stability and quality of relationships whether between family or friends, satisfaction with feelings of human love and acceptance.
• Interactions with Environment: the use of objects during our day cause us to experience a wide range of feelings. (The computer shut off; anger. A sunny day; increased energy).