Sunday, August 16, 2009

video reflections - don norman: emotional design


This is neat! - Don Norman has cleverly narrowed down three ways good design makes you happy. Norman explores a triad of levels when it comes to connecting emotion and design.

The first category is Visceral; this level explores the way in which people like or dislike a certain item. Although this level is completely subconscious, we can intentionally control this in certain ways, i.e. choosing certain typefaces and colours to create a more pleasant compositions.

The Behavioural level is an automatic reaction and is all about feeling in control. When products have a certain heft and weight, we have a sense of being in control.

Reflective is the super ego, it's in the state of consciousness. It's the reason why people buy things simply because of the fact that they want it. It's the reason people buy cars we know don't work well; it's because they look impressive. It's the conscious decision of choosing a product for the sheer fact that it makes us happy.

These three levels of emotion are a skillful way of breaking down the design process. Awareness of these elements allows designers to identify ways to create good designs that make people happy:)

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