Humans experience a wide range of emotions, particularly when interacting with an object, product, or environment, such as joy, awe, excitement, etc. Successful product designers have used this to their advantage. For instance, an iPhone user will likely choose the Apple watch over any other when considering buying a smartwatch. This is not just because of the seamless compatibility of the two products, but because of the strong impression the brand has made on their mind. So why do certain brand users swear by a particular brand or product?
This happens due to the ‘emotional engagement’ of the user with the product. To understand this we need to know what exactly is emotional engagement.
Emotional engagement refers to the ability of design to evoke one or multiple emotions while the user interacts with it, such as pleasure, joy, etc. When users feel emotionally connected to a product or interface, they are more likely to engage with it on a deeper level and become loyal users. The importance of emotional engagement goes beyond just momentary interaction. It helps brands in various aspects such as brand differentiation, increased value perception, and user retention, thus overall market success. [3]
Although, products were not always designed with a focus on emotional engagement. It is only recently that designers have started prioritising this aspect. So, how did this approach originate?
The origin of emotional design indirectly dates back to the time of the Industrial Revolution. When functional or utilitarian design originated in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with practical and scalable products as needed for the time, a common architectural saying ‘form follows function’ was followed intently. [1] Later, during World War II, factors such as ergonomics, and human interaction with products were implemented. Which post-war, were applied to mass-produced commercial products.
However, a major shift took place in the early 20th century, when Psychologists began researching and developing methods of human perception and cognition on human interaction with objects and environments. Researchers like Wilhelm Wundt and William James worked on introspection and principles of psychology helped establish how individuals process and react to sensory information, respectively. This laid the groundwork for understanding human perception and cognition and developing theories. Further, in the 1920s Gestalt psychology emerged, on the Gestalt principle, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,”. Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Köhler contributed to this movement immensely, underlying that humans perceive visual elements as whole first rather than separately. This theory influenced many pioneers and various aspects of design such as industrial design, logo design, and user experience. Companies like Coca-Cola have adopted emotional design from the very beginning. Their unique bottle design sets it apart from competitors and was distracted by touch alone. This created a lasting emotional design with consumers and was a powerful differentiator in the market. Today, companies like Tesla have adopted this approach, setting it apart in the electric automobile industry.
Another example is the iconic IBM logo. It was designed using the Gestalt principle, by Paul Rand in 1972. The word IBM can be perceived as a whole even while just consisting of horizontal lines.
Further, in 1970, the graphical user interface for computers was developed, which immensely contributed to the need for an intuitive computer interface, influencing major operating systems such as Apple’s macOS and Windows OS.
Moreover, in 1980, when personal computers came into the picture, a need for formulating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces rose. This led to the development of Human-Computer Interaction where the psychological aspect of how humans (the users) interact with computers and software is developed. [2]
Later, the user-centric design which integrated the idea of keeping the user front and centre of design by understanding user needs, behaviours, and emotions was advocated by the visionary Donald, famously known as Don Norman. This led to the rise of the ‘design thinking’ approach where problem-solving is encouraged by empathising with users, their emotions and needs and crafting user-centric designs. Today considering the emotional aspect of design is a crucial part of design thinking.
So how can it be delivered? The pioneer Don Norman, mentioned above, summarised this extremely well in his seminal work – Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things. [1]
Norman’s emotional design theory has three levels: visceral, behavioural, and reflective. The visceral level is about immediate reactions to how something looks and feels. The behavioural level focuses on usability and how well a product does its job. Finally, the reflective level involves thinking about and interpreting the design, affecting emotions. These levels combine aesthetics, functionality, and meaning to shape user experiences.
Let us consider an example of this theory, the iconic iPod by Apple Inc.
- Visceral – The iPod’s sleek and minimal design attracted several potential users. Its tactile wheel generated an immediate appeal.
- Behavioral – being praised for its intuitive interface and easy syncing with iTunes, whilst allowing users to carry their playlists.
- Reflective – iPod became a cultural icon and reflected user’s tech-savvy nature, enhancing their image.
Therefore, by understanding and leveraging these three levels combined an entire product experience can be formed. [4]
Moving forward, we are headed towards a well-designed society where emotional engagement is considered firsthand. With developments in Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Biometrics, and personalised and emotionally engaging applications, interfaces, and products.
Citations:
- Philips, M. (2017). Design for Emotion to Increase User Engagement. [online] Toptal Design Blog. Available at: https://www.toptal.com/designers/product-design/design-for-emotion-to-increase-user-engagement.
- www.sciencedirect.com. (n.d.). Human Computer Interaction – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/human-computer-interaction.
- The Interaction Design Foundation. (2024). What is Emotional Design (ED)? — updated 2024. [online] Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/emotional-design#how_to_apply_emotional_design-3.
- Komninos, A. (2019). Norman’s Three Levels of Design. [online] The Interaction Design Foundation. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/norman-s-three-levels-of-design.
