Reference Information
Title: Emotional Design
Author: Donald Norman
Publisher: Basic Books (2005)
Summary
The first chapter of this book explains why attractive things work better. He talks about how emotions help people to make decisions. He also talks about how happiness influences the thought process and encourages creativity. An attractive design allows for a more enjoyable experience. He also talks about the three levels of processing: visceral, behavioral, reflective.
Discussion
Norman, like most of his books, tends to repeat himself very often. It is nice that we didn't have to read the entire book. With that said, I found this to be enjoyable and insightful. He uses a lot of really good examples to help the reader understand the points that he tries to make. I thought the Xbox advertisement in chapter two was really good. I've started to try and learn how to write iOS apps on my own and i'm struggling to design a good interface. Maybe we'll learn something about that sort of thing in this class?
Summary
In the second chapter Norman talks about the different levels of processing work in respect to design, and how they play off each other. He mentions visceral design (initial impact of the product), behavioral (the use and experience) and reflective (understanding, reasoning and interpreting). He later goes on to discuss the role memories play. Objects evoke memories and those memories reflect us. He concludes by discussing the goals of a product and the brand.
The third picks up where the last one leaves off. Norman discusses the 3 levels of design: visceral, behavioral and reflective. Visceral design is focused on how things appear physically. Elements to keep in mind are look, feel, sound and initial reactions. Behavioral design focuses rather on function, understandability, usability and physical feel. Function is the most important of these aspects. Reflective design focuses on the meaning a product carries and the way culture is incorporated.
Discussion
Norman, like most of his books, tends to repeat himself very often. It is nice that we didn't have to read the entire book. With that said, I found this to be enjoyable and insightful. He uses a lot of really good examples to help the reader understand the points that he tries to make. I thought the Xbox advertisement in chapter two was really good. I've started to try and learn how to write iOS apps on my own and i'm struggling to design a good interface. Maybe we'll learn something about that sort of thing in this class?
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