Emotional Design

Although I’ve never given it much thought, attractive things do work better. Possibly because attractive technology (hardware) gives off a “new” impression, and new means updated and better to a consumer. Bank of America has new, attractive ATMs that no longer require envelopes for a deposit. You can insert cash and it counts the bills. If you deposit a check or money order, you receive a printout of it on your receipt. In addition to this, new ATMs give off the impression of being safer. If it’s new, it’s obviously being monitored which means you’ll be safer visiting at night, thus inviting customers to use it.

I don’t necessarily understand the correlation between the 3 levels of processing and design. I do understand how focus and creativity relate to design for obvious reasons. My understanding is that the mood someone is in affects his or her ability to be open-minded and creative. So if users are feeling good, they will be able to navigate through a system better than they would if they were upset or unfocused.

I think that trying understanding the user’s frame of mind makes the process of design more complex. I think it’s more important to focus on the frame of mind you want your users to be in when considering the design process. For example, if you are creating an automated claims reporting system for consumers who have just been in a car accident, it should be one with an empathic tone that calms customers. If you are developing an online report card system for teachers, again you want to make them feel comfortable using so it won’t cause further anxiety for users who are not accustomed to using technology. So it’s important to take emotions into consideration when designing, but I think focusing on the outcome you want would be just as effective.