Chapter Two: Designing For Humans

I really enjoyed reading chapter two “Designing for Humans” by Aaron Walter. In this chapter, Walter discusses how human emotions unite us all and ultimately drives design. He discussed and described the baby-face bias, contrast and aesthetics. This chapter really grabbed my attention because it forced me to look at design in a completely new way. Before reading this chapter, I did not realize how much our emotions affected the way we saw designs/layouts.

One thing I would agree with Walter on is the fact that contrast can be either appealing or distracting. Whenever I think about some of my favorite brands, most of their designs are simple and straight to the point. I agree that the eye favors simple, yet bold designs. In addition, I agree that too much contrast can stress out the viewer and turn them away from the brand or webpage.

One thing I disagree with is when Walter claims evolution gave us triggers of positive emotion. I am not sure if Walter was referring to the theory of evolution or not, but I do not agree that humans all of a sudden developed positive emotions. I believe that the creator of the Universe created humans to be this way.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading about how design and emotions are connected. I think that after reading this chapter I have a better understanding of how to reach out and/or to connect with my stakeholders. I was fascinated by all of the research conducted between emotions and design.