Designing For Emotion

We were asked to read the first chapter of a book called “Designing For Emotion” by Aarron Walter. I enjoyed reading this book because it took me through a bit of American history and described how important it is for companies and organizations to connect with their audiences by making themselves more human rather than professionally distant. It described the importance of giving your audience a voice, and using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to understand the essentials of connecting with people.

I agreed with Walter’s argument when he said,  “[Websites and web apps] are realizing that more people sign up for their service, stay on their site, and buy more stuff if they transcend usable to create a pleasurable experience.” He discussed the website Betabrand and how all of their products have a story behind them that makes them unique and keeps you interested with the website. He also talked about how their customer service provides personal connection from the woman or man behind the business to the specific customer. I think that in order for people to trust your company, organization, brand, etc. you must build a relationship with them where they feel connected to you. Humor and creativity are some of the aspects Betabrand used that distinguished them from other websites/web apps. They connected with the audience’s emotions, leaving them not only satisfied, but humored, interested and wanting more.

Something I did not agree with fully is the example about audience emotional connection to the website Wufoo. Walter wrote, “Note the primary colors on each page; sans-serif typefaces chat in familiar, informal tones. There aren’t many hard edges here. Corner radii are generous, creating a cartoony feel.” While this type of a personality may connect with a large audience, I do not feel that being fully down-to-earth and simple will transcend with all audiences. While he was not saying everyone should design their websites like Wufoo, I did feel he was trying to urge people to abandon the professional personality that feels distant, and move into a more human-like, realistic personality since we’re humans trying to connect with other humans. I think this is true to some degree, and should be fully incorporated with certain organizations and businesses. However, with some businesses, if their website personality came across as lighthearted and fun, this may lose a lot of creditability of their services. Sometimes audiences expect a company that is professional and business-like because the services they provide are used for more formal purposes. If a company comes across informal, it gives off a lack of professionalism and may lose a lot of your audience because they want to see a personality that is licensed and qualified. I think about the comparison, if I were to attend a job interview for a respected company in a t-shirt and shorts, while this may accurately reflect my personality, it would not transcend with the employer. My lack of professionalism would make me appear lazy and unexperienced in the field.  I think websites can do the same to audiences. We have to truly know the brand we represent and what audiences look for in it.