Designing for Emotion | Chapter 3

From fake-script printing press letters to iOS calculator apps, lending a human spark to the inanimate can win over users in a huge way. In this segment, Aaron plunges on to convince designers to move beyond stark switches, knobs, buttons and control panels to pathos-charged impressions. This move will win over the hearts and minds of starry-eyed users who unwittingly expected a thoroughly dull ride.

So what’s the catch? Well, the folks who don’t mesh 100% with your projected values will feel uncomfortable — fast. On the flip side, your loyal fans will become increasingly enamored with your brand.

It’s a crystal distillation of the emotional design philosophy: double down on experiences tailored to your users’ values.

When it works, it’s a home-run — but only if it truly catches.

Unlike the previous two chapters, I can’t find any new, major grips with the author’s argument here. All his major assumptions are pretty well grounded and I’ve already addressed some of the problematic underpinnings when embarking on the emotional design process. Ultimately, emotional design bets big on delightful user engagement at the risk of alienating non-core users. For many projects, products and target personas — this can prove a smart, smart move.