Designing for Emotion – Chapter 4

This chapter of Designing for Emotion was especially interesting. This is a book required for my public relations publications class, and it is helpful in the ideation of design.

I think this chapter was the best at teaching because it was full of applicable examples. I especially agree with the idea that the surprise or unknown grabs the attention of humans in general. Whether it be sites like Photojojo or Wufoo, the interfaces are inviting and intriguing, which turns a day a little more interesting than the typical one.

I also greatly appreciate the idea of Wufoo’s customer service. The hand-written thank you’s go a long way in a dying tradition. There is a statement in the chapter about how excessive customer service gives the brand a better reputation. I fully stand by that statement because many company’s are caught up in the minimum amount required to complete a task. Business shouldn’t be about the bare minimum though. It should be about giving our best, that’s why it’s our ‘job.’

I thought it was interesting the comparison between Twitter and Facebook when talking about their updates. To an extent, I disagree with the claim that Facebook was less successful in their launch. While they make people change immediately to the new format, users soon realize that it is more user-friendly. Additionally, it is a site that we are using. It’s their site, and if the creators want to change the format, it will most likely be better seeing that they created in the first place.

Overall, I liked the focus on customer service and human focus in this chapter. I appreciate the dedication to making things the best for the consumer to advance an otherwise lazy world.