Designing for Emotion: Chapter 6

We were asked to read another chapter in our Designing for Emotion textbook. I picked chapter 6 which was titled forgiveness. It was about gaining consumer forgiveness and upholding a reputable company after a glitch or mistake.

Things I agree with in this chapter – I do agree with connecting with users in a more human way. I think that creating a persona and a tone for a website will create an emotional connection with users and in turn they’ll be more likely to forgive and forget about minor inconveniences. I also agree that the Rosy Effect, the good is more prominent in our mind than the bad, can be applied to websites and apps and businesses in general.

 

Things I disagree with – I thought that the coloring contest was a great idea for flickr when their website was down for a few hours because it gave users something to do with an incentive, to win a free year. However, I think this kind of action should be thought through depending on the company/business. I think a contest fits for flickr because it is an informal, fun website. A company with a more serious persona may be hurting itself if costumers feel like the business is trying to distract them. I think the biggest take away from chapter 6, is to be transparent, honest and clear with users. Everyone respects honesty.