Emotional design

Short introduction

According to the author Donald Norman, good design can be developed by paying attention to which reactions the design evokes in the brain. Our brain works on three levels, namely the visceral (lower), the behavioral (middle) and the reflective (higher) levels, and good design should work on all of these.

So let’s pick three objects and see how these relate to Norman’s theories – a Firkløver chocolate bar, the Nintendo DS handheld console and the screwdriver.

The chocolate bar
The visceral design of the Firkløver is dominated by the blue, calming color of the wrapping, but also the picture of its contents, the chocolate bar. The wrapping contains drawings of five clovers, as well as a mountainrange, and gives the impression of a natural, delicious, and very tempting product. The first impression is, by far, a positive one. Most people will be able to understand what the wrapping contains and want to eat it.

The bar has recently gotten a new plastic wrapping instead of the more old-fashioned paper wrapping. Too bad, as the old wrapping gave a more authentic feel than the new. Also, fetching the bar out of the wrapping has now become more complicated, as Freia has chosen to feature an “operating manual” on the back. Apparently, this new wrapping ensures that the chocolate tastes more fresh.

To many, eating a chocolate bar is mainly a positive experience. Although afterwards, on a reflective level, many experience feelings of bad conscience, shame and even sickness. One might feel an immediate sense of satisfaction, although this is purely temporarily. Society has taught us that eating chocolate and candy is wrong, and a sign that you don’t care about your health or appearence. Chocolate is a modern day sin, and many wouldn’t be caught dead eating a chocolate bar in public. The reflective level of the Firkløver is, for the most part, a negative one.

The Nintendo DS (oldest version)
The first version of Nintendo’s popular handheld console had a typical “Nintendo-look”, although very retro. Many might even call it ugly, but you won’t hear that coming from a Nintendo fanboy. The console has two screens which can be clapped together, and the closed DS looks like a grey, plastic-ish, undefined thingamabob. The impression doesn’t necessarily get any better after opening it, noticing the old-fashioned buttons and button layout that could’ve belonged to a gaming console released in the eighties.

The true strenght of the DS, however, is not its looks (disregarding the DS lite which was released a few years later – a design masterpiece), but its functionality and fun-factor. Everyone who owns a DS already know this, and praises the console for its great games and innovative gameplay. In apperance, the console looks like just another handheld console, only with two screens, and in order to fully understand it you have to try it out for yourself. Perhaps the console’s greatest feature is the touch screen – the top screen being a standard screen, while the lower one being a touch screen. The sensation of being able to directly interact in the game by touching, pressing and drawing on the touch screen makes for a completely new and immersive gaming experience, leaving every other handheld console in the dust. Also, the DS features a microphone which some games requires the player to use in interesting ways.

Now, a few years after the DS’ release, the console is the most popular handheld on the market, and one of the most popular consoles in general. Especially in hardcore gaming circles, owning a DS could mean that you’re up-to-date in gaming, that gameplay magic is more important than the bells and whistles of other gaming consoles, and that you’re a youthful person.

The screwdriver
The visceral design of the typical screwdriver is not much to talk about. It consists of a handle and the metal part. Most people know what it’s for, have used one and is able to recognize it.

The behavioral design could vary, though, even in such a simple product. The comfort of the handle and the size, for instance. Also, some screwdrivers have a magnetic tip, making it more easy to collect the screws after unscrewing them.

As with the visceral design, the reflective design of a screwdriver is probably quite limited. Of course, using and owning a screwdriver does say something about a person. Maybe this person is an avid user of tools, a handyman that enjoys building his own stuff. It could portray a person that takes control of his own life, and participates in the world around him.