Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Emotional Design: Why we love(or hate) everyday things

This reading expresses the authors recent discovers and his reflection on his own work as he talks about how in the past he use to ignore the importance of emotion within the design of everyday things. It touches upon the aspects of Visceral, behaviour and reflection within emotional design. The idea that emotions can change cognition and are therefore valid. Which aims to answer the reoccurring question, why attractive design works better than ugly design? 
Using teapots as an example, he argues that he does not value them for their function but, for their appearance, positivity and memories that are associated with them. Suggesting that if it was not for his emotional attachments to them he would not have bought them.

It is all well and good that things are usable but if people feared them or have no connection then they find no use for them. Aesthetics change our emotions and emotions change the way people think. I also found his thoughts of human evolution interesting. How most animals start at a Visceral level which can only make quick decisions like safe/dangerous. Then other more intelligence animals use behavioural levels which is an analysis of a given situation using the subconscious. But that humans can use all of these as well as a reflective layer which enable one to use both its conscious and subconscious at the same time to retain new information. I do think the reading was useful and it was really easy to understand. I believe that this has given me incite to the extent to which emotional design effects individuals. It also gives me as a designer some direction to methodologies and approaches I should take to project emotional attachments in my work. 

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