Reflection on “Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things” by Donald Norman
The book I read is “Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things” by Donald Norman. His writing style is concise and easy to understand. He can express complex concepts in easy-to-understand terms, which is easier for readers to accept.
Everyday objects are a relevant part of everyone’s lives, and this book explores the emotions we interact with them to understand why we love or hate certain items. It combines design and psychology to help us better select, use and design products. And I think this book can establish a strong connection with the classroom. Reading this book can help us understand the emotional needs of users for objects. This provides more inspiration for our future design journey, thereby designing services and products that are more in line with public expectations
What impressed me most in the book were the three levels of emotional design: intuitive design, emotional design and reflective design. Each level affects our experience of the world in a special way. The author explains to us the application of these three levels in design through vivid cases. For example, in the intuitive design, the author mentioned that my grandfather’s pocket watch and a small wall-mounted clock both contain the most basic timekeeping function. Apart from appearance, they have no difference in internal characteristics, but the intuitive design makes it A difference is made in the eyes of the owner. This level of design focuses on those features of things that can be directly perceived.
In emotional design, Norman proposed that “beautiful objects are better to use”, which is related to the pleasure and efficiency of use. This layer of design may be more commonly referred to as usability and focuses more on the practical and functional aspects of the product. For example, the appearance design of the speaker can use warm materials and streamlined shapes to make users feel comfortable and close when touching it, thus enhancing users’ favorable impression of the product.
Reflective layer design not only focuses on the external beauty and practicality of the product, but also pays more attention to the rationality and intelligence of the product. Many products not only allow people to feel the happiness of external beauty, but also bring them ideological pleasure through their functional features. For example, a smartphone not only has an exquisite appearance and feel, but can also meet the diverse needs of users through intelligent functions, such as information transmission, social interaction, work and office, etc. When users experience these functions, they not only satisfy their appreciation of external beauty, but also meet their practical and functional needs, thus bringing them ideological pleasure and satisfaction. This kind of ideological pleasure is also a reflection of people’s values, because people are more inclined to choose products that are not only beautiful in appearance, but also powerful and intelligent, which is in line with their pursuit of quality life and efficient work.
By reading this book, I discovered that a simple daily item may resonate with our emotions because of its appearance, feel, or sound, thereby affecting our experience and attitude toward it. This made me re-examine the objects around me and start paying more attention to the design concepts and emotional connections behind them. It made me realize that design that ignores the user’s emotional experience may lead to product failure. This is a very important revelation for me as a designer or consumer, making me realize that emotional factors also need to be taken into consideration when designing or selecting products.
Overall, this book is not only a book about design, but also a study about emotion. It opened up a new perspective for me and gave me a deeper understanding of the close connection between design and emotion. Designers must understand how emotional design encompasses the entire experience, from initial discovery of a product to using it to thoughts after using it. It’s not enough to cultivate an experience with “love at first sight.” This love must be permanent, lasting and shareable. I believe these concepts will play an important role in my future design work and life, allowing me to better meet users’ needs and emotional experiences.
