Feelings are a delicate thing to work with; after all, they can change from day to day. So why is it essential to design for something so fluid? After completing my latest UX challenge, I’ve come to understand the importance of people’s emotional motivators to use it in design.
The Exercise
This week I was tasked with exploring emotional design using myself as a guinea pig. I had to select one of each: product, device, and service, then explain my feelings towards it, if my needs were fulfilled and why. Here’s what I chose:
Product
My robotic vacuum makes me feel relieved because my need to rest has been met. With two young kids, my house is always a mess, and I am regularly cleaning. Using the robotic vacuum allows me to enjoy some quality time with my family. I can watch movies or read books with my girls and feel productive at the same time.
Service
The Bulldog Yoga app makes me feel invigorated because my need to move and stretch has been met. It makes me happy to have a variety of options to not get bored with the same yoga routine.
Device
My printer makes me feel annoyed because my need for quick, cheap printouts has not been met. Instead, I feel angry every time I have to pay for expensive ink cartridges. Also, I feel wasteful when something doesn’t print correctly, and I have to redo it. All I want to do is print ski tickets or proof my homework, but I feel guilt for wasting precious ink and paper that will eventually be thrown away. (Note, to the best of my ability, I keep most things digital).
Results
Initially, I was confused about how this exercise pertains to UX design. However, after some reflection, it dawned on me that I chose to write about the above products because they evoked an emotion inside of me that made them more memorable. I did not choose a simple pencil I write with everyday, I chose the items that I had a personal connection to. I felt my professor as had just performed some secret vudoo magic and conned me into understanding! In the end, it was enlightening to think about products you use every day and reflect on how they affect you.
Why are emotions so important in design?
In reading the article Stop selling a product. Start evoking feelings., Esteban Perez-Hemminger states, “positive feelings will transform your user from a customer into a loyal advocate for your company; a brand ambassador.” Listing the product benefits is not as important evoking a feeling in the user. A designer needs to analyze people’s preferences, their likes and dislikes and dig deep into what motivates them. By tapping into their emotions the designer can create a product that will make the user want to buy a product or interact with it regularly.
Make people feel like the best version of themselves.
-Perez-Hemmnger
Conclusion
Although I thought I was selecting products to discuss at random, now I realize they all were designed to elicit an emotion in me. A designer carefully thought about my needs. By understanding how people feel, a designer can create great products that they talk about and enjoy using everyday. If you can harness people’s emotions in a positive way, you will have a loyal follower.
