Emotional Design

Summary:
There were 3 main aspects of product design that were discussed in this book: Visceral, Behavioral, Reflective. Visceral design is decided upon very quickly by the user. It is usually triggered by one of the senses (sight, sound, smell, feel, or touch). This occurs in a way such that our mind is made up before we even know how because this response is usually run on a subconscious level and is usually inalterable. You either like the way it looks or you dont. Sometimes it is associated with phrases such as "The product is me, or that product is not me."

Behavioral Design is based off the way the object is used and how happy the user is while using it. This is usually triggered by a design that the user deems as "good" or "bad." "Bad" designs will usually lead to an unhappy user and can make the muscles tense up. "Good" designs usually lead to enhanced productivity as well as the possibility to enter a state of flow which allows the user to operate at optimum efficiency. Not too easy, but not too hard either. Just enough to make sure that the brain stays fully engaged throughout using it. Iterative testing can benefit here.

Reflective design is based on each individual and their intellect. It is affected greatly by the users understanding of the product, how they feel about the product, and how they integrate their self image into the product. These are very vulnerable to cultural variability, education and personal experiences.

Discussion:
While I thought this book was a little long winded once again, I feel like the author was not quite as long winded as before, and that it was much better. I thought it was a very interesting concept that he incorporated ideas on reflection, behavioral and visceral ideas into how we view everyday things. I think that he had a lot of good facts in the book, or things that I hadnt thought about. I know that I agree with many things that he said about how we use things, and how our user experience is affected by all of our senses, as well as by what memories are tied to it.