ROLE OF “EMOTION” IN UX DESIGN
How is Emotion Connected to Design?
Everything around us has been designed in some way that design ultimately produces an emotion. We experience an emotional reaction to our environment moment-by-moment: a like or a dislike, elation, joy, frustration. We ‘feel’ it. It’s personal.
Emotional Design
Emotional design often indicates a design approach that UX/UI designers use to deliver a positive emotion (such as happiness, comfort, joyfulness and more) with creative interface elements or element groups, such as colors, microcopy, layouts and so on.
Sometimes, in order to trigger the right emotional response from the product users, some designers even creatively put some negative emotions (such as sadness, regret, and sorrow, etc ) in their UI designs to impress users for better UX and product sales.
Types of Emotional Responses
Most changes in our emotional state occur due to external factors, and depending on a wide range of variables, we end up with two main types of emotional responses.
- Negative emotional responses
- Positive emotional responses
The Impact of Negative Emotional Responses
While there are many factors that affect our emotions which we are unable to control, We are often overwhelmed by options, therefore if your product doesn’t meet your users’ requirements, they will certainly look for alternatives.
When I speak of products here, which can be either physical or digital. The user journey doesn’t end once the product is purchased.
A negative emotion not only prevents your users from being able to effectively use your product, but it also affects your credibility and image.
Keeping Some Positive Emotion into Your Design
Designs that tap into the user’s emotions are considered to do more than just respond to their stated needs and provide a greater level of user experience. Products that people love are products that people use over and over again.
The cornerstone of emotional design is the idea that if you can elicit strong emotions in your users you can use those emotions to either create loyalty or to drive a customer to take action.
Robert Plutchik was a thought leader in the study of emotions. He held a doctorate degree as well as positions at the professorial level at two respected universities' emotional research as a psychologist.
This helps categorize emotions into primary emotions and the responses to them. He argued that the primary emotions are an evolutionary development and that the response to each such emotion is the one that is likely to deliver the highest level of survival possibility.
The 8 basic emotions that Plutchik devised were:
Anger / Disgusted / Fear / Sadness / Anticipation / Joy / Surprise / Trust
Basic Emotional Pairs on:
- Joy and Sadness
- Trust and Disgust
- Fear and Anger
- Surprise and Anticipation
How to Generate Positive Emotional Responses
In order to design user interfaces that generate positive emotions, we need to focus on an important aspect of UX i.e user research and identification of your target audience.
When it comes to making your users “happy”, we are referring in fact to your intended users, and this is why having a clear idea of your target audience is so important. Different factors generate different responses in different individuals, therefore it’s important to design for the needs and expectations of those who will use your product.
- Use visual elements to trigger an emotion of users
- Creative and smart interactions
- Interesting and engaging experience with unique design style and theme
- Use well-crafted microcopy
- Personalize product designs with your creativity
- Impress users with details
In the human mind, there are numerous areas responsible for what we refer to as emotion collectively, these regions comprise the emotional system. the emotional system consists of three different, yet interconnected levels, each of which influences our experience of the world in a particular way.
Visceral Level
This level is responsible for the unconscious and automatic aspects of human emotion, and it’s mostly about appearance and first impressions. The purpose here is to get your user’s immediate attention.
Attractiveness, Pre-Consciousness, Initial impression, Feelings
Behavioral Level
The behavioral level refers essentially to what we’re used to knowing as usability in general. UX focus mostly on this level: the user experience, the practical and functional aspects of a product or system. It’s essential because if a user is unable to use something effectively, then nothing else matters.
Usability, Prodcut function, Perfomrance, Effectieveness of use
Reflective Level
This is the highest level in terms of emotional design and it takes into account the users’ conscious thoughts and their power of decision. It’s the only level that involves a conscious form of processing but is highly influenced by the other levels. At this point, the better the emotional response the product has generated, the more likely it is for the user to form a connection with it and make a positive decision.
Meaning of prodcut, Imapact of taught, Shating the expereince, Cultural meaning
Generating Positive Emotional Responses by Eliminating the Negative
A basic principle of usability is to eliminate any friction and obstacles between your user and their goal. By avoiding negative emotions such as frustration,
Depending on your product’s goal, sometimes the fact of it being effective and allowing your user to complete a task with ease is the strongest point.
Following UI Patterns and Conventions
In life, we are used to anticipating the behavior of a certain object or system, based on the representations of the world which are stored in our long-term memory. The same happens when interacting with websites and other interfaces.
Creating Emotional Experiences by Association
Our emotions become associated with many elements in our lives, including objects and places. When designing a new product, certain design decisions can encourage the user to form some type of emotional connection. Once this association is formed, then the emotion can be evoked over and over again, resulting in a powerful and lasting connection over time.
In this sense, design decisions that include the aesthetic properties of the product are not arbitrary and can, therefore, influence your target audience’s response.
Emotional design tips
1. Never be too emotional
All your emotional designs intend to stir the emotions of users and let them use the product for a longer time. But, that does not mean you can freely vent your emotions and feelings there.
2. Emotional design of your product does not work forever
Things change constantly. The symbols (such as the commonly-used words, pictures, icons, objects and more) which evoke emotion are also changing. So, designers must realize that the emotional design of their product will not work forever and must be updated in a timely manner.
3. Never forget the basic functions and features
The basic features and functions are the most important part of product design. Whether a user stays or directly leaves product eventually is decided upon whether it offers them practical contents and functionality that meet their needs.
4. Pay attention to the design scenarios
In your emotional interface designs, you are also supposed to pay attention to the design scenarios.
For example, humor can grasp users’ attention quickly and bring people a more pleasurable experience. However, humor cannot be used in all design scenarios.
Thanks for reading. 🙏
