If you are building a product, your top priorities are obviously usability and user satisfaction. This means designing products that are easy to use and help users achieve their goals efficiently and effectively.
However, usability is more than just functionality. It is also about creating products that evoke positive emotions in users. Emotional responses run much deeper than logical ones. Every aspect of product design should send a signal to the user’s brain and evoke an emotion. These emotions, such as satisfaction and engagement, can motivate users to keep using the product and trigger recommendations.
Three Levels of Emotional Design
Don Norman defines three levels of emotional design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective. A truly well-designed product must seamlessly integrate elements from all three tiers.
1. Visceral
Visceral designs tap into the immediate emotional response of users. Visual elements such as color, shape, and texture play a crucial role. A product boasting excellent visceral design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also capable of eliciting positive emotions like excitement, happiness, and a sense of luxury.
2. Behavioral
Behavioral design is about the user’s experience while interacting with the product. This is based on factors such as usability, functionality, and performance. (How easy or difficult it is to complete tasks in products. How fast is the product working?) A product with good behavioral design is easy to use and efficient, and it allows users to achieve their goals quickly and easily.
3. Reflective
Reflective design revolves around fostering a long-term emotional connection with the user. This connection spans the period before, during, and after product use, relying on elements such as brand image and cultural associations. A product with exemplary reflective design instills emotions like pride, satisfaction, and a sense of belonging, transforming users into passionate advocates who willingly promote the product.
Acknowledging and integrating all three levels of emotional design is pivotal for creating a truly successful product that meets functional needs and resonates emotionally with users. Such a product is more likely to be used and recommended by others.
How to design for emotions?
Effective product design transcends mere functionality. It connects with people on a personal level, forging a strong emotional bond between the user and the product. This approach, known as emotional-centric design, requires a substantial investment of time and energy in user research.
Understanding users’ needs, preferences, and emotions is paramount. Techniques like user research, personas, scenarios, and feedback provide invaluable insights into users’ behaviors, enabling designers to craft products that genuinely satisfy users.
In addition to prioritizing usability, aesthetics become instrumental in generating emotional responses. Colors, shapes, fonts, images, and animations collectively contribute to creating a design that emotionally resonates with users. Clear, timely, relevant, and positive feedback further enhances the user’s experience, instilling confidence and a sense of support.
Finally, adding a distinct personality to a product establishes emotional connections. This personality must remain consistent, appropriate, and authentic, fostering a unique and memorable user-product relationship.
Case Studies
1. Notion’s Customized Onboarding Experience
Level: Visceral
Key Element: Personalization
Insight: Notion does a great job of understanding its users. They understand the importance of creating a personalized onboarding experience. By categorizing users into groups and tailoring visuals and text accordingly, they create a sense of understanding and appreciation. This personal touch makes users feel like Notion gets and appreciates them, improving the whole experience.
2. Userpilot’s Clean User Interface
Level: Behavioral
Key Element: In-App Guidance
Insight : Userpilot keeps its user interface clean and provides help when users ask for it. The integration of subtle cues, like hotspots, exemplifies behavioral design by ensuring that users can navigate through the product seamlessly. This approach enhances usability and efficiency.
The animation below shows how Userpilot directs the user using hotspots to easily change the animation type with just one simple step.
3. Asana’s Funny Error Messages
Level: Visceral
Key Element: Humor
Insight: A well-crafted error message adds a human touch to your product and keeps users amused during frustrating moments. Asana injects humor into error messages, transforming potentially tense moments into memorable experiences. This visceral design approach acknowledges the emotional state of users during errors, creating a positive and humanized connection with the brand.
Look at the humorous error code in the image below that Asana displays when there’s a glitch. This is an example for visceral design.
4. Spotify’s Personalized Mix
Level: Reflective
Key Element: Personalization and Reflection
Insight: Spotify’s personalized playlists and annual summaries (e.g., Spotify Wrapped) contribute to the reflective level. By analyzing user preferences and summarizing their music journey, Spotify creates a deep, emotional connection. The social sharing aspect of Spotify Wrapped amplifies this connection, turning it into a cultural phenomenon.
5. Airbnb – Evoking Wanderlust
Level: Reflective
Key Element: Visual Storytelling and Experiences
Insight: Airbnb leverages high-quality images and the ‘Experiences’ feature to evoke emotions at the reflective level. Beyond the digital realm, Airbnb extends its emotional design into the physical world. The introduction of the ‘Experiences’ feature enables hosts to offer distinctive activities and tours, allowing travelers to engage with locals and immerse themselves in the local culture.
The thoughtfully selected photographs in the apps trigger feelings of wanderlust and excitement, allowing potential guests to picture themselves in the spaces and envision the experiences they could enjoy. The incorporation of meaningful local experiences establishes a lasting emotional connection beyond mere accommodation.
Let Us Help You Build Products That Emotionally Resonate with Your Users
As you reflect on the transformative power of emotional design, consider how Siam Computing can be your partner in this journey. Whether you’re embarking on MVP development, seeking expert product strategy and consulting, or assembling a dedicated product team, we stand ready to turn your vision into a product that not only functions seamlessly but also resonates emotionally.
Explore our services and converse with our seasoned product experts. Let’s collaborate to create products that go beyond expectations—products that users not only love but advocate for passionately.
Your journey to unparalleled product success begins with Siam Computing. Let’s build something extraordinary together.
