Emotional Design (2)

1. Select a brief passage and explain why it was interesting.

(pg 71) Before they were introduced, who would have thought we needed typewriters, personal computers, copying machines, or cell phones? Answer: nobody. Today it is hard to imagine life without these items, but before they existed almost no one but an inventor could imagine what purpose they would serve, and quite often the inventors were wrong. Predicting the popularity of a new product is almost impossible before the fact.

I thought this passage brought up a very interesting point. It makes me wonder what the next technological phenomenon will be, or what the next everyday item like the phone will be. These next useful products are probably already thought of. What will be the next item that we can't live without? I can't imagine the next step after the iPhone, but it is most certainly already in the process of being made.



2. Norman uses the terms Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, Reflective Design. Do these categories seem useful to you? Would other names or phrases make the categories clearer?

These categories seem very useful to me. The breakdown of each type of design has made me think differently about each object I touch, and every product I use. I think the names of the designs themselves are accurate, but Visceral and Reflective are sometimes difficult to differentiate. The design that I can clearly distinguish from the other two is Behavioral Design. On the other hand, products can often be both viscerally and reflectively designed. For me, behavioral design is simple. It does what it was made to do and is practical. I feel that Reflective is what attracts most people, especially our generation. This topic definitely dominated our conversation in last class.



3. How could a designer decide if Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, or Reflective Design is more important for a particular product? Are some types of products more visceral, behavioral, or reflective?

It depends on what the function of the product is, and who the target audience is. Clothes are definitely a Reflective Design. The media and our culture tells us what is "hot" to wear. Although they may be expensive or uncomfortable, people still buy certain clothes for the approval of others and to feel more confident. I think Visceral Designs can be used to target younger children. For example, shiny and colorful toys on the shelf will immediately attract them. It also helps that children that age want a lot of things, so they have even more of an immediate "I want that" mindset. My dad is really into sleek new technological products, but I think his parents and that generation would be more interested in Behavioral Design. We just bought my grandma a new Mac laptop so that she can get an email address and keep in contact with her grandchildren. She wasn't really interested in the appearance of the computer but more in the function of email. It causes her a lot of frustration but she is getting used to it. I think since that generation is old and slowing down, they are more interested in simple and inexpensive products that are easy to use.