Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things

Written by Don Norman

Narrated by George Newbern

Why attractive things work better and other crucial insights into human-centered design



Emotions are inseparable from how we humans think, choose, and act. In Emotional Design, cognitive scientist Don Norman shows how the principles of human psychology apply to the invention and design of new technologies and products. In The Design of Everyday Things, Norman made the definitive case for human-centered design, showing that good design demanded that the user's must take precedence over a designer's aesthetic if anything, from light switches to airplanes, was going to work as the user needed. In this book, he takes his thinking several steps farther, showing that successful design must incorporate not just what users need, but must address our minds by attending to our visceral reactions, to our behavioral choices, and to the stories we want the things in our lives to tell others about ourselves. Good human-centered design isn't just about making effective tools that are straightforward to use; it's about making affective tools that mesh well with our emotions and help us express our identities and support our social lives. From roller coasters to robots, sports cars to smart phones, attractive things work better. Whether designer or consumer, user or inventor, this book is the definitive guide to making Norman's insights work for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350844788

Reviews for Emotional Design

[katya0133 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting thoughts and meanderings, but less concrete or cohesive than The Design of Everyday Things.

[alspray · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In the epilogue of this book, Don Norman expresses his gratitude to a myriad of people who helped him organize many years worth of disparate notes into a cohesive book. For me, ‘Emotional Design’ remained rather disconnected. Not in an altogether bad way, the book reads like the (slightly rambling) classroom lecture from a venerable guru …with the reader left to pull it all together.

Norman offers an illuminating model - distinguishing between 3 layers of design: visceral, behavioral and reflective - to understand why people like the objects they do. And like ‘Design of Everyday Things’ he explores this model with numerous fun and apropos examples. But soon the book wanders from discussion of this cognitive model to pondering on the future of design.

According to Norman this future will be marked by our increased dependence on smart robots in every facet of life, where the more we grow to depend on these servants of our own making – functionally and emotionally - the more the line between man and robot will become less and less clear. All this talk of material stuff and robotic servitude makes ‘Emotional Design’ a testament to American consumerism and I was moderately disappointed by the lack of freshness here.

A worthwhile read from the man who brought us ‘The Design of Everyday Things’, but ultimately one that falls in the category of ‘plane book’. That is, the type of book I read on a plane because I know I’ll have no other escape.

[dvf1976 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Started off strong, but seemed to lose cohesion as it progressed.

There are three levels of design:

*Visceral Design - Appearance
*Behavioral Design - The pleasure and effectiveness of use
*Reflective Design - Self-image, personal satisfaction, memories

[jcbrunner · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Norman's title asks an interesting question. Why do we love or hate things? Unfortunately, the book does not even hint at answering that question.

Instead, the author painfully rambles on topics well beyond his expertise (text messages, console games, ...). Norman rediscovers the basic facts of marketing and reiterates its tired textbook examples. Only pointy-haired bosses will be enlightened. Why did I not like this book? Because it promised expertise but contained pomposity and banalities.

Your time is better spent (re-)reading Norman's classic The Design of Everyday Things.

[danamckay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book, a follow up from Norman's earlier work 'The Design of Everyday Things' talks about why some unusable things are well loved despite our frustrations -- because in some way they manage to inspire warm feelings. Normal again illustrates with examples of things that have a wow factor but are completely unusable, and with examples of functional-but-dull things.

Most of this book is excellent, but the three chapters where Norman speculates about how robots having emotion is going to change the world really didn't interest me; unless you are especially interested in artificial intelligence, robots and robot theory, I recommend skipping those chapters.