...AND WHY WE DO
But love? Hmmm, maybe we need another framework for design
we love. It turns out, not surprisingly so, that emotions play a
crucial role in our understanding of the world and how we learn
new things. As Norman notes in his book, Emotional Design3,
aesthetically pleasing objects appear to the user to be more
effective.
Do attractive things really work better
?
“In the early ‘90s two Japanese researchers, Masaaki Kurosu
and Kaori Kashimura, claimed just that. They studied different
layout controls for ATMs. All versions of the ATMs were identical
in function, the number of buttons, and how they operated, but
some had buttons and screens arranged attractively, the others
unattractively. Surprise! The Japanese (research subjects) found
that the attractive ones were perceived to be easier to use.”4
Norman’s studies on emotion, along with colleagues Andrew
Ortony and William Revelle, professors in the Psychology
Department at Northwestern University, led to some insight on
affective processing.
They suggest in fact three levels of processing by the brain:
visceral, behavioral and reflective. The visceral level is fast and
makes rapid judgments of what is good or bad. It relies on sensory
input and is the start of affective processing. The part of the brain
that controls everyday behavior is known as the behavioral level
and the contemplative part of the brain is the reflective level.
How do these three levels impact different aspects of design?
Norman offers an admittedly simple but ‘good-enough’ way to
incorporate these levels into design:
How levels impact design:
Visceral design >>
Appearance
Behavioral design >>
The pleasure and effectiveness of use
Reflective design >>
Self-image, personal satisfaction and memories
The relative importance of each of these will also of course vary from
person to person and from culture to culture. But they do provide a
way to design and interpret objects in a more meaningful way.
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