SUMMARY:
The first chapter talks about why attractive designs work better. This is because machines can cause people to experience emotions. This results in people perceiving that beautiful things work better. Norman claims there are three levels of thinking: visceral(automatic), behavioral(every day), and reflective(contemplative). In this chapter he also mentions that it is trick to design things that accommodate both creative thinking and focus.
Three levels mapped to product characteristics
Visceral ==> Appearance
Behavioral ==> Pleasure & effectiveness of use
Reflective ==> Self-image, personal satisfaction, memories
In the second chapter Norman says to create a product that is truly long lasting it must evoke memories. This will help a person become emotionally attached to an object. Another way to induce positive emotions is for a product to get the user to feel positive about themselves. Products also contain a personality. This is another important aspect when designing for a positive emotional response.
The third chapter talks about the visceral, behavioral, and reflective design in products already out there. It reinforces the three levels mapped to product characteristics. In the fourth chapter he talks about designing for fun and pleasure. He also mentions designing for seduction. Another way to design for emotion is to use sounds. Music and sounds can bring out all kinds of emotions. He then talks about how people video games and movies seduce people.
The fifth chapter mentions how people often get mad at inanimate objects. This is a perfect example of people having emotions from design.
DISCUSSION:
I thought this book started off interesting then slowly got off topic as the book went on. I thought the distinction between three levels of thinking was clever. It allows software engineers to think on how people will react to their programs on three different levels. Towards the end of the book he started talking about robots. It was interesting at times but i felt like it contained little applicable knowledge. The last two chapters were more science fiction than fact.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that the book started off clear and then twisted into something that felt rather off topic. Hopefully designers will realize that if a product makes us happy we will most likely use them, and will listen to the levels of thinking that he explains. I think it could have an impact on a few products and get them sold on the market.
ReplyDelete