Emotional Design

I've been thumbing through this book for the last month, and I have to say that I love it. I've admired Donald Norman, one of the greatest living cognitive scientists, from afar for over 20 years. He was seemingly afforded "guru" status when he visited the University of Colorado's Institute of Cognitive Science in the mid `80s - an esteemed, accessible and entertaining cognitive/computer scientist (and also a cantankerous one) who had pioneered the human factors movement. His entertaining and friendly style was informed by creative, deep, empirical, theoretical work in cognitive science. I came to trust his insights whenever I dabbled in "usability" and "human factors" issues. (Trust me--there are plenty of people who think they understand these things, but Norman is the real deal who delivers the necessary stuff... Check out his masterpiece, "The Design of Everyday Things."). By the time I arrived at UCSD in the late 90s, he had already left our university for Apple Computer, but he seems to have left an indelible, positive stamp on the place. His photo hangs outside of our Francis Crick Conference Room as one of the great scientists who worked here. The current book shows that "attractive things work better" (which is the title of one of Norman's classic essays). Norman dabbles in cognitive, emotional, behavioral and neural science as he makes his key points, showing that "works better" is a multifaceted psychological, emotional, and neural concept. The thesis is much like the ones that permeate clinical psychology in the form of Cognitive-Behavioral therapies (e.g., Beck & Ellis). However, the ideas contained herein inform product design, product choice, and product ownership. The chapter on "three levels of behavioral design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective" is at the heart of this book (as described by other reviewers), and the one that sticks with me the most. If you are interested in a quick tour of "emotional design", read that chapter and look at the striking yet simple pictures throughout the book. Read some of Norman's amusing stories about objects that he owns... Then, if you are hooked, read the whole book. I recommend that readers check out some of Norman's interviews and podcasts that coincide with the release of the book. On Norman's website, there is a section titled interviews. Follow the link for NPR's WHYY interview - it is great stuff. Or watch brief the video accompanying the Benjamin Franklin award in Computer and Cogntive Science. Or watch one of the podcasts. Any of these things will help to bring the key design concepts, and Norman's insightful universe, to life. I use these things in the Cognitive Psychology courses that I teach, and I find that they get students talking, and excited, about the interface between congnition, emotion and design. Great book!

One of my all time favorite books on product design. I highly recommend it.

This book is for the most part, a very good distillation of what is good and bad about product design of all kinds. It's subtly humorous and very detailed in its dissection of what makes up a user experience. It ties in very well actually with Alan Cooper's book on software design and vice versa. It's well thought out and adequately concise for the range of topics it covers. The only problem I really had with this book, was Norman's obsession with robots. The robot section gets a little agonizing to read through, especially with his unsubstantiated claim that they must have human-like emotions. Though his definition of 'robot emotions' technically drifts from that of our own, calling it that is just too close to the general term. If there's one thing I don't need, it's an angry robot. Otherwise though, I found it helpful to my work and enjoyable to read.

Compelling and full of imagination - animating in a whole new way the ordinary objects that occupy my everyday space. Such a refreshing read.

If you are a design junky this should be required reading. Much of this also applies to art making. Being an artist myself, this sounded interesting. Talks mainly about the discussion of form vs. function and how our emotions play a role in what we perceive to be a well-designed object. Kind of changed my perspective on the objects around me and why I liked certain objects I used on a regular basis and why some I didn't like as much. If you need a reason to understand why you love your favorite teapot or despise the only can opener in your house, this book may help...and may make you buy a new can opener.

I love Don Norman. He is great at taking high level concepts and bringing them down so even someone without design experience can enjoy and learn from them. He has a slide in his house… must I say more?

To be clear, while I’m an extremely visual & highly creative person, I’m not a design student or professional. However, I came across this and thought it could be interesting and useful in much of the work I do. So imagine my surprise & disappointment when I open it and discover that it only has maybe a dozen small, somewhat poor quality black and white photos or illustrations in the entire book! I did not expect a book about an extremely visual medium to have so many words and so few visual examples! Upon further examination I also notice it was written in 2004, so while the cover may look chic and modern, many of the “cutting edge” examples referenced inside are not. Will probably keep to peruse at some point & will adjust my rating then to reflect any changes in my opinion.

Kind of picking at Donald A. Norman double standards between his books, his newer titles seem to have a more open outlook. He has some good ideas and insights, but I do not think this is the whole picture of design. I would recommend reading more stuff from Herbert A. Simon "An interesting exception to these problems comes when designers or engineers are building something for themselves that they will frequently use in their own everyday lives. Such products tend to excel. As a result, the best products today, from a behavioral point of view, are often those that come from the athletic, sports, and craft industries, because these products do get designed, purchased, and used by people who put behavior above everything else. Go to a good hardware store and examine the hand tools used by gardeners, woodworkers, and machinists. These tools, developed over centuries of use, are carefully designed to feel good, to be balanced, to give precise feedback, and to perform well. Go to a good outfitter’s shop and look at a mountain climber’s tools or at the tents and backpacks used by serious hikers and campers. Or go to a professional chef’s supply house and examine what real chefs buy and use in their kitchens." Norman, Don (2007-03-20). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (p. 82). Basic Books. Kindle Edition. "Engineers and other logical people tend to dismiss the visceral response as irrelevant. Engineers are proud of the inherent quality of their work and dismayed when inferior products sell better “just because they look better.” But all of us make these kinds of judgments, even those very logical engineers. That’s why they love some of their tools and dislike others. Visceral responses matter."