Degrees of the Intangible: Indices of Emotion for Product Design

Every individual uses, appraises and interacts with products on a daily basis. It is evident from current trends and theories associated with product design, that these products that are a part of our everyday lives, satisfy our needs in two ways, functionally and psychologically. While a product's usability or the service it provides may satisfy our functional needs, it is often the case that when given a choice, we may select one product from the other, even though they are functionally alike. Why do we make these choices, and more importantly, how? When users are satisfied with a product's performance, they seek a stronger emotional involvement with them(Lewalski, 1988). Are emotions responsible for our choices, likes and dislikes of products? What is the nature of this emotional involvement, what are these emotions, and how, if possible, can we design to generate specific emotions? This research proposes to develop into these questions. It is an effort to formulate the underpinnings of "design for emotions" and uncover the possibilities of a design process that places "emotion" as an equally important concern for the design of objects, as functionality or aesthetic appeal. The literature review will include a systematic study of human and product attributes, theoretical and empirical studies of emotion, and the interaction of humans and products is discussed. This project examines what product characteristics lead to an emotional experience, when people interact with them, and suggests a methodology or design guidelines that may allow designers to enhance or specifically modify the emotions experienced by people, while using the products that are a part of their everyday lives.