... 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 , aesthetically pleasing objects appear to the user to be more effective .
Do attractive things really work better ?
How levels impact design :
“ 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 :
Visceral design >> Behavioral design >> Reflective design >>
Appearance The pleasure and effectiveness of use 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 . They do , however , provide a way to design and interpret objects in a more meaningful way .
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