Emotional Design - by Don Norman (Paperback)

About the Book

By the author of "The Design of Everyday Things," this is the first book to make the connection between emotions and how people relate to ordinary objects--from juicers to Jaguars.

Book Synopsis

Why attractive things work better and other crucial insights into human-centered design
Emotions are inseparable from how we humans think, choose, and act. In Emotional Design, cognitive scientist Don Norman shows how the principles of human psychology apply to the invention and design of new technologies and products. In The Design of Everyday Things, Norman made the definitive case for human-centered design, showing that good design demanded that the user's must take precedence over a designer's aesthetic if anything, from light switches to airplanes, was going to work as the user needed. In this book, he takes his thinking several steps farther, showing that successful design must incorporate not just what users need, but must address our minds by attending to our visceral reactions, to our behavioral choices, and to the stories we want the things in our lives to tell others about ourselves. Good human-centered design isn't just about making effective tools that are straightforward to use; it's about making affective tools that mesh well with our emotions and help us express our identities and support our social lives. From roller coasters to robots, sports cars to smart phones, attractive things work better. Whether designer or consumer, user or inventor, this book is the definitive guide to making Norman's insights work for you.

Review Quotes

"Amazing...Norman does a wonderful job making these ideas come alive."--Daniel Bobrow, Research Fellow, Palo Alto Research Center

"Don Norman does it again! He asks the important questions and gives the right answers. I wish this insightful book had been available forty years ago so that I could have done a much better job as a designer."--Dr. Robert Blaich, former Senior Vice President of Corporate Design, Royal Philips Electronics

"Donald Norman's relentless and exacting exploration of the universe of everyday objects has brought him to the final frontier of design: emotions. His exquisite psychological analysis provides a solid and reliable reference and a most valuable tool." --Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design, Museum of Modern Art

"Norman's analysis of people's emotional reactions to material objects is a delightful process...His readers will take away insights galore about why shoppers say, 'I want that.'"--Booklist

"Norman's analysis of the design elements in products such as automobiles, watches and computers will pique the interest of many readers, not just those in the design or technology fields."--Publishers Weekly

"The book pops with fresh paradigms, applying scientific rigor to our romance with the inanimate. You'll never see housewares the same way again."--Wired

"This is a valuable book... It will help the design world to do great work." --Patrick Whitney, Director, Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology

About the Author

Don Norman is a co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, and holds graduate degrees in both engineering and psychology. His many books include The Design of Everyday Things, The Design of Future Things, and Living with Complexity. He lives in Silicon Valley, California.