Let’s find something that brings us positive emotions. Maybe we will start with a cup of coffee. It is not only the taste. The taste is the base of a product, and we will never choose this exact cup of coffee knowing the taste is not good. But what else? Why do we feel happy when we drink it? Maybe the cup is covered with the Friends logo, and it reminds us of those six friends who hang around in the Central Perk cafe? Well, it is all about emotions.
Positive emotions are our fuel. So what will bring our customers positive emotions? Let’s collect all the monument points and find some emotional experience design hacks.
Products that produce positive feelings are the goal. The main reason to buy is functionality. But among two quality products, we will choose one that gives us positive emotions. We want to get more for the price we paid. So that is how we can feel that we won.
When emotions are a part of our interaction with the product, we cotton to the product. So emotional experience is the second important part of the user experience. Satisfaction from a well-built product plus positive feelings makes the product unique.
Positive things, huh? So why not use a product that gives us such good feelings? Let’s have a look at a pyramid. Intrigued? Not an Egyptian pyramid, but still. It is Aaron Walter’s pyramid of user’s needs.
The emotional design turns customers into loyal users of our products. As you have seen, the highest need of any user is to use a pleasurable product.
The UX design is responsible for the user’s experiences when he uses the product. All the good emotions that he will get are on UX’s shoulders. When we talk about UX, we must remember these three main parts:
Visuals, graphics, sounds, fonts, all the structure of the product should be based on these three foundations. The style of the product, website or application, should be attractive, simple, and fun. The product should be developed with the knowledge of the psychology of the key audience. If we develop a product for women, what definition of the work will we choose? And what are the brand's goals? How will we earn money, what is the timing for our stakeholders, etc? Answer these questions to build a strong UX design.
Let’s find out what brings users positive feelings when they use products. What emotions drive them, and how brands can meet these needs. The chart below will help us.
Now we want to understand how to design emotional experiences. Read in our next article.