Emotional Design (Norman)
Overview
Apply Norman's three-level emotional design model to set emotional goals, evaluate current experience, and propose changes that preserve usability while increasing meaning and delight. Read references/emotional-design.md for definitions, findings, and checklists.
Workflow
- •Frame context
- •Identify user, context of use, constraints, and desired emotion.
- •If missing, infer from product category and ask 1-2 focused questions.
- •Map to three levels
- •List current cues and gaps per level.
- •Use
references/emotional-design.md"Level cues" to avoid overlap.
- •Design interventions
- •Propose changes per level with expected emotional effect.
- •Keep behavioral usability intact; do not trade usability for surface appeal.
- •Align and prioritize
- •Resolve conflicts between levels.
- •Prioritize changes that reinforce multiple levels.
- •Validate
- •Suggest lightweight tests: first-impression check (visceral), task success/effort (behavioral), recall/meaning interviews (reflective).
Output format
- •Provide a short summary, then organize by level:
- •Visceral: observation -> change -> expected emotion
- •Behavioral: observation -> change -> expected emotion
- •Reflective: observation -> change -> expected meaning
References
- •Read
references/emotional-design.mdwhen defining levels, choosing levers, or citing key findings.