Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things Paperback – May 11, 2005

I've been thumbing through this book for the last month, and I have to say that I love it.I've admired Donald Norman, one of the greatest living cognitive scientists, from afar for over 20 years. He was seemingly afforded "guru" status when he visited the University of Colorado's Institute of Cognitive Science in the mid `80s - an esteemed, accessible and entertaining cognitive/computer scientist (and also a cantankerous one) who had pioneered the human factors movement. His entertaining and friendly style was informed by creative, deep, empirical, theoretical work in cognitive science. I came to trust his insights whenever I dabbled in "usability" and "human factors" issues. (Trust me--there are plenty of people who think they understand these things, but Norman is the real deal who delivers the necessary stuff... Check out his masterpiece, "The Design of Everyday Things."). By the time I arrived at UCSD in the late 90s, he had already left our university for Apple Computer, but he seems to have left an indelible, positive stamp on the place. His photo hangs outside of our Francis Crick Conference Room as one of the great scientists who worked here.The current book shows that "attractive things work better" (which is the title of one of Norman's classic essays). Norman dabbles in cognitive, emotional, behavioral and neural science as he makes his key points, showing that "works better" is a multifaceted psychological, emotional, and neural concept. The thesis is much like the ones that permeate clinical psychology in the form of Cognitive-Behavioral therapies (e.g., Beck & Ellis). However, the ideas contained herein inform product design, product choice, and product ownership.The chapter on "three levels of behavioral design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective" is at the heart of this book (as described by other reviewers), and the one that sticks with me the most. If you are interested in a quick tour of "emotional design", read that chapter and look at the striking yet simple pictures throughout the book. Read some of Norman's amusing stories about objects that he owns... Then, if you are hooked, read the whole book.I recommend that readers check out some of Norman's interviews and podcasts that coincide with the release of the book. On Norman's website, there is a section titled interviews. Follow the link for NPR's WHYY interview - it is great stuff. Or watch brief the video accompanying the Benjamin Franklin award in Computer and Cogntive Science. Or watch one of the podcasts. Any of these things will help to bring the key design concepts, and Norman's insightful universe, to life. I use these things in the Cognitive Psychology courses that I teach, and I find that they get students talking, and excited, about the interface between congnition, emotion and design.Great book!

This book is practical and gives you the skinny on what makes design compelling because of how we work. I'm more in love w/ design (and great design!!) now than ever before!

This book is for the most part, a very good distillation of what is good and bad about product design of all kinds. It's subtly humorous and very detailed in its dissection of what makes up a user experience. It ties in very well actually with Alan Cooper's book on software design and vice versa. It's well thought out and adequately concise for the range of topics it covers.The only problem I really had with this book, was Norman's obsession with robots. The robot section gets a little agonizing to read through, especially with his unsubstantiated claim that they must have human-like emotions. Though his definition of 'robot emotions' technically drifts from that of our own, calling it that is just too close to the general term.If there's one thing I don't need, it's an angry robot.Otherwise though, I found it helpful to my work and enjoyable to read.

If you are a design junky this should be required reading. Much of this also applies to art making. Being an artist myself, this sounded interesting. Talks mainly about the discussion of form vs. function and how our emotions play a role in what we perceive to be a well-designed object. Kind of changed my perspective on the objects around me and why I liked certain objects I used on a regular basis and why some I didn't like as much. If you need a reason to understand why you love your favorite teapot or despise the only can opener in your house, this book may help...and may make you buy a new can opener.

I love Don Norman. He is great at taking high level concepts and bringing them down so even someone without design experience can enjoy and learn from them. He has a slide in his house… must I say more?

Compelling and full of imagination - animating in a whole new way the ordinary objects that occupy my everyday space. Such a refreshing read.

Donald Norman has always written "usable" books. Easy to read and full of anecdotes and examples that nearly everyone can relate to. His classic work, The Design of Everyday Things, still sits proundly on my bookshelf; I pull it down a couple times a year when I need a mental refreshment.This book, like its predecessors, is a fast read. It is written at a low level and nothing in it is too hard to grasp. However, it is too long. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs simply because Normas was repeating something he had written just a few sentences back. I feel the book could be half its length and not lose any content.It's also not as inspirational as his previous books. There were none of the "a ha!" insights that permeated The Design of Everyday Things or Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles.Still, it's a good read. The next time I'm in the store, I'll be more cognizant of the reasons why I prefer one brand over another of otherwise identical products.