1. Share a brief passage from Chapter Three of Emotional Design by Donald Norman and post it on your blog. Explain why you thought it was interesting.
“Reflective design covers a lot of territory. It is all about message, about culture, and about the meaning of a product or its use. For one, it is about the meaning of things, the personal remembrances something evokes. For another, very different thing, it is about self-image and the message a product sends to others. Whenever you notice that the color of someone’s socks matches the rest of his or her clothes or whether those clothes are right for the occasion, you are concerned with reflective self-image.”
During our in-class discussion on Tuesday, I referenced this passage several times, and that is because I really do find it incredibly interesting. To begin with, it introduces the idea of reflective design, which is slightly more ambiguous and more difficult to understand than visceral or behavioral design. Norman gives two different “definitions” for reflective design, both of them essentially opposites. He writes that reflective design is about what a product means on a personal level as much as it is about what how that product is seen from others’ viewpoints. In other words, reflective design means design that is “reflected upon” – for lack of a better term – from the personal level and social level. This is a complicated concept that, to be honest, I am still not entirely sure about, even after our discussion in class!
2. Norman uses the terms Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, Reflective Design. Do these categories seem useful to you? Would other names or phrases make the categories clearer?
I believe that these three categories do indeed do a good job of dividing most different types of design into three distinct groups. Any examples I can think of at the moment fit into at least one of these categories. In addition, I feel that the names Norman uses are more than sufficient at clarifying the definition of each group. Visceral design is named as such because visceral, by definition, means “characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect.” This corresponds well with Norman’s description of visceral design, since he writes that “visceral design is about initial reactions.” Behavioral design is also a fitting name for that type of design because it focuses on products that are, as Norman writes, “all about use.” In other words, products that display good behavioral design “behave” the way in which they should. Lastly, as I stated in my response to the previous question, reflective design is appropriately named as well since these kinds of products have design that is created to it is “reflected upon” by the user and by others.
3. How could a designer decide if Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, or Reflective Design is more important for a particular product? Are some types of products more visceral, behavioral, or reflective?
Designers probably decide which type of design is more important for a particular product by deciding and focusing on the audience who they wish to target their product toward. For example, visceral design is meant to catch the eye and be unique. Those who are looking for practicality, durability, and efficiency may prefer behavioral design. And finally, those who wish to make a certain statement or portray a certain image may gravitate toward products with good reflective design. Obviously, some types of products are definitely more visceral, behavioral, or reflective.
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