This book was written by Donald A Norman
Part 1
The Meaning of Things
Chapter 1
Attractive
Things Work Better
Tractinsky said “clearly” and “he said “aesthetics preferences are
culturally dependent”. He continued, “Japanese cultural is known for its
aesthetics traditions”. Means that the value of aesthetics is up to us to make
its how much valuable. Kurosu and Kashim ura was Japan expert that studied on
layout of controls ATM machines.
Herbert Read said, if aesthetics would change emotional state, that
would explain mystery. Most of the emotional matter can be solve with rational
and, logical thinking. Positive emotion is important as negative ones.
Creative thinking can be discovered when human in happy mood. In
proven in Alice Isen research that she found, when people given task on
thinking “out of box” they will did much better if they’ll be given gift, that
make them feel good. When people relax and happy, their thought processed
expand, becoming more creative and imaginative.
Affective system of
emotion
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-leading to increase understanding and knowledge
-includes emotions ; judging systems
-controls body and muscle
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Three Level of Processing :
Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective
Human beings are most complex, accordingly to complex brain
structure. Body is a protective mechanisms. We also have skills, language, humour,
art and music.
Three level of processing :
Visceral, behavioral, and reflective.
The visceral level is fast: it
makes rapid judgment of what is good or bad,
Safe or dangerous, and sends
appropriate signals to the muscle (the
Motor system) and alert the rest
of the brain. This is the start of affactive
processing. There are biologically determined and can bu
inhabited or
enhance throught controlsignal
from above. The behavioral level is the site
of most human behavior. Its action
can be enhanced or inhibited by The
reflective layer and, in turn, it
can enhance or inhibited the visceral layer.
The highest layer is that of
reflective thought. Note that it does not have
direct access either to sensory
input or to the control of behavior.
Instead it watches over, reflect
upon, and tries to bias the behavioral level.
(modified from a figure by Daniel Russell for Norman, Ontony, &
Russell, 2003.)
Human thinking becomes more sophisticated and improved as evolution
continued. Human having much developed set of brain than other animal that tent
to have desire. Can think back about experience – reflect upon it – and make
decision. Human brain also can think about own operations.
Behavioral level is not conscious. It is depend on reflective level
to concurred one’s mind.
Focus and Creativity
The three levels interact to one another, each modulating each
other. When activity is start from lowest, visceral level, called “bottom up”.
When it come from the highest, reflective level, called “top down” behaviour.
As result, every action taken will has cognitive and affective component.
Cognitive assign meaning
Affective assign value
What we felt will transmit to brain, brain will make analysis and
resolution. Focus is essential.
In making a design, music can be use. The visual plant makes
surroundings peaceful and enjoyable. Background music can be played.
The prepared Brain
Even though visceral level was the simplest part of brain, it is
very sensitive to very wide range of conditions. Condition can be recognized as simply by
sensory information. Scientist called “pattern matching” as it works
cognitively. Fear is not present in all people, because it need triggered
through experience.
Human language comes from behavioural and reflective levels. Human
brain comes ready for language and master through experiences. Listen and speak
is natural. People who learn language may be fluent in their speech,
understanding, and writing.
Sound of language is symbolism governs the development of language.
So we can see that human brain is very complex, although human have same shape,
body and brain, but threes is huge different between one another. Designer can
use brain effectively because no limit on it.
Emotion change behaviour. Mood will not last. Traits are very
long-lasting in memory. So designer
needs to explore more.
Chapter 2
The Multiple
Faces of Emotion and Design
In chapter two, we are given a scene where two old man talking about
their past. One of them felt very happy receiving present from his old friend.
He very exciting got the leather box but suddenly become emotional on what
happen to him in the past. But they still love it.
The behavioural level is about use,
about experience
with a product.
Performance is about how well
product does desire function
Working With the Three Level
Here is level that can be mapped to product characteristic like this:
Visceral Design > Appearance
Behavioral
Design > The pleasure and effectiveness of use
Reflective
Design > Self-image, personal satisfaction,
memories.
The question of these
simplifications is how does each of this three level compare in importance with
the others?
-of course there is no product can hope to satisfy everyone. But,
designer must know how to relate the three levels in the making of product. So
the only way to make everyone satisfy is make a variety of the product.
The appropriate setting also important dimension of a product. So,
it can be apply easily to human behaviour. Because it all depend on human
emotion in what they need and wants in life.
As today behavioural design in games, inject more powerful graphics
and fast reflexes. The size, colour effect and detail graphics are emphasized.
At the same time, reflective design of today games seems to be more consistent,
with sleek powerful appearance of the console and fast reflexes required of
thee player.
Object That Evoke Memory
Object that evokes memory means something (object) that we pass
through experiences. When the thing was in front of eyes, then we will look
back into memory and remember what happened to us and that object in the past.
For example, the Eiffel tower, Paris, that just kind of structured
metal that makes it looks like skyscraper. Somehow, people do take it as form
of art and also certain people take it as something priceless. But it tent to
be popular even though it is old. Perhaps the object that are the most intimate
and direct are those that we construct ourselves, it could be hand-made crafts,
furniture, photograph and art.
Photograph is very important to human emotional lives. It often
passed from generation to generation to remind them who they are. And nowadays
photograph has become business.
Feeling of Self
Memories reflect our life experiences. It reminds us to family,
friends, of experiences of accomplishments. Our self-image plays the important
role in our lives then we like to admit it. The concept of self appears to be a
fundamentals human attribute. The concept is deeply rooted in reflective level
of the brain and highly dependent upon cultural norm. So it hard to deal in
design.
In psychology, there is big industry that study on the self. Because
the concept is too complex to be understood. In advertising, designer use
people to persuade other people or consumer. Advertising also can empower
self-esteem.
Other than that, the powerful ways to induce a positive sense of
self is through personal sense of accomplishment.
The Personality of Product
Product also need kind of personality. Product making needs to
fulfil some needs that can look or behave differently in different setting
appropriate to use and have the target audience. All aspect of design must
support the intended personality structure.
The personalities of product, companies, and brands need as much
tending to as the product itself. Because product must be attractive enough in
design to catch own consumer.
Part 2
Design in Practice
Chapter 3
Three
Level of Design
From Hugues Belanger email, he said that he very attracted toward
Apollinares that is a German mineral water. Because it look good even the water
not tastes great. Colour combination of it makes it suitable for kitchen
decoration.
He has gone to Café des Architects in Sofitel Hotel, Chicago. Every
details and decoration in that café
makes him feel greeted. They used water bottle as decoration and set out
as work of art. The bottle was lit at wall. Makes bottle as art by adding
colour on it. Then he was thinking, how did the packaging of water bottle
become an art of phenomenon?
I do think that the packaging
needs to be eye catching to make consumer notice that brand in order to rise up
benefit.
Packaging (bottle design) appeal as powerful visceral level of
emotion, those cause immediate visceral reaction. The “wow” factor was
explained by designer. In designing, emotional factor are involved as well.
As designer need to make consumer said “WOW”,
“YES”, “I LIKE IT”, “I WANT IT”.
Special design make it special bottle
Special bottle use in special occasion
Special occasion make a special memory.
So sort of beauty take place in every design and art.
Each of the three level of design is important as the others, and each requires
different approach by designer.
- Visceral
-
Behaviour
- Reflective
Visceral Design
It was nature does. Which is how we as human, adapt
with environment as there is plant, animal, landscapes, weather, and other
natural phenomena. We have turn to received powerful emotional signal to get
along automatically at visceral level.
There is co-evolution happened when nature and human need each
other to fulfil one another needs and desire. For example, flower have pleasant
odour, and most fruit tasted sweets, the better to attract animals, the better
to spread their seeds, weather by spitting or defecation. Human are different
in size, shape of body, height, colour and appearance based on biologically
disposed to make them attractive.
“Pretty” will have direct judgement from visceral level. Designer
of reflective level thinking that Designer need to be imaginative, creative,
and deep, making something “petty”, or “cute” or “fun” is not well accepted.
Except if it simple.
People or adult will have a positive reflex even though the
surroundings are in chaotic, busy, noisy, with no harmonic music they will
learn to overcome their natural inclination from dislike it.
Visceral Design
-how to make it works and the
important term
|
-design with rules
-sophisticated
-physical feature
-need to have initial reaction
-skill of visualise on shape and
form matter
-immediate emotional impact
-emphasize appearance
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Behavioral Design
Behavioral design is all about Use. Appearance doesn’t matter.
Rational doesn’t matter. But performance does.
In behavioural, function is the most important on making products.
Because behavioural test on whether the product pass to fulfils needs. Just like designing something automobile.
The real challenge of product design is to understand end-user unmet and unarticulated needs.
There is kind of product development:
Enhancement
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Means to take some existing product
or services to make it better.
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Innovative
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It provides a completely new way of
doing something, or completely something new to do, something not possible
before.
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Understanding needed when people have no idea to do when something
goes wrong.
Reflective Design
Reflective design, cover a lot of territory. It’s all about
massage, cultural, and meaning of the product used. Perhaps in fashion, every things need to be
match because image will reflect self confident. Product also can be more than
the sum of the function they form. Their real value can fulfil people emotional
needs, one of the most important is to established one self-image and one place
in the world.
Attractiveness is visceral-level phenomenon, because the response
is how the object defined. Beauty comes from reflective level. Pretty product
plays in visceral level.
The Devious Side of Design
In this stage of design, designer will make people feel in control
and empowered. For fashion, emotion are the keys. So, designer need to look
into what else that people want in order to make a satisfy product.
Then people will enjoy to go shopping. In certain ways, this may
be positive thing to make people enrich them self with variety experiences on
choosing goods.
In marketing of shopping mall, the arrangement of product are very
important so user can easily find what they need and can see other product that
promoted in that shopping mall.
Design by Committee Versus by an
Individual
There is a fundamentals conflict between the preference of the
popular audiences and the desire of intellectual and artistic community. So in approach to make individual thought
accepted by community, design of product produce must be relative toward the
needs of society.
So, debating needed to achives around agreement on something.
Because, one in certain, debate is fundamental. If want a great product, one
must can change the world to have clearer vision in design.