Author: michelle.hauptmann

In my previous blog post, I introduced the topic I will be exploring this semester and discussed the growing difficulty of distinguishing between authentic and AI-generated images. One question kept coming up during my research: are people really able to tell the difference?

Many people seem confident that they can spot an AI-generated image immediately. Common clues that are often mentioned include unrealistic hands, strange facial features, or unusual details in the background. However, image generation technology is improving rapidly, and many of these obvious signs are becoming less common. This made me wonder whether people are actually as good at identifying AI-generated images as they think they are.

To explore this question, I am planning a small experiment.

The experiment will consist of two different parts. The first part focuses on fully AI-generated images and authentic photographs. Participants will be shown a collection of images from different contexts, including everyday situations, animals, scientific topics, and news-related content. For each image, they will be asked to decide whether they believe it is authentic or generated by artificial intelligence.

I deliberately want to include different types of content because context may influence how people judge an image. A portrait of a person might be evaluated differently than an image of a rare animal or a news event. By using a variety of subjects, I hope to gain a broader understanding of how people make these decisions.

The second part of the experiment is the one I find particularly interesting. Instead of showing completely different images, participants will be presented with two almost identical versions of the same image. One will be the original photograph, while the other will contain a modification created with AI. This modification could involve adding an object, removing a person, or changing certain elements within the scene.

Participants will then be asked a simple question: Which image is the authentic one?

This part of the experiment is designed to investigate whether people find it easier to identify AI when they can directly compare an original image with a manipulated version. While fully generated images receive a lot of attention, AI is increasingly being used to alter existing photographs rather than create entirely new ones. Because of this, understanding how people perceive manipulated images may be just as important as understanding how they perceive generated ones.

Another aspect I would like to explore is the role of age. In addition to their answers, participants will be asked to indicate their age group. This will allow me to compare the results of different generations and examine whether younger participants are better at recognizing AI-generated or AI-manipulated content.

A common assumption is that younger people may perform better because they are more familiar with digital technologies and encounter AI-generated content more frequently. However, it is also possible that the differences between age groups are smaller than expected. The experiment may reveal whether this assumption is actually true.

Of course, this will only be a small-scale experiment and cannot provide definitive answers. Nevertheless, I hope it will offer an interesting insight into how people currently interact with AI-generated imagery and whether our confidence in recognizing artificial content matches reality.

The next step will be selecting and preparing the images that will be used in the survey. Only then will it become clear how difficult this challenge really is.

This semester, I’ll be focusing on a different topic than I did last semester. At the time, I wasn’t completely sure where my research interests would lead me, so we were given the opportunity to adjust our topics later on if needed. Over the past few months, however, I found myself becoming increasingly interested in the way we perceive images and why we trust them. That curiosity eventually led me to change my focus and explore this topic in more depth.

Every day, we are surrounded by images. Whether we are scrolling through social media, reading the news, or simply browsing the internet, images are everywhere. Most of the time, we accept them without giving them much thought. We rarely stop to ask whether an image actually shows what it claims to show.

At the same time, the tools used to create images are becoming more powerful. The rapid development of artificial intelligence has made it possible to generate images that look surprisingly realistic. In many cases, it has become difficult to tell whether an image is a real photograph or something that was created entirely by AI.

Over the past few months, I have come across more and more examples of AI-generated images appearing outside of technology-related discussions. They show up on social media, in advertisements, and sometimes even alongside news stories. Seeing this made me wonder how much we can really trust what we see online.

For a long time, photographs were seen as evidence. Even though image manipulation has existed for decades, photographs still carried a certain sense of authenticity. A photo was often considered proof that something had actually happened. Today, that assumption feels less certain. With only a few prompts, AI can create convincing images of people, places, and events that never existed.

What I find particularly interesting is that many people believe they can easily spot AI-generated images. Common signs that are often mentioned include strange-looking hands, unusual facial features, or unrealistic lighting. However, image generation tools are improving at a remarkable pace, and many of these obvious clues are becoming less common.

During my initial research, I found several examples where people confidently identified AI-generated images as real photographs. At the same time, genuine photographs were sometimes accused of being fake. This suggests that distinguishing between real and artificial images may be much more difficult than we think.

What fascinates me most is not only whether people can correctly identify an image, but also why they trust it. Does the context matter more than the image itself? Are we influenced by familiar faces, personal experiences, or our own expectations? And what actually makes an image feel believable?

To explore these questions further, I plan to conduct a small experiment in one of my upcoming blog posts. I want to find out whether people are really as good at recognizing AI-generated images as they often claim to be. Before that, however, the next post will focus on explaining the methodology behind the experiment and how it will be carried out.

I honestly can’t tell you how frustrated I sometimes felt while working on these blog posts. Not because I dislike the topic, but mostly because, in my opinion, many of the sources I found felt a bit questionable, if you know what I mean. But I guess in the design field it is often more about trying things out, practicing, and experimenting rather than about strict scientific research. At least with this topic.

But let me elaborate on this real quick.

When I started this blog, emotional design felt like a clearly defined research field with theories, frameworks, and tools that could be learned and applied. Over time, however, I realised that emotional design is much less about reaching a final answer and much more about asking the right questions. Questions about people, context, culture, and responsibility.

So with this final blog post, I want to take a step back and reflect on what working on emotional design has meant for me so far and more importantly, where this topic could lead me in the future.

What became very clear to me is that emotional design does not end with visual decisions. Colour palettes, typography, and layouts are only one part of the picture. The real challenge lies in understanding how people actually perceive these decisions and which emotions they truly evoke.

This is also where I see a lot of potential for future exploration.

One direction I would like to continue is the concept of podcast branding that I introduced in the last blog posts. So far, I approached it mainly from a theoretical and reflective design perspective. In the future, I could expand this by actively involving users. For example, I could show different visual branding concepts for a podcast to people and ask them what emotions they associate with them. Do they feel calm, curious, overwhelmed, or reassured? And do these emotions align with the intentions behind the design?

Another aspect I find especially interesting is the role of culture in emotional design. Throughout this blog, I often mentioned that emotions are shaped by personal experiences and cultural background. However, I only touched on this topic briefly. In the future, I would like to explore this more deeply.

For example, I could compare how certain colours, typographic styles, or visual metaphors are perceived by people from different cultural backgrounds. At FH JOANNEUM, this could be done by talking to international students and asking them how specific designs make them feel and why. What feels calming or trustworthy in one culture might feel boring or distant in another. Understanding these differences would be especially relevant for global brands or digital products with an international audience.

Beyond specific projects, I think emotional design will continue to shape how I approach design in general. It has made me more aware of the responsibility designers carry. Every design decision communicates something emotionally, whether intended or not. Being conscious of this does not mean overthinking every detail, but it does mean designing with care.

I do not believe that emotional design offers universal rules. Instead, it offers a mindset. A mindset that encourages designers to listen, observe, reflect, and question their own perspective. It asks not only “Does this work?” but also “How might this make someone feel?”

Looking ahead, I see emotional design as something I want to keep practising, testing, and questioning. Not as a finished skill, but as an ongoing learning process. And maybe that is the most valuable insight I take away from this blog series: emotional design is not something you ever fully master, it is something you grow with.

In my previous blog post, I defined an emotional framework for a possible branding concept of an IT-security podcast. Instead of starting with colours or fonts right away, I first tried to understand the topic, the audience, and the emotions the podcast should create.
In this post, I want to take the next step and explore how these emotional goals could be translated into concrete visual design decisions.

This is still a theoretical concept. I am not designing a final logo or layout, but I want to think through the visual language consciously and reflect on how it could support the emotional experience of the podcast.

The goal is that even a quick glance already communicates: this podcast is trustworthy, understandable, and made for people like me.

But please keep in mind that I do not yet see myself as a professional designer, and that this is an attempt to apply the insights from my research to a potentially real-world project.

Colour as an Emotional Signal

Since the main emotional goal of the podcast is trust, colours that feel stable and calm would be a reasonable choice. Muted blues or soft green tones could support this feeling. These colours are often associated with reliability, balance, and safety, without being too loud or alarming. (Vgl. Arora / Warsi 2024, S. 409-410)

At the same time, I think it would be important to avoid very strong signal colours, such as bright red. Red is often linked to warning, danger, or urgency (vgl. ebda., S. 408), which could increase stress instead of reducing it. Because the podcast is meant to help people feel more confident about IT-security, the colour palette should support calmness rather than fear.

So overall, the colour concept should feel reduced, controlled, and consistent, helping listeners feel oriented instead of overwhelmed.

Typography and Approachability

Typography also strongly influences how a topic feels, even before someone starts reading or listening. For an IT-security podcast aimed at non-technical listeners, typography should contribute to the feelings of clarity, readability, and approachability.

For this concept a humanistic sans serif typeface could work well i think. It often feels modern and professional, but also more friendly and accessible than very technical or futuristic fonts. Extremely geometric or experimental typefaces might also look interesting, but they could also create distance or make the topic feel colder. (Vgl. Quispillo Parra 2025)

And overall I would say, that a clear hierarchy, enough spacing, and calm text blocks can make it easier for people to feel more comfortable engaging with the content.

What This Exercise Revealed to Me

Through this exploration, it became clear that colour and typography are not secondary design decisions, but fundamental tools for shaping how a topic is emotionally perceived. Especially in the context of IT-security, where complexity and fear often dominate, a calm and reduced visual language can help lower barriers and invite engagement.

Rather than aiming for visual excitement, this concept focuses on consistency, clarity, and restraint. Colour and typography work together to signal trust and approachability before any content is consumed. This reinforces the idea that emotional design does not need to be loud in order to be effective.

In the final blog post, I will reflect on how these visual considerations could evolve into a coherent overall system and what this process revealed about translating emotional intentions into practical design decisions.

Literature

Arora, C. / Warsi, S. (2024): Color Psychology. In: Alochana Journal. Bd. 13. Vol. 10. S. 402-416. 
Ho, A. / Chau, R. (2025). Emotional Impact of Typeface Design on Communication Design. In: Human Factors in Communication of Design. Bd. 177 S. 44-57.
Quispillo Parra, M. C. (2025). Typographic strategies to reflect the personality of a brand in
different industrial sectors. In: Ñawi Arte, Diseño, Comunicación. Bd. 9, S. 1, 189-201.

After writing several blog posts about the theory of emotional design, I slowly got a bit tired of only talking about concepts and explanations. Of course, the theory helped me understand why emotions are important in design, but at some point I wanted to do more than just describe ideas. I wanted to try applying them.

So, for my last three blog posts I decided to focus on a practical example. Coincidentally, a friend of mine recently asked me if I could maybe help with the branding for their future IT-security podcast. The podcast is meant to help “normal “people better understand IT-security topics that often feel confusing or intimidating. I liked this idea very much, so I decided to use it as a small challenge for myself.

In the following posts, I want to explore how emotional design could be applied to a branding concept for an IT-security podcast. This is not about creating a finished design, but about thinking through design decisions consciously and reflecting on the emotions they might create.

So this first post focuses on understanding the context and defining an emotional direction. At this point, I am not designing visuals yet. I am trying to understand what kind of emotional experience the podcast should offer.

IT-Security as an Emotional Topic

For many people, IT-security is not an easy or familiar topic. It often feels very technical, abstract, and far away from everyday life. At the same time, it is connected to things like data breaches, hacks, or online scams. Because of this, research suggests that cybersecurity-related situations can trigger strong emotional reactions such as anxiety or fear, especially when people feel uncertain about their own ability to understand or respond to such threats. (Vgl. Preuschen et al. 2023)

Since the podcast is meant for people without a technical background, these emotional reactions are especially important. If the branding feels too cold, technical, or alarming, it could create even more distance. Instead of helping people feel informed, it might make them want to avoid the topic even more.

Now I think this is where emotional design becomes relevant, because as we already know, design can influence whether a topic feels approachable or overwhelming before someone even listens to the first episode.

Thinking About the Audience

Of course, if I were doing this project in real life, it would be very necessary for me to research my audience properly. But for this concept, I just assume that the main audience consists of people who simply want to understand IT-security better in their everyday lives, and that they are probably not looking for deep technical knowledge, but for clear explanations and practical orientation.

So emotionally, this audience likely wants to feel supported and taken seriously. They should not feel stupid for not knowing certain things. I figured that feeling calm, respected, and guided is more important here than feeling impressed by expertise.

Defining Emotional Goals

Based on this context, the next step would be to define clear emotional goals.

In my opinion, for this IT-security podcast, the most important emotional goal would be trust. Listeners should feel that the information is reliable and that the hosts have proven competence in this area.

But besides trust there are also some other emotional goals that would be important as well.
The visuals of the podcast should give the impression that the topic is approachable and not intimidating, that the podcast itself will provide clarity about this complex topic, and maybe it should also look calming, because this topic is often linked to stress and fear.

So when we have our emotional goals set, I think it would also be important to know which emotions should not dominate the experience.
As fear, urgency, or alarm might already be part of the topic itself, they should not shape the overall feeling of the branding.

Looking Ahead

I think at this stage, emotional design works as a guiding framework. It helps define what the branding should feel like before deciding how it should look like.

However, in the next blog post, I will explore how these emotional goals could be translated into concrete visual design choices, such as colour, typography, and visual language, for an IT-security podcast focused on non-technical listeners.

Literature

Preuschen, A. et al. (2023). How do you Feel about Cybersecurity? A Literature Review on Emotions in Cybersecurity. Zürich: ETH Zürich.

After writing several blog posts about emotional design, theory, tools, and examples, I noticed that my view on this topic has slowly shifted. At the beginning, emotional design felt like something you could define, explain, and apply through clear principles. But the more I worked with it, the more personal it became.

For me, emotional design is no longer just a design approach or a research topic. It has become a way of looking at design in general.

One thing I keep coming back to is the idea that design is never neutral. Even when designers try to be “objective” or purely functional, emotions still slip in. Through colour, typography, structure, tone of voice, or even what is left out. I personally believe that emotional design is not something you either do or don’t do. It happens anyway. The only question is whether it happens consciously or accidentally.

What fascinates me most about emotional design is how subtle it often is. It does not need big gestures or dramatic visuals. Sometimes it is a small detail that makes a difference: a calm layout that makes me feel less overwhelmed, a friendly microcopy that reassures me, or typography that feels balanced instead of aggressive. These moments are easy to overlook, but they strongly influence how I feel during an interaction.

At the same time, emotional design also makes me uncomfortable sometimes. When emotions are used too strategically or manipulatively, the design starts to feel dishonest. I often catch myself asking:
Is this design trying to support me, or is it trying to push me into a decision?

This question has become very important to me. I don’t see emotional design as a tool to control users, but rather as a responsibility. Designers influence moods, expectations, and sometimes even self-perception. That can be empowering, but it can also be overwhelming or excluding if done without care.

Another personal realisation is that emotional design starts with the designer’s own mindset. I noticed that when I am stressed or impatient, my design decisions tend to reflect that. Things become cluttered, rushed, or overly complex. When I slow down and think about how someone else might feel when using or seeing my design, the outcome often feels calmer and more intentional.

For me, emotional design is closely tied to empathy, but not in a kitschy or superficial way. It is not about making everything “nice” or “happy”. Sometimes it is about acknowledging frustration, seriousness, or complexity. I think good emotional design does not avoid negative emotions at all costs, but handles them honestly and respectfully.

I also don’t believe that designers can fully control how people feel. Everyone brings their own experiences, expectations, and emotions. What designers can do, in my opinion, is create spaces that feel considerate. Spaces that don’t shout, don’t confuse unnecessarily, and don’t assume too much.

Looking back at my earlier blog posts, I notice that I often searched for explanations and frameworks. Now, emotional design feels less like something I need to define and more like something I need to practice consciously. It is a mindset I want to carry into my future work, rather than a checklist I want to follow.

If emotional design means anything to me personally, then it is this:
Designing with awareness that there is always a human on the other side. Someone who feels, reacts, remembers, and carries those experiences with them long after the interaction is over.

And maybe that is what makes emotional design so challenging and so meaningful at the same time.

In my last blog post, I focused on colour as a powerful tool of emotional design. Colours work fast and intuitively, often without conscious interpretation. But colour is not the only visual element that shapes how a design feels.
Typography also plays a crucial role in emotional design.

Typography is often seen as purely functional: text has to be readable and clear. While this is essential, it overlooks an important aspect. Letterforms themselves communicate emotion. They create first impressions, set expectations, and influence whether something feels trustworthy, playful, serious, or personal.

Typography on the Visceral Level

Typography, Empathy, and Responsibility

Emotional design requires empathy. What feels friendly to one audience may feel childish to another. That is why typographic decisions should be guided by emotional goals, not personal taste.

Roth and Saiz (vgl. 2022) highlight that emotional design is also about responsibility. Typography can include or exclude, calm or overwhelm. Even small typographic choices influence how welcome or understood someone feels.

A Personal Thought

While working on this topic, I noticed how often typography shapes my own emotional reactions. Sometimes I trust a website more simply because the text feels calm and structured. Sometimes I feel stressed before reading a single word, just because the typography feels chaotic.

Typography is quiet, but it is never neutral.

In my next blog post, I will take a closer look at emotions themselves and explore whether designers can intentionally design for specific feelings.

Literature

Desmet, P. (2002). Designing Emotions. Delft: University of Technology.
Ho, A. / Chau, R. (2025). Emotional Impact of Typeface Design on Communication Design. In: Human Factors in Communication of Design. Bd. 177 S. 44-57.
Norman, D. A. (2004). Emotional Design. Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.
Pan, Z. et al. (2024). The application of graphic language personalized emotion in graphic design. Cambridge: Cell Press.
Quispillo Parra, M. C. (2025). Typographic strategies to reflect the personality of a brand in
different industrial sectors. In: Ñawi Arte, Diseño, Comunicación. Bd. 9, S. 1, 189-201.
Triberti, S. et al. (2017). Developing Emotional Design. Frontiers in Psychology.
Roth, M. & Saiz, O. (2022). Emotion gestalten. Strategie und Methodik für Designprozesse.

In my previous blog post, I wrote about how emotional design is not just a matter of intuition, but the result of research, empathy, and clearly defined emotional goals. Once designers know which emotions they want to address, the next question naturally follows:

How are these emotions translated into concrete design decisions?

This is the moment where emotional design becomes visible.

Emotions are often triggered through sensory details. Colours, shapes, typography, images, materials, and even the quality of paper all influence how a design feels (vgl. Desmet 2002, S. 115). Sometimes, very small visual decisions can have a surprisingly strong emotional impact.

However, for this blog post, I want to focus on what is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful tools designers have: colour.

Why Colours Affect Us Emotionally

Colour perception is closely linked to human psychology. (Vgl. Pan et al. 2024, S. 5) Certain colours are associated with specific emotions, memories, and cultural meanings. (Vgl. ebda.) In my second blog post I have already talked about how visceral reactions happen automatically. (Vgl. Norman 2004, S. 19) Colour plays a key role on this visceral level, because it does not require interpretation. We just “feel” it. Or in my opinion, more fitting: We just associate it.

“Heated red and orange” for example can induce feelings of passion and energy, whereas “cool colours like green and blue” can create feelings of relaxation and peace. (Vgl. Arora / Warsi 2024, S. 408-411) These associations are learned over time but are processed very quickly and mostly unconsciously.

This is why colour can trigger emotional reactions even when we do not actively engage with a design.

In Corporate branding a well-known example for this would be the use of blue.

Many companies choose this colour to communicate reliability, professionalism, and trust, because it is often associated with these characteristics. (Vgl. Interaction Design Foundation 2016).
Thus even without knowing the brand, the colour already sends a message.

Cultural Meanings

It is also important to note that colour meanings are not universal. Cultural background, personal experiences, and context influence how colours are perceived. (Vgl. Arora / Warsi 2024, S. 404-405) This aspect makes empathy and research even more important when working with colour in emotional design.

A Personal Thought

So this means, colour is not just a decorative choice, but an emotional language. Understanding this language allows designers to create visual communication that feels intentional, empathetic, and meaningful.

In the next blog post, I want to take a closer look at how typography contributes to emotional design and how letterforms themselves can communicate feeling.

Literature

Arora, C. / Warsi, S. (2024): Color Psychology. In: Alochana Journal. Bd 13. Vol. 10. S. 402-416. 
Desmet, P. (2002). Designing Emotions. Delft: University of Technology.
Interaction Design Foundation. (2016). What is Emotional Design (ED). https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/emotional-design
Norman, D. A. (2004). Emotional Design. Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.
Pan, Z. et al. (2024). The application of graphic language personalized emotion in graphic design. Cambridge: Cell Press.

In my previous blog posts, I talked about what emotional design is, why emotions influence our behaviour, and how emotional design shows up in everyday life.
But there is still one important question left:

How do designers actually know which emotions their design should create?

At first glance, it might seem like designers simply rely on intuition or personal taste. And intuition can be very helpful, especially with experience. But on its own, it’s not enough. Emotions are complex, and guessing them can easily lead to misunderstandings between designers and their audience.

While researching this topic, I realised that designing for emotions needs more than a good gut feeling. It requires research, reflection, and conscious decisions to create emotions intentionally rather than accidentally.

Emotions Live in People

A key idea in emotional design is that emotions do not come directly from the design itself. They come from how people understand and judge a design based on their own needs, values, and experiences. (Vgl. Desment 2002, S. 108-111)

This applies to many areas of design. Whether it’s a digital interface, a poster, a magazine layout, or a corporate identity. (Vgl. Pan et al. 2024, S. 2) Emotional reactions depend on how people relate to what they see and experience. (Vgl. Desmet 2002, S. 108-111)

Some people care about clarity and structure. Others value aesthetics, creativity, or trustworthiness. A design can only create positive emotions if it connects to what people care about. (Vgl. ebda.)

For example, a clear and structured layout may feel calming and professional to one person, while a bold and expressive poster may feel exciting and inspiring to another. The same design can therefore create very different emotions depending on the audience and the context. (Vgl. ebda.)

That’s why research is so important. By observing people, talking to them, and considering cultural and social contexts, designers can better understand expectations and emotional reactions. (Vgl. Triberti et al. 2017, S. 3-4)

Once designers understand their audience better, they can define emotional goals more clearly. (Vgl. Desmet 2002, S. 184) Instead of designing something that should feel “nice” or “modern”, they can focus on specific emotions such as trust, curiosity, excitement, or calmness.

However, when talking about emotional design, it is easy to assume that the goal is always to create positive emotions such as joy, comfort, or trust. But this is not always the case.

Not every design is meant to feel pleasant.

In certain contexts, negative emotions can be just as powerful and purposeful. (Vgl. Desmet 2002, S. 184) Warning posters, political graphics, or activist design often rely on discomfort, tension, or even fear to communicate urgency. These emotions can grab attention, provoke reflection, and motivate action more effectively than a friendly or neutral design ever could.

For example, a campaign about climate change might use dark colors, disturbing imagery, or harsh contrasts to make people feel uneasy. That uneasiness is intentional. It signals that something is wrong and that the issue should not be ignored.

In this sense, emotional design is not about making everything “nice” or “beautiful”. It is about choosing the right emotion for the right message and situation.

Design tools and frameworks can support this process. They help designers think about emotions in a structured way and make emotional intentions visible. This is especially helpful when working in teams or on larger projects, such as branding or editorial design. (Vgl. ebda., S. XIII-XVI)

What feels intuitive to a designer doesn’t always feel intuitive to the audience. So clear emotional goals help designers create more meaningful and intentional design outcomes.

A Personal Thought

So while working on this topic, I realised how closely emotional design is connected to empathy. It’s about understanding people and their perspectives, instead of designing only from one’s own point of view.

That’s why emotional design feels especially important to me as a design student. It encourages thoughtful decisions, responsibility, and awareness of how design affects people.

Literature

Desmet, P. (2002). Designing Emotions. Delft: University of Technology.
Norman, D. A. (2004). Emotional Design. Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.
Pan, Z. et al. (2024). The application of graphic language personalized emotion in graphic design. Cambridge: Cell Press.
Triberti, S. et al. (2017). Developing Emotional Design. Emotions as Cognitive Processes and their Role in the Design of Interactive Technologies. Lausanne: Frontiers in Psychology.

The productivity continuous! And for once, I finally overcame my procrastination.

At least I think so… Let’s dive in!

In my previous blog posts, I introduced emotional design and explained why emotions play such an important role when we interact with products and interfaces. I also mentioned the three levels of emotional design described by Don Norman. In this post, I want to move a bit away from theory and talk about how emotional design shows up in everyday situations that many of us know very well.

When I started paying attention to emotional design, I realised how often design influences my mood without me even noticing. Sometimes it makes me feel excited, sometimes relaxed, and sometimes just annoyed enough to close an app or website immediately.

Visceral Design

aka “Love (or Hate?) at First Sight“

Visceral design is about first impressions. It is that very first moment when you see something and instantly have a feeling about it (vgl. Norman 2004, S. 19).

I notice this especially with book covers. When I browse through books in a store or online, I usually decide within a few seconds whether a book interests me or not. Some covers feel inviting right away. I cannot always explain why, but they create a certain mood that makes me want to take a closer look. This reaction happens automatically, without much thinking, which shows how strongly visceral design influences first impressions.

On the other hand, I have also experienced the opposite. Some posters or websites feel overwhelming in an instant. Too many colours, different fonts, a confusing layout. Instead of feeling curious, I feel stressed. In these moments, I often leave within seconds, even if the content might actually be useful. The first impression already ruined the experience.

Behavioural Design

Behavioural design becomes noticeable once we start using a product. This is where emotions like satisfaction or frustration show up very quickly (vgl. Norman 2004, S. 23).

A positive example I often think about is the onboarding experience of a new smartphone. Turning on a new device usually feels exciting, but it could also be overwhelming. Step-by-step guidance, clear instructions, and friendly messages make the setup process feel easy and reassuring. Instead of feeling lost, I feel supported and in control, which makes the whole experience enjoyable.

A negative behavioural experience is something I know all too well. Apps or websites that do not work the way I expect them to. Buttons are hard to find, settings are hidden, or error messages appear without explanation. Even if the design looks nice, these moments quickly turn curiosity into frustration. And once I am frustrated, I rarely want to keep using the product.

Reflective Design

Reflective design is about how we remember an experience later and what meaning it has for us (vgl. Norman 2004, S. 38).

A very strong positive example for me is the video game It Takes Two. The game is designed to be played together and focuses heavily on cooperation and communication. What stayed with me was not only the gameplay, but the shared experience itself. I remember who I played with, the conversations we had, and how the story made us feel.

Negative reflective experiences usually come from what happens after using a product. Poor customer service, hidden costs, or broken promises often leave a bad feeling. Even if the product worked fine, these memories dominate. When I think back, I mostly remember the frustration.

Thinking about these examples made me realise that emotional design is not abstract at all. It shapes how we feel in the first second, during use, and long after an experience is over.

For designers, paying attention to these emotional moments can make a huge difference. Emotional design can turn everyday products into meaningful experiences or, if done poorly, into something people want to forget as quickly as possible.

Literatur

Norman, D. A. (2004). Emotional Design. Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.