Multilayered Model Of Product Emotions

Designers are the ones who conceptualize a products’ appearance: texture, taste, colour and so on, so that it may appeal to consumers, which is the ultimate purpose of the products’ design. Product design according to (Reid and Sanders, 2013) is a process by which all the characteristics and features of any particular object is defined. They go on to say that consumers respond to colour, texture and function all of which adds to the appearance of the product. All of these elements are what the products’ design is comprised. Similarly, (Crilly, Moultrie and Clarkson, 2004) explains that it is characterized by geometry, physical proportions, textures, materials it is made from, colour schemes, graphical content and details is what comprises

In Desmet’s chapter, ‘The Basis of Product Emotions’ is defined as ‘the felt tendency toward anything intuitively appraised as good (beneficial) or away from anything intuitively appraised as bad (harmful)’, as described by Magda B. Arnold a leading psychologist in the cognitive perspective of emotion. In the literature of (Desmet, 2002) and (Desmet and Hekkert ,2002), (Desmet, 2003) informs that a simple model of product emotions was created in order to aid in the research consumer emotional responses to products. He goes on to define the parameters of which the basis of product emotions is dependent on. [Insert reference to figure here (basic model of product emotions)]In his introduction to emotion, Desmet makes connection to design practice and emotion, stating that it may be beneficial for designers to design for emotions that appeal to the intended user. Adding to which, customers can actually be influenced when it comes to product selection based on emotional responses, even if that specific product is surrounded by products of the same nature or purpose. A person can be intrigued by the wireless mouse in contrast to a peripheral mouse on the shelf, admire the sleek, beauty of the new iPhone 6S, or be annoyed by the loud sound of a car

It is this principle that (Bar and Neta, 2006) based their work “Humans Prefer Curved Visual Objects”, which expounds that judgements are made based on the physical appearance of objects. Further exploration into the literature of Bar and Neta reveals that people often make hasty judgements about objects they come into contact with. In an opening paragraph they questioned what physical attributes of an object can make someone show favour towards it, or completely hate it. Lidwell reflects on a test study done involving subjects and various ‘emotionally neutral’ but similar objects that were contoured and angular, to investigate the subjects’ preference of the objects presented to them. By example an explanation is given to what is meant by ‘emotionally neutral’ because it’s important to articulate that certain objects may carry with them a positive or negative emotional association. For example, if you are presented with a gun, automatically you may associate the object with criminal activity. In contrast, if you are presented with a teddy bear, you may associate it with children or affection. The extremities in contrast of the objects show emotional associations and biases. For this reason ‘emotionally neutral objects were used in the test study as a way to control the subjects’ perceptions