Published on 26 Mar 2025
Published on 26 Mar 2025
Designing for the emotions
Designing for the emotions
Imagine this...
Imagine walking into a cozy café where the lighting is warm, the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee fills the air, and barista greeting you with a friendly smile. Even before you take a sip, you already feel comfortable and welcomed. And then, on the other hand… we have apps that deliver coffee in home within 7mins.
Imagine this...
Imagine walking into a cozy café where the lighting is warm, aroma of a freshly brewed coffee fills the air, and a barista greeting you with a friendly smile. Even before you take a sip of the coffee, you already feel comfortable and welcomed.
Emotions shape user's journey
Just like a quality café experience keeps customers coming back, an emotionally considerate design ensures people feel good about returning to and engaging with a product. Design isn’t just about making things work and increasing business metrics. It’s also about making people feel something. Every interaction, color choice, has the power to evoke emotions, whether it's excitement, trust, or frustration. When it feels like intuitive and delightful, users don’t just engage with it; they connect with it. Think about how an app like Spotify makes discovering music feel effortless and personal, or how Airbnb’s friendly UI makes booking a stay feel inviting. These experiences are memorable because they don’t just function very well; they make users feel at ease, in control, and even excited.
Emotions shape user's journey
Just like quality café experience can keep the customers coming back, an emotional and considerate design ensures people feel good about using a good product. Design isn’t just about making things work and business. It’s also about making people feel something. Every flow, color choice, has the power to evoke emotions, or whether it's excitement, trust, or frustration. When it feels like intuitive and delightful, users don’t just engage with it; they connect with it. Think about how an app like Spotify makes music feel effortless and personal, or how the Airbnb’s UI makes booking a stay feels more inviting.
Emotions influence decisions
People don’t just choose products based on the features. They choose based on how those products make them feel. A good onboarding experience can make the user feel welcomed and motivated, while a confusing one can lead to drop off. Emotional triggers also play a huge role in conversion—whether it’s the satisfaction of completing a task, or the urgency created by limited-time offers, or the feeling of accomplishment from a well-designed rewards system. When the product makes a user feel good, he returns, engage, and even advocates for it.
Emotions influence decisions
People don’t just choose products based on the features. They choose based on how the products make them feel. Good onboarding experience can make the user feel welcomed and motivated, while confusing one can lead to drop off. Emotional triggers also plays a huge role in conversion—whether it’s the satisfaction of completing a task, or the urgency created by limited-time offers, or accomplishment from a well-designed rewards system.
Designing beyond functionality
As designers, we often focus on the usability and efficiency, but emotions are just as critical. As much as I feel business metrics and the users wants should be taken in consideration, I feel that a product that works but feels cold and transactional won’t create a lasting impact. By designing with emotions in mind, we create experiences that are not just functional, but meaningful—ones that users remember, return and enjoy. Because in the end, the best designs aren’t just usable screens or structures; they’re unforgettable.
Designing beyond functionality
As designers, we often focus on the usability and efficiency, but emotions are just as much critical. As much as I feel business metrics and the users wants should also be taken in consideration, I feel that products that works but feels cold and transactional won’t create a lasting impact. By designing with emotion in mind, we then create experiences that aren't just functional, but meaningful—ones that users remember, return and enjoy.
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