| I understand where you're coming from, but I think your misapplying some of his advice. Funnily enough, I've read Emotional Design, It's been a long time (I think it was back in like 2006/2007) but my memory is that most of the focus of the book was on the design of physical objects. I don't really think website design has the same freedom. It doesn't invalidate all of his topics, but it certainly limits how they apply. But there's a different angle here that I'd ask you to consider - Over the last 20 years, websites are eating up interactions that used to be conversations. You might have walked to a bank and talked to a teller - Now you use their website. You might have driven to home depot and asked a store associate a question - now you shop online. You might have gone to blockbuster and rented a movie from the clerk - Now you browse netflix. You might have gone to the post office to get some mail - Now that content is in an email instead. Each of those interactions was just a conversation, literally just sounds coming out of a mouth, but they all achieved useful side effects. While you might have a pleasant chat every now and then, the goal was not reflective/emotional investment. The goal was the utility provided by the service. I think approaching the design of a site with the goal of evoking an emotional or visceral reaction (ESPECIALLY from the literal appearance of the site) is actually turning the advice of the book on it's head - Put the user first! If I'm interacting with your site to achieve a useful side effect, whether that's order an item, get the news, see my mail, deposit a check, watch a show, etc - Then my emotional reaction is heavily biased towards how well and how quickly I can achieve my goal. My emotions don't care a flying fuck whether your button is red/blue/green or if your gray is #d3d3d3 or #878787. And I certainly don't want to have to navigate a crazy custom design, just like I don't want to hit a detour while driving home - even if it happens to be scenic. I do care, a whole lot, about consistently easy to use services, with a low barrier to entry. On the web, that mostly means boring boxes. --- As a thought experiment, I'm sure you've been to the DMV before (I'm not actually, you might not be US based, but you probably have an equivalent). Ever had that DMV trip that took 3 hours waiting in line before finally getting seen? Not happy were you? Ever had that DMV trip where it was basically empty and you got seen immediately? I bet you felt thrilled. (probably an overstatement, but at least pleasantly surprised) It's the same building, same carpets, floors, columns, windows, roof. The only change was how quickly and efficiently you accomplished the goal you had. But your emotional responses were miles apart. Apply that to websites. I don't want to be looking at my bank's website - I do it because I need to move money or use their services. Make that the priority. Make it with boring, easy to use boxes, and I will love it. Bury it in menus, or add 10 clicks because "that page looks a little cramped" and I will not be happy. |