Bioethicist or designer of emotions: how to find yourself in the world of professions of the future. Maslow pyramid in design, or emotional design for business

In modern web design, it is important to take into account many factors, because each of them can affect the success of the project. Today, designers have every opportunity to give the user not only convenient navigation and an intuitive interface, but also emotions. In this article, you will find some tips on how to bring your UI to life.

Personalize your website with comic illustrations

Perhaps you have no idea what role the personification of the site can play. You have the opportunity to give the user a memorable and very positive experience using your resource. Personalization will help to better express the emotions that you want to convey and evoke in the visitor. You can show any mood.

Thus, integrating a character into your project will help break down the barrier between you and your visitors. An example of such a character is MailChimp, which uses a mail monkey as a mascot. This example clearly illustrates how you can add joy to the design and provoke the user positive emotions.

Show sophistication and minimalism

Those who follow the trends in web design have certainly noticed what a powerful wave the fashion for minimalism has swept over. This style engenders a sophistication with which you can approach the feelings of visitors. The interface, which has attractive elements against the background of minimalistic content, allows you to give the user exactly what he wants to see.

A good example of minimalistic and sophisticated design is YourKarma . Pay attention to how the designer, using a simple color palette, minimum content and large images achieved amazing results.

Increase interest with parallax

To provoke emotions, one of the human senses, such as sight or hearing, must be affected. With the help of the parallax effect, it is easy and interesting for the user to influence the visual attention of the user.

Translation - Desk

You don't want this one. You don’t want this one either, ”the mother said to the long-haired schoolgirl, crossing out professions one by one from the list in the notebook. - Remains manager and economist. Come on, choose a university.

The girl sighed in exasperation, but said nothing. In one of the halls of the RSSL, the first lesson from the creators of the project "Atlas of new professions" began. From the first words of the founder of "Atlas" Dmitry Sudakov, it becomes clear that some things remain the same with the change of generations.

When I was in the tenth grade, it was time to choose a university. I decided to study to be a programmer, but my parents told me then: "You can't make money with it." And I made a choice that my parents liked - I went to the economic one, - said Dmitry. - And for those years that I worked in the economic sphere, I have not been happy for a single day.

Precisely predicting exactly which professions will be in demand in twenty years is only possible approximately. The world is changing rapidly, and not everything can be calculated. Some professions that appeared in the first edition of the Atlas a couple of years ago have already appeared. And what will happen next - sometimes it's hard to even imagine.

How long do you think it takes to replace the four wheels of a racing car? - asked Dmitry.

One or two seconds! - answered the red-haired guy.

What are you? At least ten! - categorically declared one of the parents.

Technologies are changing rapidly. AND simple recipe success like "learn Chinese" is not.

The world will be complex, changing. Get ready, - said Dmitry. - It will not be that you passed the exam, entered and relaxed. We must accustom ourselves to the idea that you will always have to learn.

Everything goes to the fact that one of the main requirements for a professional of the future will be the ability to quickly respond to changes in the situation and learn new things, understanding the client's desires and systemic thinking. Otherwise, it's up to the small - to understand what you like and how it can be combined in the craziest combinations. It was these combinations that were made in the lesson with the help of one of the board games developed for the Atlas. "The world of professions of the future" is a whole box of games and career guidance lessons that helps to talk about new horizons in an easier and more interesting way. At each of the classes in the Russian Library for Youth, a new game will be taken out of the box.

The library plans to play such board games every Tuesday until the end of the month. Participation is free but required

A practical course on creating applications with augmented and virtual reality for those who already know a little about the topic.

Free course for beginners - students do not need programming skills. At the end of the training, you can learn how to create the simplest applications with virtual reality.

Harvard course focusing on legal aspects application of the achievements of medicine and biology.

The eight-week course at the Rochester Institute of Technology introduces students to cyber-investigation techniques and tools.

The course will teach students to understand the desires of users and adjust their project to them, receiving a positive emotional response and financial benefits.

The University of New South Wales course will help beginners understand the causes and types of genetic disorders, their treatment, the development of personalized medicine and the basics of genetic diagnosis.

Robot designer

Where is the future without robots? Perhaps robotics is already developing faster than most modern technologies. Probably soon robots will become a familiar part household like a vacuum cleaner or kettle. Every year the demand for new robotics specialists is increasing. Such workers need programming skills and it is desirable to have a diploma in robotics and automated technologies. Basic education in robotics can be obtained in Russia - for example, in

In a way, emotional design is "major league" modern design. And although this term has long been used, the principles of emotional design remain incomprehensible to many. Emotional design is directly related to user experience, it does not exist by itself and manifests itself only in the implementation of the idea. But even in this case, it cannot be said that the combination of emotional design and UX sets any boundaries for creativity and fantasy. There, beyond this limit - unknown lands. But it is better to tell about all this in order.

Functionality, reliability, convenience

If we consider minimum requirements applied to design, it all comes down to one word - “functionality”. This means that when a designer completes a project, the finished product, whether digital or physical, must have the necessary, predetermined features. At this point, what the design looks like is almost irrelevant. What matters is that he does what he has to do.

In the second stage, the focus shifts towards reliability. The functionality must be reliable, that is, it must work in different conditions and environments. If this is, for example, a website, then it should be displayed correctly in different browsers. If the design is “tailored” only for specific circumstances, it is vulnerable. Unreliability is the worst enemy of any design.

But even if the design is functional and reliable, then in the third stage, usability comes to the fore. Usability here has the highest priority, since we are talking about UX, that is, user experience. A design that is inconvenient is unusable, so such a design is doomed to failure, despite its powerful functionality and high reliability. And although many designers strive to create beautiful and easy-to-use things, their work has nothing to do with emotional design.

Emotional design: when interest turns into play

The term "emotional design" was coined by Don Norman, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group in the 1980s. His books The Design of Everyday Things and Emotional Design, largely due to regular reprints, are still relevant today. The book Designing for Emotion, written by renowned designer Aaron Walter, came out a little later, but contains the same theses.

However, Walter had original idea apply hierarchy Maslow's needs to design. This turns the three main design elements - functionality, reliability and convenience - into levels of the pyramid. According to Walter, it all looks like this:

If you look at the figure, it becomes clear that most modern design products are missing the top of the pyramid. As in the case of Maslow's pyramid, in order to climb to the very top, the designer needs to make sure that the previous three levels are flawless. On the other hand, in design, striving for the top isn't instinctive, so emotional design requires the designer's willingness to go the extra mile, put in the extra effort even when everything works as it should.

So just because a design is functional, robust, and usable doesn't mean it's emotional. Here it is necessary to make a clarification - the term "emotional" is always used in a positive sense. Good design is design that evokes positive emotions, not least because it is fun to use. Design not only has to be beautiful, its task is to ensure perfect interaction. It is this factor that affects the success of any product.

At the same time, it should be remembered that design will always evoke emotions, regardless of the desire of the designer. It's inevitable, it's human nature. Thus, it is better to always remember emotions during work, to be aware of them as a tool that affects the user.

Emotion Design Methods

If a designer is interested in how to create an emotional design, then all he has to do is start thinking outside the box. This, in turn, implies the presence of a certain background, meaning the aesthetic aspect. Regarding aesthetics, people usually quickly come to an agreement, fashion is fashion, just remember the same Flat Design. If a designer follows all the changing trends, he will always be safe, at least in terms of aesthetics. So you need to focus on other aspects of emotional design.

Speaking of design, one cannot fail to mention the name of Dieter Rams, who turned 85 this year. His design principles are still considered relevant, despite the fact that all of his masterpieces were created in the middle of the last century. References to Rams can still be seen today, for example, in the design of Apple products.

Good design is as minimalistic as possible - these are one of the fundamental principles Rams. Combined with the principle that good design makes the product more understandable, it becomes clear where the trends are heading. If the designer can make the product explain itself, then he solves a very important problem - he does not force people to figure out how things work. No one likes products that are too complicated and cannot be used without reading detailed instructions.

Minimalism itself is an emotive design tool, but it is often misinterpreted and misused. And there is work to be done here.

Gamification

Game design is first and foremost interaction design. It's all about getting as deep into the game as possible. And this requires a full-scale attack on the neurons of the human brain. The goal of game design is always a reward system essential principle. When a person expects a reward, his brain produces the "hormone of happiness" - dopamine. Dopamine increases stimulus and motivation, drawing the gamer into the web of the game.

Any designer also wants to retain users. This means that gamification elements can and should be used in design. In fact, already many products and services, such as Slack, use game interaction in communication, this is already a feature that is difficult to do without.

Social networks also use the dopamine effect for their own purposes. The emotion that a person feels when they receive a response to their tweet makes them take action, publish new entries, post images or personal photos.

Small surprises can also evoke positive emotions. When a person encounters something unexpected, but at the same time pleasant, his brain begins to produce dopamine. It is not necessary to overload the product with surprises, but in a small amount they will be very helpful.

Immersive Design

Immersive, that is, providing complete immersion, the design tries to use all the senses of the user. Due to the rapid development of mobile technologies, in particular, with the advent of gesture control, today there is an opportunity to make digital design more tactile.

Thoughtful animation combined with gestures gives the impression that the design is “alive”. Therefore, designers should pay Special attention micro-interpretations. It is they who determine the operation of the human-machine interface. When we turn the alarm on or off, lock the car doors with the remote control, or do something similar, these are all micro-interpretations. This short actions, which take little time and are very important for creating a positive user experience. The more convincing the interpretations, the higher the competitiveness of the product. Product interaction evokes emotions. Design connects a person to a device or digital product through an interface, and the more human that interface is, the better.

Instead of a conclusion

Emotional design is more than impeccable design. For example, there is a certain online store. It works perfect. What else can you offer users to evoke positive emotions in them? You can send a welcome email to the buyer. Thank you for your purchase, wish you luck, or offer an interesting deal. Instead of the standard packaging, you can offer another one that is interesting to open. You can add a gift. There are a huge number of options in emotional design. Because the elements of emotional design are not the standard and not the norm. While this type of design is still in its infancy, it has huge potential. But technologies are developing, interfaces are improving and evolving, and in the near future we will see a design that will make us a little happier.

As practice shows, often insignificant and at first glance imperceptible details of visual design cause a greater emotional response from users than the concept of the system as a whole. These kinds of details give the product a unique personality and help to connect with users on a personal level. This technique is called "emotional design".

Original article: "The Personality Layer".

This is one of dozens of examples of how Flickr greets its users upon signing in. This detail is easy to overlook, the service works fine without it. However, it is that essential part of Flickr's unique design, without which this very design would lose a lot.

According to this theory, the product must be functional, reliable and convenient(in that order) before he can please. Emotional design is thus a level of enjoyment that is placed on top of a functional, reliable and user-friendly product.

An effective emotion design strategy has two aspects:

1. You create something unique that transcends your own style and gets a positive response from users;

2. You constantly use this style until it becomes the centerpiece of your creation, the level of personality.

In this article, we'll take a look at some of the strategies you can follow, as well as examples found in the field, plus a couple of projects where the consistent use of emotional design has resulted in a stunning personality.

ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL DESIGN

The goal is to connect with users and evoke positive emotions.

• Astonishment

Do something new and unexpected.

• Uniqueness

Differentiate yourself from other products in a special way.

• Attention

Encourage and offer help even when you don't have to.

• attractiveness

We all like attractive people, so make an attractive product.

• Anticipation

• exclusivity

Offer something exclusive to a specific group.

• Be Responsive

Show your audience a reaction, especially when they don't expect it.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF EMOTIONAL DESIGN

Now let's see how these principles are applied in real products. Below are some elements of emotional design on the web. It is not always possible to attribute one or another strategy to them, for example, “surprise” or “anticipation”. Sometimes several factors work at the same time. Also, some things are perceived differently by different people.

Keep in mind that blindly copying these examples won't give your product the personality you want. Rather, a thoughtful introduction of emotional traits will provide a memorable personality. A little test: open Built With Bootstrap and see what you like best.

No. 1. Smile

People who enjoy being together tend to copy each other's behavior. When someone we like smiles, we usually smile back. The same can work for websites. The part of the brain responsible for emotions is affected by pictures, especially images of people, and stories. Let's take a look at one design that tells stories and shows pictures of people at the same time.

No. 2. General state of happiness

Smiles also seem to work in a very abstract way.

MESSAGES

The message is the most easy way show personality and play with it. On your website, text is probably everywhere, and words convey personality very well. Do you want your brand to be playful, strict, comical, stylish? different kind messages can say a lot about who you are and who you target.

No. 1. Non-seriousness

No. 2. Contrast

"Shhh!.." conveys the idea very well - not only visually, through the repetition of letters and the use of contrasting color - but also verbally when reading.

Privacy message on Skitch.

We see the same cute detail on the OK Cupid website when you enter your location. “Ahh” can simultaneously mean “How cool” and “Yes, now we understand. Welcome".

"Ahh, Prague"

#3 Microposts

ERROR PAGES AND DOWNTIME

Few situations annoy a web user more than waiting. It can be quite frustrating for users, especially if they depend on your product. Emotional design helps you avoid such hurt feelings. Below are a few examples.

No. 1. Simple message change

Flickr reports that he is getting a massage. Not great, but better than an annoying error message.

Flickr getting a massage (Picture: Luke Beard).

#2: Apologize and offer a treat

Below is more best approach from flickr. When the service experiences more serious problems, they give a splash screen saying that their pipes are clogged and they are sorry. But instead of stopping there, the intro invites users to compete for a valuable Pro account.

A competition for when Flickr's pipes get clogged.

No. 3. Sorry, but…

… there are more important things in life. When Tumblr recently crashed, users were told that they were actively working on a solution to the problem. The next paragraph was a reminder that there is more to life pressing problems than a temporary failure of the system, and it is quite possible to deal with them.

Easter egg "Let it snow" from Google .

Easter eggs are usually not associated with a service. They exist only to please or surprise users, to give them a treat, only to make them happier. And happy users do not remain in debt.

TALISMANS

She has a strong personality that deserves all the attention she has received. It is worth noting a few details. A characteristic part of MailChimp's emotional design is a chimpanzee named Freddie. Freddy cheers you up while loading the profile page. And every time it is updated, it shows a random joke or link.

One of Freddy Chimpanzee's random lines.

But remember: emotional design like this can be done wrong. Remember the paperclip assistant in Microsoft Office that popped up whenever you tried to do something? Freddy the Chimp never interrupts, always staying out of your workflow.

LOGIN PAGES

Even login pages can be interesting. In MailChimp, it changes to special days like dudley on google.

One of the special screensavers when entering MailChimp.

You don't even need a lot of effort to be special. Pocket welcomes you at the entrance with a splash screen with a large background image instead of a boring plain background.

Screensaver at the entrance to Pocket.

ATTENTION TO DETAILS AND SURPRISES

Many of the examples discussed above demonstrate attention to detail. This, in fact, is the point. The degree of attention to detail shows how much you love the product and how much you respect your customers. Take a look at the indicator in the recently released Quip app.

I don't really care about flapping wings, but I reload the page over and over again just to see it. Remember, however, that such details should never be at the expense of usability.

Keira Knightley is hot. A "random" message during a Dropbox demo.

THREE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES OF INDIVIDUALITY

So far, we have looked at various aspects and examples of emotional design. Below are cases where emotional design has been used in three different products.

Example 1: GIDSY ( trading floor for the general public)

Surprise: When you get to the footer, you'll find a call to action encouraging you to create a list for free. Hovering over an image magic wand a rainbow appears that leads you in the right direction, while at the same time causing surprise. It would be interesting to measure how effectively this particular detail turns visitors into users.

The rainbow playfully guides you to the "Learn More" button.

Message: A simple message and a little humor: "Well, hello, cutie!" and “Booooom! Your photo has been removed."

The page where users upload their avatars.

The page where users delete photos.

These details make it much easier for the product to acquire a friendly personality. But you can also rethink large amounts of text, such as handbooks and manuals. Gidsy did it in their reference section. Usually reference books are boring - but not this one. It has already generated a lot of buzz and references in the design community, so you may have seen it already. Notice the slight nod to the iAWriter app?

See the tiny "please-reply" mailing address?

Gidsy used another vintage shot to highlight this letter. Pay attention also to the tiny detail - the sender's address [email protected] is a friendly reminder that the company listens to you and pays attention to the smallest details. (I noticed that another Berlin startup started doing this first.)

Example 2: AUTOMATTIC (web hacking stuff)

So when you click on this button, whether by accident or not, the entire page turns gray and simulates the Matrix-style self-destruct mode. Finally, WordPress reminds you not to let this happen again. TechFleece has detailed description how to find the WordPress easter "matrix" egg.

Automattic is an amazing example of how you can show off your personality in a hacker environment.

Example 3: "CLEAR" app (task manager for design savvy users)

Emotional design can turn users into missionaries, sharing their positive experiences with others. People love to share interesting stories, you just need to provide them with those.

Consider the recent success of Realmac Software's Clear Task Manager for iPhone. Of course, it's far from the first app of its kind, but it smartly targets iPhone users and designers with its shiny, minimalist interface and transition patterns that haven't been seen before. This kind of thing makes iOS fans salivate.

Anticipation: Before the launch of the Realmac application, they released a video that generated anticipation for the upcoming use of the product. The video quickly spread to some corners of the design community. People's attention was riveted not only to the design, but also to some creative goodies and surprises.

playfulness: The app sets the tone to play and have fun.

Setting the tone: "Let's explore."

Surprise: When opening the theme settings page, people who install the Tweetbot app are greeted with this message and provided with an additional theme for Clear. There is a high chance that people using Tweetbot will enjoy this pleasant surprise.

If you install the popular Tweetbot app, you get a bonus theme.

Yummy 2: If you start following one of Clear's developers on Twitter, you'll be rewarded with another theme for your social activity.

If you follow one of the creators of Clear, you are gifted with a theme.

It was a cleverly engineered Easter egg hunt that ended up sparking a flurry of positive reactions from people on Twitter sharing their enthusiasm and comparing what topics they got and missed. This is one of the best emotional design effects. People will not only enjoy using your product, they will also share their delight. And here's the proof on Twitter:

Part of the buzz that the bonus theme alone has generated on Twitter.

Surprise Detail: When the task list is empty, Clear offers a hint on how to complete it. However, the second time you will be shown a motivating quote:

BENEFITS AND RISKS IN CONCLUSION

Emotional design is risky. The light-hearted tone of apology when something goes wrong may not be to everyone's liking. Do not be afraid, however, to show your individuality if it is aimed at the right people. You cannot and will not want to be everything to everyone.

We haven't covered cases where emotional design didn't work, but here's a tip: if you do try to be funny or different, the most important thing is to listen and watch for user reactions. If something doesn't work, you need to be proactive, apologize, and improve. By showing that you are listening and willing to learn, you demonstrate your humanity - and again find yourself right in emotional territory.

MailChimp, for example, manages the risk of boring people with a kind of switch called "non-social mode."

Enable "non-community mode".

So if you really don't like the chimpanzee, you can turn it off. Obviously, few do it.

Or you can do the opposite and make unusual behavior a non-default mode. Facebook has its own Easter egg, which allows you to change the interface language to pirate slang. For this, in fact, I love Facebook even more.

Interested in learning more about emotional design? Here .