thoughtcrumbs

Designing for needs, not emotions

Enough with the political frippery; it's time to return to some intelligent discussion on HCI and usability. Apologies to my four readers: I know you really only care about the International Cat Agility Tournament. We will return to the kitties shortly.

In the meantime, I'd like to point out an article in this month's Interactions magazine that describes a somewhat realistic method for "designing for emotions," the latest HCI meme. I should mention that this issue of Interactions focuses on "fun," reflecting the trend in the usability community to include desirability/emotion as a tested factor. (See, for example, Don, Peter, George, or Jeff.) Creating a product that people feel passionate about (iPod, eBay, Coca Cola--pesky addiction issue notwithstanding) may make it easier for them to use. At least more willing to explore options and forgive design flaws. But how do you measure desirability or emotional impact of a product? Marketers have been doing this fuzzily for years, but usability folks need some tangible way to connect emotions to ease of use.

Marc Hassenzahl proposes that emotion is strongly contextual (you may love a product under some circumstances but hate it in others), and a thorough needs analysis is the best way to develop that product love. He categorizes four kinds of needs: goal-achievement, personal growth, self-expression, and memory evocation. Traditionally, only the first is tested by usability designers. But fulfilling all of them in a given situation is what leads people to desire a product.

Take my new camera. Can I accomplish my goals? Check. It's ready to shoot in less than a second, fits discreetly in my pocket, and requires minimal fussing. Personal growth? The first time I successfully left the shutter open longer to get a night shot, I was thrilled that it worked. Never tried that before. Now I'm ready to explore some of those other settings on the Mode menu. Self-expression? Damn, but is it stylish. I get a little thrill when friends coo over its size and ask to hold it. Hassenzahl doesn't clearly explain what he means by "evocation" (of memories), but my camera brings up warm fuzzies for my friend Jeff, who had a similar tiny camera, and I supposed I'm making new memories as I travel with mine. That it fulfills each of these needs makes me forgive my camera's flaws, which include my having to anchor my elbow on a surface before taking a shot to ensure that it's not blurry (darn thing's too small to hold still), and that there's not a protective cover for the LCD.

Overall, Hassenzahl provides a somewhat more tangible method for capturing that elusive product love through needs analysis. Let's see if it works.