A model of human sensations as a basis for ‘design for product-emotion’ support

Abstract

All human interaction involves emotions, including interaction with our material world. Emotions impact our daily lives with either pleasant or unpleasant occurrences [Lang 1985]. All of us experience different kinds of emotions when using different products. Most of us have an item that we are particularly fond of and that elicits pleasure, or conversely one that irritates us during use. Some products even manage to elicit emotions inside us prior to their purchase, such as the desire for a pair of shoes we see in a shop window (Figure 1) or else the envy we feel for our neighbour’s brand new sports car. Product interaction is an emotional experience, and products are nowadays being designed to attempt to address and influence this emotional experience. [extract]