The three ways that good design makes you happy | Don Norman

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker reflects on their transformation to embrace beauty and emotion in design. They share anecdotes about aesthetically pleasing yet functionally questionable objects, like a gold-plated juicer, and emphasize the importance of 'neat and fun' design. The speaker explores the interplay between beauty, functionality, and emotion, using examples from technology, automotive design, and everyday objects to illustrate how good design can evoke positive feelings and enhance usability.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of beauty in design, suggesting that aesthetically pleasing objects are more enjoyable to use.
• 😂 He humorously admits to owning a gold-plated juicer primarily for its visual appeal, despite its impracticality for actual juicing.
• 🗡️ The Global cutting knife is highlighted as an example of a beautifully designed object that is both pleasing to look at and highly functional.
• 🎾 The interactive ping-pong table at the MIT Media Lab demonstrates how design can blend fun and functionality, creating engaging experiences.
• 🔍 Google's playful approach to search results for 'emotion and design' is cited as an example of subtle, clever design that can evoke positive emotions.
• 🚗 The MINI Cooper is praised for its fun and engaging design, despite having acknowledged flaws, illustrating the power of emotional design over practicality.
• 😨 The speaker discusses the impact of fear on cognitive processing, explaining how it can lead to a more focused, depth-first approach to problem-solving.
• 😄 Conversely, happiness is shown to promote breadth-first problem-solving, allowing for more creative and out-of-the-box thinking.
• 🍬 An experiment by Alice Isen is mentioned, where happiness induced by a small gift of candy improved participants' problem-solving abilities.
• 🏎️ The visceral, behavioral, and reflective levels of processing are introduced as key components in understanding how design elicits emotional responses.

Q & A

What is the speaker's new life philosophy about?

The speaker's new life philosophy is about understanding what beauty is about, making things neat and fun, and focusing on the emotional aspects of design.

Why does the speaker have a Philippe Starck juicer in his entryway without using it to make juice?

The speaker has a Philippe Starck juicer in his entryway as a decorative piece because it is aesthetically pleasing and fun, even though he bought the gold-plated edition which comes with a note advising against using it for making juice due to the risk of damaging the gold plating with acidic juice.

What are the three components of the speaker's theory of emotion?

The speaker's theory of emotion includes three components: visceral (instinctive reactions), behavioral (learned skills and habits), and reflective (thoughtful consideration and memory).

How does the speaker describe the Global cutting knife made in Japan?

The speaker describes the Global cutting knife as having a wonderful shape, being beautifully balanced, and being extremely sharp, making it a delight to use. It is an example of a product that is both beautiful and functional.

What is the innovative feature of the ping-pong table project by Hiroshi Ishii and his group at the MIT Media Lab?

The innovative feature of the ping-pong table project is that it projects an image of water with fish swimming in it, and when the ball hits the table, ripples spread out and the fish react as if they were in real water, adding an emotional and fun element to the game.

Why does the speaker mention Google's approach to displaying search results for 'emotion and design'?

The speaker mentions Google's approach to display search results as an example of subtle and clever design that engages the subconscious mind by showing as many 'o's in the logo as there are pages of results, which is a simple and fun way to present information.

What does the speaker say about the MINI Cooper automobile in terms of design?

The speaker says that despite the MINI Cooper having many faults, it is a car that is fun to drive and has an interior design that is round and neat, with controls that work wonderfully, making it an enjoyable experience.

How does the speaker explain the effect of fear and anxiety on the brain's processing?

The speaker explains that fear and anxiety cause the brain to focus by using depth-first processing, which helps in concentrating without distractions, as illustrated by the example of walking a plank on the ground versus 300 feet in the air.

What is the difference between the visceral and behavioral levels of processing according to the speaker?

The visceral level of processing is subconscious and involves instinctive reactions to stimuli like bright colors or bitter tastes. The behavioral level is also subconscious and involves learned skills and habits, which are automatic and controlled by the behavioral side, such as feeling in control while using a well-designed knife or driving a car.

How does the speaker describe the reflective level of processing in design?

The reflective level of processing is about the part of the brain that observes and evaluates actions, often related to personal identity, social signaling, and conscious decision-making. It is exemplified by products that elicit thoughts and emotions beyond their functional use, like a Hummer attracting attention or a watch that impresses others.