Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation

Emotion in design
Oscar ter Bogt1 1 Student in Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente, the Netherlands

Abstract
This paper explores emotional content in product design. It discovers whether it is possible that design influences the peoples feeling of wellbeing, and from that, whether a products design can manipulate the persons emotions and mood. The aim is to find out if this kind of manipulation by design is possible, and if so, how this can be applied in order to design products that improve peoples mood and wellbeing. Contemporary products are designed with an underlying thought. They have to be good-looking, simple, enriching, stylish, et cetera. The consumer chooses one product because it looks better and seems nicer than the other products. However, looks better and nicer are not quantitative variables. Yet, these emotions are made measurable when looking in the brain of the consumer. Often, unconsciously choices are made because of brain stimuli. It examines how emotions are created in the brain, what happens in the brain when emotions occur and why something is either called pretty or ugly. Design has influence on the wellbeing of a person. By giving the product a specific design, the emotions of a person can be influenced. The design has a meaning and can determine the way the customer experiences the product. This way, the product and the user are communicating in an emotional way. There are a lot of similarities between shapes and experiences. These shapes are often related with shapes that can be found in nature or mathematics. The characteristics of pleasant shapes are described and put in relation with emotions. When it is found out which shape fits creates which emotion, then designers can start to use shapes in their design in order to be able to manipulate the customers emotions, thereby changing their environment into a pleasant scenery.

Keywords
Emotion, design, experience, limbic system, influence of design, humidifier

1 INTRODUCTION Our perceptual experiences of products in our world is richly numerous. These experiences arise from our senses. People can, when the product, feel its shape, and create an image of the product that will be confirmed by the eyes. But, when the user interacts with a product, there is more than one sensory system concerned in the interaction. People can touch the products shape, see it, smell the fragrance and hear the sound. Additionally, all the senses give people the unique ability to generate different impressions and experiences of products. It is interesting how these sensory systems work and what it does with the users perception of emotion by the products design. The goal of this research is finding out whether design plays a role in experiencing the product emotionally, and if it is possible to influence this emotional experience. It is an established fact that experiences come into existence because of the sensory systems, but these are being controlled by an intelligent system in the skull cap: the brain. In order to start this research we start at the very beginning, namely what is emotion and how emotions are being controlled

SPACE by the brain. After this theoretical explanation, the theory will be linked to the case of the humidifier. 2 WHAT IS EMOTION? Emotions can be described as an inner experience or feeling. However, in a more biological way, emotion is a reaction of the brain to an occurrence. Emotions are called up by observations, physical appearances of emotions from other people, peoples own thoughts and fantasies, and a specific mood. Emotions are partly caused of nurture, and partly of nature. In the brain, there is a network that regulates emotion. (Droit-Volet & Meck, 2007; Green & Jordan, 2002; Hyypp, 1996; Mayer & Salovey, 1995) 3 EXPERIENCES IN THE BRAIN Emotions occur in the centre of the brain. The emotion centre is positioned near the temples. Here, emotions are regulated, also how a person experiences a product emotionally.

Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente

Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation 3.1 Limbic system chemical process, the electronic stimuli are made and activated. There are different kinds of neurotransmitters in the brain, that have different information and are also concerned with the regulation of emotions. These neurotransmitters are not only a result of the emotions, they are also able to modulate emotions with feedback to the brain. A neurotransmitter that is concerned with emotions is dopamine. Dopamine is amongst others situated in the mesolimbic system, the emotional circuit that is described earlier. dopamine has a positive effect, like feeling good after being rewarded. (Hung Choy Wong, Buckle, & Van Tol, 2000) Another emotion neurotransmitter is serotonin, that is involved with mood, self-confidence, sexual activity and appetite. Our way of feeling is very dependent of the amount of serotonin we have. The third neurotransmitter that is involved with emotion is noradrenalin, that is also concerned with feeling, but also with depression, tension, fear and excitement. A last neurotransmitter that must be mentioned is oxytocin. This does not relate directly with emotion, but with trust and affection. A high level of oxytocin leads to a feeling of being connected with something. It is very important in the bond between mother and child. (Hung Choy Wong, et al., 2000) 3.2 Influencing the brain In order to link the foregoing parts to the subject, it would be logical to wonder whether that what happens in the brain can be influenced by the design of products. About neurotransmitters van be told that these are created by proteins that are innutrition. The amount of neurotransmitters decide about emotions. When there are too little or too much neurotransmitters, illnesses like Parkinson, Alzheimers, schizophrenia and ADHD. The neurotransmitters cannot be influenced by design and therefore the electric stimuli must be influenced with for example medicine and drugs. It is not possible to change these with the aid of design or colour. A person can get a good feeling with a specific design, but the design is not the cause of a change in the amount of neurotransmitters. 4 INFLUENCE OF DESIGN Design cannot manipulate the communication in the brain, but colour, shape, material and smell are definitely able to call for different emotions. Why do we a specific aesthetic experience by a product and why do we like things?

Figure 1.

Limbic system.

The centre in which emotions are regulated, is called the limbic system. The limbic system exists from the hypothalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus. In this system, the four Fs are very important. These four Fs are said to be the four basic drives or mind states that human beings are evolutionarily to be good at. The four Fs are the following: fighting, feeding, fleeing and fornication. Especially the hypothalamus is concerned with these four Fs, but also is it concerned with the regulation of all aspects of emotions, body temperature, thirst, and such. (Ono, 2008) 3.1.1 Parts of the limbic system The amygdala is an almond shaped core of neutrons, that links information that comes from different sense organs to emotions. The individual determines with each new situation which emotional reaction fits best. Less positive is that the amygdala is mostly concerned with negative emotions, such as aggression and fear. Nearby the amygdala, the hippocampus is situated, shaped as a sea horse (in Latin called hippo campus). This part is especially concerned with saving new memories that relate to specific facts or happenings. These three parts in the brain have a great share in regulating our emotions. Here, the emotions people show are decided upon. In order to manipulate the emotions in the brain, it has to be studied how parts of the brain communicate with each other. When these signals can be influenced, it should be possible to manipulate emotions. (Burgdorf & Panksepp, 2006; Ktter & Meyer, 1992) 3.1.2 Neurotransmitters The communication in the limbic system happens the same way as in the rest of the brain. The estimated ten billion neurons in the brain transfer information via a very complex process. Similarly, this happens with information about emotions. A neuron sends an electronic stimulus to another neuron. Via neurotransmitters and a complex

Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente

Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation 4.1 Shape When talking about the shape, a lot of cognitive processes play a role, such as interpretation, retrieval from memory, and associations. With these processes, we recognize and assign metaphors and symbolic significance, and we grant personal worth to a product. By far the most prominent sensory system for shape is the visual system. It allows us to navigate through the world without bumping onto objects. It plays a prominent role in the identification of things, it can be said that people like to look at things that support identification. These things are patterns that bring order in the flow of information, as the Gestalt psychologists very well describe. People do like rhythm and patterns, we make our own visual artworks and derive pleasure of art, and art itself is doing exactly the same. A definition of art is to preserve unity while almost allowing for chaos (Hekkert, 2006) When a pattern is ambiguous, it can be interpreted by different ways which adds the overall aesthetic impression of design. Using a metaphor in design is much more widespread and not restricted to language. A simple design feature like a metaphor can have a big effect on our experience. A way of doing this is by mirroring or abstracting the human body, or any other living-being parts, also called referential semantics (Demirbilek & Sener, 2003). Every shape has a certain relationship with emotional responses. The next list mentions some. Verticals: Dignity, Strength, Stability, Permanence, Aspiration. Horizontals: Repose, Calm, Quietness, Peace, Tranquillity, Balance. Diagonals: Dramatic or Vigorous Movement, Excitement, Restlessness, Agitation. Angles: Insecurity, Confusion, Agitation, Action, Dash, Strife. Rectangles: Strength, Stability, Utility. Triangles: Permanence, Security. Rhythm: Movement, Grace, Charm. Circles: Fullness, Charm, Motion, Intensity, Vastness, Eternity, Equality, Deliverance.

A good design does not need labels or instructions, it has to be clear and intuitively designed (Demirbilek & Sener, 2003). 4.2 Colour Colours have the ability to influence the emotional well-being. Specific combinations of colours can produce different meanings. They can create different symbolic associations. This is in line with a study of Karakucuk (2005), that says that colours are the reflectance of cultural and historical aspects of the people living in a different environment. Complementary colours act as intensifier of each other (Demirbilek & Sener, 2003). In Valdez & Mehrabians (1994) study, pleasure arousal and dominance reactions on colour samples were tested. It is not only about the colour but also hue, saturation and brightness of the colour. More saturated colours, like red, elicited a greater level of arousal than the less saturated colours, such as green. The study showed that brighter colours (e.g., whites, light greys, or lighter colours) are more pleasant, less arousing, and less dominance-inducing than the less bright colours (e.g. black and other dark colours). The findings can be generalized to that darker colours elicit feelings of anger, hostility, or aggression. Low-saturation and high brightness elicit low levels of arousal and dominance, and therefore reduce aggression and anger. In a similar vein, pink products give a less sad feeling than blue or white. The data they got indicated that blue is a pleasant colour. However, blue hair or blue food are not expected to elicit pleasant reactions. This is because of the inappropriateness of the colour on the particular stimulus (hair or food). So, it is important that colours are used in reasonable and probable situations. Most psychological research concludes, for example, that red and yellow are perceived as
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Figure 2.

Gestalt-figure.

Our sensory systems want order in the chaos, also in form and design, known as Gestalt laws such as symmetry, grouping, continuation, and closure. An exception with regard to harmony seems to be contrast. Contrast helps us to detect dissimilarities between features or objects that seem to, but do not belong together. People like to solve puzzles, like to see connections, and are pleased to invest effort in finding them. At the same time, people have always been attracted by new, unfamiliar and original things (Hekkert, 2006). Using fun in design can give the product more humour and make it more human, and convey a sense of happiness. Like fun, there is also cuteness. A babys smile has the power that gives unconditional happiness, and gives power to the people in environment.

Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente

Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation warmer than green and blue. A little bit in contrast with Valdez and Mehrabian, Fenko, Schifferstein, & Hekkert (2010) say that darker and more saturated colours tend to be warmer. They agree with Valdez and Mehrabian that colours depend of brightness and saturation. Colours create different emotions. (McDonagh & et al., 2004) 4.3 Material The choice of material is not only about which material is preferred and looks best, it also depends of the stages of the design process. Technical properties of materials and the manufacturing are important to make the correct choice. Nevertheless, disregarding this and looking only at the sensorial aspects of materials, there are some possible considerations. A lot of materials have intangible characteristics that influence emotions differently (Karana, Hekkert, & Kandachar, 2008). A tangible characteristic of material that influences a sensory system is the warmth of the material. This tangible feature can influence the intangible emotions. For instance, metal generally feels colder than wood, even though both materials are practically at the same temperature. This is due the thermal properties of the materials. A product feels cold when it extracts warmth from the skin. Besides the fact that the material needs to have a temperature below body temperature, it also needs to have a low temperature resistance. Glass and metal have these properties and feel colder at low temperature than wood or plastics. When the material temperature is higher than body temperature, it is the opposite. There is also a difference in texture and finishes of products, smooth feels colder than rough (Fenko, et al., 2010). Gloss finishes are more hygienic than other styles. Gleaming can give the product more class and sophistication. But both have a negative point that it is easily to getting dirt (Jordan, 2000). By choosing a material for a product, the designer not only has to think of product use and situation, but also of the design process. 4.4 Other design tools There are also other issues a designer must comply and are important by a design. People assign values to products that they own, use or wear. These values are related to aspirations of status or life styles which give a pleasant feeling, associations are important. Another useful design tools are sound and smell. It can add detail to an experience. Important for pleasantness is the usability of a product. In order to create pleasurable products, they have to be positive in use (Jordan, 1998). Mugge, Govers, & Schoormans (2009) argued that designers should pay attention to the consistency and coherence of all facets of product design . 5 CASE: HUMIDIFIER Based on the theory, the design process of the humidifier is started. The electric components of the humidifier are already determined. The case is to design the outside of the product according to the theme experience. At the start of the project, demands and wishes of the principal, specifications of the humidifier, and a description of the target group where given. 5.1 Mapping At the beginning of the designing process, there are set several limits in order to make the product meet the wishes of the principal. The product has to be designed for Philips and has to fit in their product range. Besides, it has to fit in the theme: emotion and design. The aim is to make the product call for the emotion that is planned for. Besides market research and brain storming, there has been done research after Philips product line, in order to see which product fit on which position in de emotion map (figure 3).

Figure 3.

Emotion map.

The outcome of the research, is that a lot of synthetic products are designated to comfort. The design products are often made of metal and have stern and smooth shapes. There are not many products that people would call happy. The Senseo machine with flower print however gives most people a happy feeling. Thus, it can be concluded that colour and print are very important for happiness. Simultaneous to the research, three emotion scenarios have been created. One of the demands of these scenarios is that they are pleasurable, and certainly not negative. The pleasure that is looked for is the so called ideopleasure. Here, it is important that the product
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Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente

Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation expresses a good feeling that it has to transfer to the user.(Demirbilek & Sener, 2003) 5.2 Emotion scenario The emotion scenarios are choosen according to the mapping research. There is one negative factor in the map, and that is sadness. Hapiness is positive, comfort and design are called neutral. The most exceptional scenarios are choosen: one that brings hapiness, one that is pure design, and one that is mentioned comfort. These are the scenarios with the corresponding characteristics: Comfort: domestic, safe, care, secure, simple, compassion. Joy: happy, bright, pleasant, colourful, fun, amusing. 5.3 Designing The humidifier has to fit in the earlier mentioned modern surrounding. It has to be a product that can operate mostly automatically, because the target group does not want to have to worry about it. It can be a stylish product that can be seen, but it has to be modest enough to not pull all the attention to it. When looking at the characteristics of the scenario and materials that can be used, metal fits best. Metal is modern, pure, cold, pristine and durable and robust (Karana, et al., 2008). The water tank will be made of bright glass, which characterizes the emotion scenario. The shape is a combination of verticals, horizontals, and circles, because these shapes are corresponding with character of the scenario. But overall, symmetry is an important factor in the shape (according to the Gestalt Principle). Furthermore, it needs to meet the wishes of the principal.

Pure: natural, tight, modern, stylish, hygienic, sleek. For each scenario, there is a fitting picture choosen, that shows the aspects of scenario. As example of what these pictures look like, pure will be used, because the product that will be produced, is based on this scenario.

Figure 4.

Scenario. Figure 7. Humidifier design of pure-scenario.

Figure 8. Figure 5. Surrounding.

Gothic symbol of air, Triskell.

Grid inlet and outlet are designed with the Gothic symbol of air, named Triskell. 5.4 User interface The device needs to be handled. However, every extra item that is added harms the pure emotion of the design. Therefore, there is chosen for a user interface that remains invisible until the user wants to control the device. The interface appears when a hand is nearby. This way, the smooth design will remain pure and there are no unnecessary lightening objects on it.

Figure 6.

Target group.

Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente

Sixth Conference and Exhibition on Design and Expectation Selecting one of the different options is done by sliding the finger over a touch strip, and thus the user scrolls though the menu. In the design, typography is taken into account. A modern font is chosen: Futura. The time is shown in symbols. Hekkert, P. (2006). Design aesthetics: principles of pleasure in design. Psychology Science, 48, 157-172. Hung Choy Wong, A., Buckle, C. E., & Van Tol, H. H. M. (2000). Polymorphisms in dopamine receptors: what do they tell us? European Journal of Pharmacology, 410(2-3), 183-203. Hyypp, M. T. (1996). Descartes' error. Emotion, reason and the human brain. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 41(4), 386-386. Jordan, P. W. (1998). Human factors for pleasure in product use. [doi: DOI: 10.1016/S00036870(97)00022-7]. Applied Ergonomics, 29(1), 25-33. Jordan, P. W. (2000). Designing pleasurable products: an introduction to the new human factors. London: Taylor & Francis. Karakucuk, O. A. G. S. (2005). Colors and Cultural Interactions in the Turkish Sport Clubs. The sport journal, 8 number 2. Karana, E., Hekkert, P., & Kandachar, P. (2008). Material considerations in product design: A survey on crucial material aspects used by product designers. Materials & Design, 29(6), 1081-1089. Ktter, R., & Meyer, N. (1992). The limbic system: a review of its empirical foundation. Behavioural Brain Research, 52(2), 105-127. Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1995). Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 4(3), 197-208. McDonagh, D., & al, e. (2004). Design and Emotion: the experience of everyday things. London: Taylor & Francis. Mugge, R., Govers, P. C. M., & Schoormans, J. P. L. (2009). The development and testing of a product personality scale. Design Studies, 30(3), 287-302. Ono, T. (2008). Role of the limbic system in emotion and memory. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 69(3), 201-201. Press, M., & Cooper, R. (2003). The Design Experience. 210. Valdez, P., & Mehrabian, A. (1994). Effect of Color on Emotions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123, 394-409. 8 BIOGRAPHY Oscar ter Bogt is a master student in Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente. He has a background in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design Engineering, as well as in Product Design.
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Figure 9.

Timer symbols (Jordan, 2000)

6 CONCLUSION There is a lot possible with design, also influencing emotion. This is not directly in the brain possible, because here, the communication happens because of chemical processes that can only be influenced with food, medicine or drugs, not by design. Sure thing is that the sensory systems can be manipulated, with for example the choice of material and shape. A sensory that has been earlier mentioned in this paper is the sense of smell. When using for example an air freshener like Ambi-pur, it is possible to create a nice smell and therefore influencing a persons emotion with this sensory system. A designer also has to think of symbolism and shaping of a user interface. . However, there can be a lot going on about manipulating emotion, but a designer always has to think of the use of the product. This will have the main influence on the choice of material. But no matter the intention of the designer: each individual will experience a product in a different, personal way (Press & Cooper, 2003). 7 REFERENCES Burgdorf, J., & Panksepp, J. (2006). The neurobiology of positive emotions. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 30(2), 173-187. Demirbilek, O., & Sener, B. (2003). Product design, semantics and emotional response. Ergonomics, 46(13), 1346 - 1360. Droit-Volet, S., & Meck, W. H. (2007). How emotions colour our perception of time. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(12), 504513. Fenko, A., Schifferstein, H. N. J., & Hekkert, P. (2010). Looking hot or feeling hot: What determines the product experience of warmth? [doi: DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2009.09.008]. Materials & Design, 31(3), 1325-1331. Green, W. S., & Jordan, P. W. (2002). Pleasure with Products: Beyond usability. London: Taylor & Francis Inc.

Student Conference of the course Design and Emotion at Industrial Design Engineering at the University of Twente