The “Design of
Everyday Things” focuses on how the design of an object affects the
users perception of how the object should be used. The primary focus
is not the look (pretty or ugly) of the design, but the mappings of
functions, feedback given from the object, visibility of certain
functions/information, and how the human mind makes models of an
object by simply looking at it. It discusses design on more of a
scientific level. For example, the book talks about how having
buttons, shaped like something associated with their function, helps
the user determine what the button does and how it is to be used. It
also discusses how information can be gathered from the object and
the environment, so that the user can paint a mental picture of the
affordance of the object. Emotions are left out of the design and the
object's functionality/usability is the main objective the book tries
to convey.
“Emotional
Design” also talks about an objects design; however it discusses
how the look of an object (attractive or unattractive) affects its
ease of use, by manipulating human emotions. Based on the first
chapter, the book focuses on how human emotion and aesthetics affect
how someone uses an object. When someone is happy, they are more
creative and are able to figure out alternate solutions to a problem.
When someone is anxious, they tend to pay more attention to details
and get tunnel vision. These emotions are taken into consideration
and used to design objects that help users during times of stress
and/or relaxation. For example, alarms and flashing lights can be
used to symbolize danger and help workers focus on the problem at
hand, while background music can be used to induce happiness and
creativity on the job. However, overdoing the negative emotion
triggers can cause even greater problems by stressing out the person
and having them focus too hard on one thing, keeping them from
finding a solution to the current problem.
These books differ
from one another because “Design of Everyday Things” talks about
design from a physical standpoint (not looks though), while
“Emotional Design” uses more of a emotional/aesthetical analysis.
They are similar in the sense that they both analyze how the mind
works and how objects can be designed to cater to the way the mind
processes information. Other than that it is the physical appearance
of the design versus the emotions a design generates.
