Why emotional design is so important

Published: Jan. 20, 2020, 11:25 p.m.

Even though I've talked about the importance of reading in past episodes, the practice hasn't always been perfect. I find my days are filled with with more meetings than I anticipate each week and can truly only dive into a book over the weekends. 

What I've been doing instead, though, is filling the cracks of my days with words. When I find I have 15 minutes in between calls or meetings, I grab a nearby book or pull up Medium articles to find a topic that peaks my interest. 

The latest to do so?

"What Is Emotional Website Design?" by Abigail Stock

In it, she notes that 95% of consumer decisions are made subconsciously. That is a crazy statistic!

But, is there a way to still influence buyers even in their subconscious? 

Stock goes on to cite Don Norman and his book Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things.

"The essential premise is that emotions have a crucial role in the human ability to understand the world and learn new things. In reality, all design is emotional, whether intentional or not; the trick is in shaping the user’s emotional response to the benefit of your product or service."

The concept is simple -- tapping into consumers' emotions can help position your product or service as the superior choice when buying.

In this week's episode, Marcella and I break down how that's possible and why it's so important companies keep this front of mind when redesigning their websites.