Humans are considered to be rational beings. They are likewise emotional in nature. On many occasions, you might have been enticed to grab a chocolate bar or a bag of chips at the retail outlet simply because they appear to be appealing. As a matter of fact, it is not only physical products which have the ability to make us feel a particular way. It might happen in the digital world as well.
In this article, we’ll talk about why user interface design is fundamental to evoke emotions.
What exactly is emotional design in apps and websites?
Emotions are how people make sense of their reality. Instinctively, we have the tendency of repeating positive experiences since they help us to feel good, and we also stay away from the negative ones. We have the ability to learn from our negative experiences, and this prevents us from repeating mistakes over and over again.
Put simply, emotional user interface design is actually how a particular digital product makes us feel. It is the ability to impact the success of any website or app to a great extent, and thus it can impact the bottom line of any enterprise directly. The emotional responses of individuals can be broken down into as many as 3 stages:
• Visceral – This happens to be the most fundamental level of any emotional response, and we would call it “first impressions”. A proper user interface design is something which will make the users feel excited and good right from the very beginning.
• Behavioral – The users are able to assess your product’s personality at the behavioral level. Subconsciously, they are able to understand how simple it is to come across solutions which they are searching for. This might imply how disorderly or organized the interface appears in visual design. Positive emotions can be fostered by the simplicity of usage.
• Reflective – This happens to be the highest cognitive level, and here the users will be weighing the benefits and drawbacks of any product consciously. We actually form the impression of any user interface design at the reflective level.
How emotional design can be used in UI?
Perhaps the most effective way to connect with your users is humor. In fact, this is performed quite well by several companies such as Dollar Shave Club on their product pages. It will be possible to inject humor successfully into your visual design by loading error pages and screen pages. However, make it a point to focus on your audience at all times. You would not like to be deemed as someone annoying or distasteful.
Below, we have mentioned several other methods of applying emotional design to your mobile app or website.
Make use of micro gestures for establishing a connection
Screen shake of Apple for improper passwords happens to be amongst the best instances of micro gestures which help in establishing a relationship with the users. It actually refuses something by mimicking the shake of the head of a human. One more effective way to make the app more personable will be the usage of sounds and emojis. For example, sounds are used by Facebook Messenger for some particular emotions.
Make bad situations more bearable
Google Chrome has introduced the dinosaur game for keeping the users engaged while their Internet connection breaks down. This helps to create a positive experience in place of a negative one. One more method of alleviating negative experiences will be to offer small rewards to your users on 404 pages. The reward might be simply a free e-book on the subject of your domain skill.
Make use of microscopy for becoming more relatable
One notable example of a brand using microcopy for engaging the users happens to be Mailchimp. As a matter of fact, your contact forms, welcome screens, search bars, as well as 404 error messages are opportunities for infusing some personality using microcopy in your brand. Airbnb, Dollar Shave Club, and Grammarly are some of the brands which you can look for to get inspiration on relatable and contextual microcopy.
Customize the experience
Take a hint from MyLife, the mindfulness app. The welcome screen of this app will be checking with the users regarding their feelings. It delivers personalized and guided meditations based on the response of the users. The same principle can be applied to your website as well. Amazon and Netflix happen to be several of the biggest brands which use personalization for creating memorable and positive experiences for the users.
Nevertheless, it is essential for you to have a solid foundation at first. Here, you’re recommended to ask the following questions to yourself:
• How well is the product working for you?
• Can you depend on the product for delivering its functions?
• Is the product simple to use?
• How does the product make your users feel?
In case your foundation is not strong, even the shrewdest emotional user interface design will not be sticking with the users.