...Bling 4 All...

A useful tool for designing emotions is the user journey.

Emotions are always reactions to something that happened.

A few examples of emotions felt while using applications include - Joy – at succeeding at something; - Concentration, focus – when really wanting to do something; - Confusion, insecurity – when not understanding; - Pride – in achievement; - Fear – of an unforeseen obstacle; - Surprise – either pleasant or not (WTF and WOW) - Enthusiasm – about starting something; - Interest, curiosity, suspenseful thrill – when trying out a new thing; - Anger, disappointment – at undesired results; - Hurry, rush – when just wanting to get it over with.

We design the screens of the app completely differently if we know which emotions to expect on them. Reflect these emotions, and strengthen them with the design.

A success message at the end of a webshop’s checkout process can mirror the user’s joy. Fireworks and a cute dog congratulating come in handy — if it suits our user persona, of course. However, when the user is filling out the order form, the same little dog only annoys and distracts.