1. Pleasure with products

Emotion and design

Visceral design: refers primarily to that initial impact, to its appearance.
Behavioural design: is about look and feel, the total experience of using a product - the physical feel/pleasure and effectiveness of use.
Reflective design: is about ones thoughts afterwards, how it makes one feel, the image it portrays, the message it tells others about the owner’s taste.

First of all, it is difficult to determine whether a design is totally visceral, behavioural or reflective. That's because everyone has differing views and preferences, so what i'm gonna discuss on is subjective. :)

Almost everyone listens to music, and i suppose nobody really dislikes music. Therefore, i've chosen to discuss about audio players.

Visceral



Philips Micro Hi-Fi System MC235B/37
(image taken from www.consumer.philips.com)

Behavioural: Nothing really special, provides basic functions - CD player & radio, wall mountable
Reflective: Does not really have great show-off value; easily afforded by others
Visceral: Sleek, visually pleasing, stylish

I personally like this design very much, the color and the thin design of the system makes it look very sleek. Philips is quite a home-brand, so i would expect a number of households having this audio system.

Behavioural

Panasonic SC-NS55
(image taken from www.panasonic.com)

Behavioural: More functions, universal dock for iPod, ease of use
Reflective: Not very special, looks common
Visceral: Unattractive, bulky

As for this product, it looks alright, but is somewhat bulky. The blocky design reminds me of older types of audio systems. Based on the design, i would not think that this is an expensive product. However, it has more functions as compared to the philips model, so i guess it would be value for money.

Reflective

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 9000
(image taken from www.bang-olufsen.com)

Behavioural: Convenient, not very easy to use - no remote control,
Reflective: Show off status, spending power
Visceral: Modern, cool, stylish

For those who do not know, Bang & Olufsen is focused on the designs of its' products. It caters to people who have high spending power because its' products are really expensive. This audio player looks very cool, and is unique as compared to other designs of audio players/systems. If i knew of someone who has this player, the first thing that will come to mind is that, this person is very rich. In a way, it shows off a person's status and spending power because spending so much on just an audio player, is not something that anyone could do.

0. Bad Design : Sony DSC F-88

The following are 3 photos showing the product in question.


Now, people, do you have any idea how to start using the camera?

Feelings towards the product

Users approached the product with curiosity. Unlike typical cameras, this camera is designed in such a way that the lens is not embedded within the camera body. Instead, the lens is embedded in a rotational fixture that makes up the camera.

Lesson they learnt from the interaction

Friends who have tried using this camera always ask questions relating to the same problem - "how do i switch on the camera?"/"where's the power button?"

The power button is not really obvious to the users. Based on previous experiences with cameras, one would think that the power button would either have a red dot (instead of green) or a power symbol. In fact, there's actually a graphic instruction beside this switch that tells you where the power button is.


Another way to switch on the camera is to simply rotate the lens.


Impression on brand

Users have a positive impression on SONY, because it has been around for quite a long while, and is known for its' aesthetically cool designs.

Reflection on the product and user reaction

Users' reactions matched my predictions. At first encounter, it is difficult to immediately figure out how to start the camera. However, if users look carefully, they would probably figure out how to start the camera on their own. Personally, i think the graphic instructions, combined with the mode symbols, make it somewhat easier to understand where the power button is.

For users with previous experience of handling cameras with 'hidden lenses', they are more likely to figure out that, similar to sliding the cover of the lens to get the power on, a simple rotation of the lens will achieve the same result.

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