Emotions and User Experience Design
Deadlines, project objectives, tasks, assignments, hours reporting … you name it - We all know the structures and concepts of how projects are managed. But do we really understand what makes awesome things come alive?
The work of the user experience designer is mostly about creating something totally new, amazing, awesome … something that changes your perception. Creativity is hard work in which inspiration is a result of accomplishment, focus and … hard work.
“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.” W. Somerset Maugham
I have had the pleasure of closely following many a design project and some time ago a thought crossed my mind: To design you need to make decisions based on your intuition. Intuition on the other hand is based on emotions.
So my questions are - how do emotions actually affect design, what kinds of emotions does a designer go through along the way… and how well do we understand these emotions as project managers?
During our design processes, we have collected emotions and here is a short recap of what people doing creative work feel during the project.
Emotions
1. I am happy and feel that everything is possible
When a designer receives a brief (task to create something new) the foremost feeling is excitement. The main reason for this feeling is that the designer starts the thinking process and sparks start flying in their brain.
2. I feel frustrated and nothing seems to work
More often, when we receive information about the design challenge, we start seeing what can be done, where the design goes and what are the constraints. Designers typically face analytical problems that require focused thinking, the whole capacity of our brains. We start trying out things, failing, experimenting. After hours of frustration, something is finally produced. Ta-daa! Our first satisfactory design.
3. I fear what the client is going to say in response to my work
Self-criticism is one thing- but think about when someone else starts evaluating your personality, which happens to be in the form of a UI design? It is a tense time for the designer while the client is waiting for a fantastic, awesome, straight to-the-point, mark-hitting masterpiece. We know that the designer must be able to take criticism and we know it is crucial in the creative process, but it still is a fearsome task to undertake.
4. Occasionally I can get a grasp on inspiration
After several attempts, customer feedback and usability tests- there are times when the designer sees the light. In a magical moment of flow, the designer understands the wholeness of the project, feels elevated, and comprehends the logical and emotional reasoning behind it all – the designer feels inspired.
5. It feels ok
When the design project is over, the files are neatly placed in the archives, and the designer’s main task is finished then the feeling is… well, it is hard to describe. Is it positive or negative? Most designers I’ve had discussions with define the feeling by just staying silent (though this can be a Finnish reaction).
This list of emotions is based on discussions and self- reflection. I am sure that the above emotional matrix is more colorful when you start thinking about it. In any case, the UX design process is not easy to manage and one reason for that is the level of emotions involved.
So next time you manage a design project, I would encourage you to reflect on what the emotions are throughout the process. Maybe then you can understand why we sometimes miss deadlines.
Next time, just acknowledge … there is something else in a designer’s mind than the next deadline.
