What is Emotional Design? | Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)

1. Give your work a signature personality – a face/mascot for users to identify with that suits your brand/organization/industry (e.g., MailChimp’s Monkey, Freddie).
2. Have your design engage users as a character – Include personal touches in all tasks, to reinforce the illusion of a personable helper who knows users like an old friend.
3. Use color/contrast advantageously (e.g., blue for banking = trustworthiness)

4. Craft copy with the right tone to inspire or accommodate emotions . Write appropriate terms/phrases (e.g., Slack’s “You’re here! The day just got better.” greeting). Use fonts and styles that suit the image you want to project.

5. Customize microcopy (labels, etc.) users can relate to which matches your other copy ’s voice/tone .

6. Apply video/sound to carry messages “ in character ” (like in the above).

7. Personalize the experience for different users . (E.g., show users what else they might like, based on their information.)

8. Offer prizes and surprises (e.g., let users check how many likes they have and find new log-in background images). Consider including Easter eggs.

9. Use storytelling .

10. Maintain attention to detail, especially on error messages . Include polite, light-hearted/humorous messages to alleviate users’ frustration whenever problems arise (e.g., downtime).