In addition to differentiating technologically identical products, emotional design can be a hedge against user frustration. It's no secret that the novelty of a gadget often is inversely related to its reliability. But when users feel bonded to their devices, they are more likely to consider malfunctions as quirks rather than defects.
"We have love-hate relationships with technology," said design consultant Donald A. Norman, author of "Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things." "I can't live without my cellphone, but it really annoys me. I'm not in control of when my cellphone rings. That speaks to a lack of trust people have regarding their technology. When I use my computer and everything goes well, the emotion I feel is relief. Relief is not a positive emotion; it's the lack of a negative one."
Add to that the fact that gadgets are no longer just about the bits of hardware. Like the iPod, many also wrap in software and services such as Apple's iTunes, which manages songs and sells music downloads. Combining all three components requires more thoughtful attention to what designers call the "consumer experience."
"We think of it as a holistic experience," Sony Corp. design strategist Alex Arie said. "It's not just the hardware, but also everything surrounding it. It's how people connect with it in the store. It's how they open the package when they get home, how they first pick it up, how they use it. It's the relationship they build with the product over time. We want it to fulfill their desires, to become part of their family."
Not everyone is as passionate as Arie about design. Sure, design is a differentiator, but some say how much something costs and how well it works are more important.
"First and foremost, people care about functionality," said Van Baker, consumer electronics analyst at market research firm Gartner Group Inc. "That's why there are so many pretenders to the iPod throne. They think it's just about industrial design. In reality, it's a product that does what I want it to do. The fact that it has a nice design is just a bonus."
But neurologist Antonio Damasio believes that tapping into emotions is more than just a nice touch. In many cases, he said, emotions help drive decisions. In his studies of patients whose brain injuries impaired their ability to express emotions, Damasio found that many had difficulty making decisions, even though they were able to clearly articulate the pros and cons of various options.
