Analysis of Norman's, Wittkower's, and Evans' Books on Emotional Design - Book Report/Review Example

? Multiple Topics Outlined First Computer sciences and Information technology d Multiple Topic Outlined Introduction: This paper aims the study of three books and answers the questions. Donald Arthur Norman is the author of several books and his core field is cognitive science. Author of second book Wittkower is a philosopher and concerns the technology and culture field. Author of third book Evans has focused on the social marketing. 1. Donald Norman Changed His Mind (Norman) The book by Donald Norman (2004) is based on the concepts related to Emotional Designs. Author focused on the relation with everyday things. He changed his point if view. He has become more phenomenological than an experientialist, and this transition is quite vital. It is noticed that from last many years, there are no proved concepts available, which are related to the science of experience based logic. He was expecting a surprise from his positivist co-workers. His concepts are changed from the traditional approach of hard science. The approach of hard science is based on experimental results and it is supposed to be an objective, positivist, rigorous and logical approach. Another approach of usability design or experience design needs a mental attitude and it is commonly known as subjective, post-positivist and experientialist approach. The author focused on the dichotomy of objective and subjective approaches. The book is basically about the emotional designs. This is the fourth book by Norman on the topic about everyday things. The other three books are not related to the theme of this book, but all these are only used to understand the feelings of the author. The book contains the chapter on “Personal Reflections”; this is called the refresher of book. Cognition is rutted concept with related to emotions. The manifestation of two in the functionality or behavior describes the good product that means the good design of the product with including the effectiveness of the product as well. According to the previous concepts of Norman’s focus was on usability and the behavioral manifestation, and his new changed concepts presented in this book are related to the effectiveness of the product rather than the design. The brief description about three main characteristics of the effective, behavioral and cognitive components are presented here in the paper. Three different aspects related to the design of the product are shown here. The three aspects of products design are named as visceral design, behavioral design and the cognitive or reflective design. The visceral design is about the outer most appearance of the product. This may be in the type of sight, sound, smell or feel etc. The immediate and effective response, emotions about the designed product is the core of this aspect of design. The behavioral aspect is about the pleasure and effectiveness of use. The response from visceral aspect is very important for behavioral aspect. The bad or geed response reflects the performance of the product. The main purpose of this aspect of design is functions, performance and usability of the designed product. In the third aspect of cognitive design the rationalization of choice is considered. The understanding of the product is the main part of this aspect. For the design procedure of any kind of product or thing, these three aspects must be followed. Without following these concepts, production of products is nearly not possible. According to Norma’s theory, emotions are changed in the way we think, means that our emotions are dependent on the thinking. He wrote that emotions are very important for things used in our everyday life. So the subjective aspect is more demanded for everyday things as compared with objective approach. The author illustrated his concept about objective and subjective approaches through many related examples. The innovations are mostly logical based due to need for business point of view rather considered as the emotion. Author believes that advancement in the designing of products is usually based on emotions. For example, the use of colored television instead of black and white and same example applied for movies. The advancement in the colored a black and white is due to need of business, as well as the emotional need and demand of human being. There is a little difference in thinking about objective and subjective approaches. (Norman, 2004) 2. PHILOSOPHY--A CRASH COURSE (Wittkower) The book of Wittkower (2008) is on the topic of iPod and philosophy, an icon of ePoch. The philosophy has different kinds of concepts and theories from different persons. The philosophy is considered as the ability of human being to reflect and respond based on their experience. The ability of human to think is taken as the core of philosophy. Philosophy is an effort to invent, understand and giving answers to many questions. The linkage between philosophies and popular is gleaming plan for academic point of view. The linkage among computer science and computer engineering is also close to popular culture. The iPod digital devices are introduced in the fall 2001. The world in which we live is a designed world; everything is designed according to need and demands. Everything is designed; it may be seen, touch, feel and taste. All these innovated things are not designed at once; these are designed according to need. Philosophy keeps our minds to think beyond, in vast manner about things and concepts. Uncertainty is vital in the concepts related to the philosophy. The iPod is common in now-a-days and considered as a hyperbole, but it is not a very vast. Using an iPod means that one is fully busy with the world and is a part of universalized experience. The Actor-Network Theory (ANT) is a theory of people. Rather than only the study about world desires, likings and wishes of human, desires, ANT provide the opportunity to technology network to work according to the wish of humans, or thinking of human. The author tried to relate the use of iPod with philosophy because there exists a strong relationship among them. Like philosophy is related to the process of all about thinking and wishes of human according to some concept or phenomena. The users of iPod want to treat the world as they wish as they think. This theory relates the philosophy with iPod. The iPod fulfills many of needs of human as they think to do. The fun games are available on the iPod, and one can play with friends according to his wishes. The author has not used the exact definition of philosophy, but the concept is used in an easy way as it is all about the thinking process. The thinking process of humans is according to the desires and wishes. The iPod tries to fulfill the desires and needs of human being to some extent. The theory of “waves of beauty and truth” is presented in the book. It shows that everything in this world is designed and planned. So in every product or thing the wish, desire and thinking is involved. For making any kind of thing the shape, color, design is according to the thinking of maker. This concept is closely related to the concept of philosophy. Another term used in the book is the Blojet. The term Blojet is the mixture of two different words “blobby and object”. So blojet is the blobby object. The two major examples of blojet are iMac and Volkswagen’s new Beetle. The science-fiction has introduced many examples for blojet. Along with the theory of “waves of beauty and truth”, there exists a concept “behind the beauty and truth waves”. The philosophical concepts related to idealism and realism can explain the theory of behind the beauty and truth waves. The iPod is hybrid interesting innovation consists of different aspects of distribution of information, content control, portability and accessibility. IPods are smart and light in weight and have a lot of stored information for the user. The medium is used for music and some other features. The upcoming advancements in iPods, among new features are according to human demand. The thinking and desires of human are fulfilled to some extent with latest features provided in the iPods. 3. GET READY TO BE A SALESMAN (MALE OR FEMALE) (Evans) The book by Evans (2010) is on the subject of social media marketing. The author focused on the websites available for social media, their uses, importance, benefits and shortcomings. All are discussed in the book. For getting the understanding about media, the latest concept is reduced to a selling and promoting. It is considered that social media marketing is all about the selling the product. The social networking stuff like social networking websites, Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, Travelocity, Orkut, etc. Global platform can considerably affect from the perception made about the company. The wrong conception made for Facebook or Twitter can have a major problem for not only local media but also concerns for global customers. For making good strategies for social media, there is a need to have talent and skills of intern. Sometimes it happens that social media sites are used for marketing. According to author generation Y has become “banner blind”. Such types of things are usually done by interns; they are new to business and use the social media as marketing and it finally provides bad impression to the business of social media. Mostly all these activities are taken for the progress and the improvement of business. But the result is negative for such marketing strategies. The social media marketing teams must be trained for learning the strategies of marketing, efforts for enhancement of a business. Everyone in the company should know about the marketing strategy, it makes good effect on the product performance of the company. It means that not only marketing department should know about the marketing plans, but all members must have knowledge about the new plans and strategies of marketing. On social media sites, like Facebook, social community member are investing their time and as well as they are emotionally connected. The marketing massage should share but within some ethical manners, which makes no harms for the business. The marketing will be presented in such a way on social sites that no one gets rid of such massages. There is needed to make a good balance among social media site and marketing sites. If this is not considered seriously and social sites are totally used as the marketing sites. The community gets affected and finally the business goes down for such sites. So there must be a balance between social and marketing sites. If sites are only used for money-making and social sites are used for marketing, they must lose the customers. This will defiantly make effect to the business. There is trust and relationship among customers to the social brands. The honest behavior is required for social media site. All genuine clients are connected and communicate with each other. There are many factors badly affecting the trust and relationship of customers with social media site, for example, writing fake reviews, comments with fake names, adding hundreds of friends just to increase the number of friends, use of ghost accounts for blog posting and Twitter accounts. Such type of dishonest techniques for making improvement will harm the business in a long run and also give bad impact on customers. Conclusion: Firstly, the experience of Author Donald relevant to emotional design has been given in reference to his co-workers. Dichotomy of objective and subjective approaches of Donald say that design or experience design needs a mental attitude, which is commonly known as subjective. Secondly, concept of philosophy shows the reflection of experience. Relationship between iPod, philosophy, and computer science has been established. Thirdly, the author Evans focused on the use of social websites for marketing purposes. The writer Evans also focuses upon the moneymaking through social websites. References Evans, L.L. (2010). Social media marketing: strategies for engaging in Facebook, Twitter & other social media. Published by Pearson Education, Inc. is publishing as Que publishing, copyright 2010 Que publishing. Norman, D. (2004). Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things. New York,Basic Books. URL: Amazon.com entry, Chapters.ca entry Wittkower, D.E. (ed.). (2008). iPod and philosophy: iCon of an ePoch. Read More