Donald Norman’s theory of Emotional Design. A theoretical model of the way the human brain responds emotionally to the designs we produce. Norman describes three levels at which we judge the appeal of designs: The ‘Visceral’, ‘Behavioral’, and ‘Reflective’
Visceral Level – The most immediate level of processing, in which we react to visual and other sensory aspects of a product that we can perceive before significant interaction occurs. Visceral processing helps us make rapid decisions about what is good, bad, safe, or dangerous.Behavioral Level – At this level, designs are judged by the extent that they support human tasks and behaviors as intended. It is therefore the primary focus for usability design.
Reflective Level – Refers to the way a design influences people through their capacity for conscious, reflective thinking. Designing at this level therefore requires us to design to appeal to our target audience’s self-image.