Emotional Design

A framework developed by Don Norman describing how people evaluate and form attachments to products through three cognitive levels: visceral (immediate sensory and aesthetic responses), behavioral (functional performance and usability), and reflective (personal meaning, identity, and social significance). In assistive technology, Emotional Design highlights that devices like wheelchairs, hearing aids, and screen readers are not evaluated solely on function — social and emotional factors such as stigma reduction, self-expression, and identity play equally important roles in whether people adopt and value their assistive products. Understanding these emotional dimensions is critical for designing assistive technologies that people actually want to use.