Given what we know about human emotion and cognition, the notion of ‘the self’ can be viewed as a fundamental human attribute. Our self- image plays a significant role in our daily lives. The clothes we wear, the material objects we purchase and the manner in which we behave are public expressions of our selves. The knowledge we now acquire, from the structure of the human mind, to the influence emotion and consciousness play in our decision- making, makes it difficult to imagine how ‘the self’ could be regarded as anything less. (Norman, 2004)
This chapter will examine the process an individual takes in the creation of self- identity. Human emotion will be considered next to an exploration into the reflexive emotion contained within design. From consumerism to the meaning of everyday objects, the findings made will be used in an analysis of product design to the design of websites.
Material consumption is driven by the complex fears and desires contained in the human mind. It is the process of learning and interacting with our ever-evolving world through the intake of new discovery and experience. Far from the acquisition of newer, shinier things, consumption is a lifelong journey toward the ideal self. As a species we are crippled by our own brilliance. With the majority of problems already solved and the existence of new tools, the under-stimulated human brain must now search elsewhere for stimulation (Chapman, 2007).
There was one man who established power from the under-stimulated minds of the public, and he was Edward Bernays. The father of public relations, he was a pioneer in the field of propaganda in the United States. Bernays believed that people were not in control of their lives, but their fears and desires were. Combining the ideas of psychologists Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter on crowd psychology along with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle Sigmund Freud, he promoted fear and played with the public’s emotions. He enhanced commerce through the promotion of commodities as diverse as cigarettes, soap and books. The cigarette campaign he held in the 1920s was one of his most famous. He helped the smoking industry overcome one of the biggest social reservations of the time which was women smoking in public. In 1929, during the Easter Parade in New York, Bernays sent young models to walk in the march holding lit ‘Lucky Strike’ cigarettes, allowing the media to call them “torches of freedom” in newspapers nationwide. After this historic event, the number of women buying cigarettes rose dramatically. Thus, changing the social taboo of women smoking in public (The Century of the Self, 2002). The cigarette embodied freedom, strength, and independence. Bernays transformed the cigarette into a reflexive product of what women wanted to become. In search of ‘the self’, the women of America began to smoke.
Design reflects the capitalistic importance of the marketplace. There is an emphasis on expensive things to look attractive, to embody an aura of effortless beauty, reflexive of the ideal life. Emotional manipulation by subliminal messaging and propaganda reinforce the conventional wisdom that certain materialized objects can solve the many problems life brings. However, we are subjected to products of desire, not products of use (Norman, 1988). It is an endless journey to the ideal self that has led to the expiration and destruction of working products.
“As the order of society is unstable, so is the relationship between consumption and identity” (Julier, 2000, p.69). Consumption is understood as a blurred and deeply distorted process. However, despite this conventional bid of negativity towards consumption, the designer must comply with this destructive process, as far greater things are taking place (Chapman, 2007). If we examine design that answers to humans deeply embedded emotional needs, a new level of design emerges. This is the reflective level in design and it reassures the designer that we’re not all doomed in the cycle of material consumption.
Reflective design involves the message; it is about culture and the meaning of things - the personal emotions that design evokes. It is also connected to a person’s self-identity and the message that it casts out to the world. The design of any product can suggest assumptions about the gender, age, and outlook of the individual (Norman, 2004).
To understand reflective design the designer must recognize the relationship between people and things. Disregard man as homo sapien or homo luden - man is homo faber – the maker and user of objects. His self a reflection of the things he creates and which he interacts (Csikszentmihalyi, 1981). There is a history of designers injecting personality into the things that they make, whether consciously or not it transforms mechanical things into something more human (Chapman, 2007). The energy applied to design, embodies the goals and skills of the creator. This energy is converted within the product, thus, shaping the identity of the user. These material objects are not just tools to be handled and discarded at an individual’s convenience. They constitute the framework of skill and experience that gives order to the otherwise shapeless self. Furthermore, as designers, the products we create have an astounding impact on the future of humankind (Csikszentmihalyi, 1981).
“While doctors may claim we are consumers of oxygen, water and sunlight from the moment of conception, a philosopher might speak of existence as the opportunity to consume knowledge and experience” (Chapman, 2007, p.32). To demonstrate reflective design, consider two watches. The first watch by “Time by Design” exhibits reflective delight, its main appeal in using an unusual display to tell the time. In contrast, the second watch by Casio is inexpensive, practical and sensible; there is no exciting visual appeal to this watch. However, both watches are reflective. Whether the consumer wants a watch that reflects the mystery and pleasure of knowing how to tell the time on such an unusual display, or whether they prefer a watch primarily for its utilitarian purpose, all reflects on the self-image the consumer wants to portray.
The real value in these watches is far more than the sum of their functions, but lies in the fulfillment of people’s emotional needs. As far as reflective design is concerned, this is the establishment of one’s self-identity, thus, their stance in the world. This sets a difficult task for the designer, as culture, society and time are only few of the invariables to overcome. The reality of reflective design is that it is all in the mind of the beholder (Norman, 2004).
We have a history of instilling human attributes into the things we make. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the first movable type in the mid fifteenth century it was the human hand that inspired him (Walter, 2011). In this comparative examination of reflectivity in product and web design, the product to be analyzed was created within the same mindset as Gutenberg. The ‘Juicey Salif’, first produced in the 1990’s by designer Philippe Starck for design firm Alessi, is a stylish but impractical citrus juicer. Designed on a paper mat that you see in Italian pizzerias, Starck had an intuition while squeezing lemon on his calamari in the restaurant.
In a state of play, his imagination, creativity and innovative thinking is evident on the paper mat. When Starck invested his psychic energy into the design, the product became “charged” with the energy of the agent (Csikszentmihalyi, 1981). Starck’s “exploration, increased the knowledge and psychological complexity” of the product (Norman, 2004, p.104). For this design to succeed, Starck realized that the product had to be as rich and complex as the innovation he received in the pizzeria. Transferring the interplay between the calamari and lemon juice, there is also a never-ending interplay among the design elements. If a product is to achieve a long lasting emotional connection with its user, two components are required: the rich and powerful experience instilled within the design, and the users skill in reflecting with such experiences.
The seductive power of this design surpassed issues of price and performance for consumers. The ‘Juicey Salif’ withholds the ability to create an emotional bond with the user. The product itself answers several emotional needs. Unlike any other kitchen appliance of its kind, it delivers surprising novelty when its function is understood. The shape and form of the product creates a sense of curiosity, confusion and perhaps fear of its sharp edges and dominating stance. The mundane act of juicing is transformed into a special experience. Starck’s innovative approach to a simple, elegant shape creates desire to possess not only the juicer, however, the values that attributed to its creation. As much as this product identifies itself with the designer, it reinforces this identity to the user (Norman, 2004).
The Salif Juicer tells a story. It is reflective of the emotion and innovation Starck injected into the design. To maintain this high standard of reflexivity in a design is a complex task and involves the knowledge of human emotion. When executed to this high extent, objects become “representations that stand for the vast range of experiences that make up and shape the self” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1981).
While surrounded by objects that constitute a large portion of our created identity, a lot of our everyday objects have been transferred to the ever-growing digital world of websites. This new high demand for websites, lends opportunity for the designer to build fast and cheap sites. Unless the designer preserves the human touch that embodies good design, design that reveals the emotion instilled by the artist or designer, computers will forever remain mechanical and never human. Showing ourselves in our work isn’t optional – it’s essential. While big factories are still creating disposable mass-market goods, websites can no longer fall into the same pattern of fast and cheap. Users of today expect websites to reflect a personality they can associate with. Design that is distinctly human, individual, reflective of a real person behind the code, and honest – maintaining the trust you receive from a product of design (Walter, 2011).
One website that uses psychology and craftsmanship to create an experience that is reflexive of human-to-human interaction is the online social networking service Twitter. The interface design of Twitter gives the user a sense that there is more than just a screen with a bunch of code and images. There is a felt human presence, which makes the website feel comfortable and its users’ connected. How did the design team at Twitter apply this level of reflexivity? The use of patterns, user engagement and personality are a few emotional design principles applied to the design of Twitter.
We humans are complex beings but one thing we have in common is an emotional lexicon guiding us through life. Emotion is an essential survival tool. We search for human connection in everything we interact with. Human connection can be identified through abstract things such as proportion. Pythagoras and the ancient Greeks discovered a mathematical division of proportions found repeatedly in nature: the Golden Ratio. This concept has been used in art, design and architecture, though our minds may not be conscious, the Golden Ratio creates a universal perception of beauty. Evident in product design such as the Ipod, Doug Bowman and his design team also incorporated this into the redesign of Twitter (Walter, 2011).
With this, Twitter has already succeeded in creating a site reflexive of human nature. Jack Dorsey, one of Twitter’s initial creators explains how the name was created by definition of “short bursts of inconsequential information and chirps from birds. And that’s exactly what the product was” (Clow, 2011, p.440). Twitter is internationally identifiable by its signature bird logo. It remains in the brand name and the design of the logo alone that a personality has been created, an online persona that millions of users can relate to.
The personalities that manifest the ‘Salif Juicer’ and Twitter, serve as platforms for emotional connections. Once a connection is formed the individual begins to view the design on a reflexive level. Playing a significant role in the journey of self-identity.