The book that inspired designers to create products people love
Designing for Emotion: Inspiring guidance for the principles of designing for humans
Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter is a foundational guide to designing products people love. Drawing from psychology, storytelling, and interface design, the book teaches readers how use design to build trust with your users, address fears people bring to your product, and create emotionally engaging experiences customers will never forget.
This is the book that has inspired the design work at the White House, Intuit, Zendesk, LinkedIn, Google, and countless others. Lauded by design leaders like Jeffrey Zeldman (“This is the book I wish I had written”) and Jason Fried of Basecamp, Designing for Emotion has been called “timeless” and “essential” reading for product teams.
Originally published by A Book Apart, Designing for Emotion is now available through Design Better.
It’s better to build something that a small number of users love,
than a large number of users like.
—Sam Altman
Learn to how to build an MVP the right way
This book will give you and your team a fresh perspective on how to build an MVP that will immediately engage new customers and help you grow your customer base faster. You’ll learn from companies like Slack, Headspace, Duolingo, and Mailchimp, all of which used emotional design to build a successful business.
Don’t take our word for it …
Designing for Emotion has been praised by some of the most inspiring designers and leaders. Here are just a few:
We’ve seen by now that digital experiences not only delight and empower people, but can also destroy and depress them. Aarron’s reboot addresses these darker concerns while still exhibiting the unfettered optimism he’s brought to the intersection of creative expression and business.
John Maeda, VP Engineering, Head of Computational Design / AI Platform
Business leaders everywhere are now appreciating the power of design. But what exactly is that power? This book breaks down what design is really about, and how to go beyond functional and usable to truly delightful. Chock-full of simple yet powerful concepts and relatable examples, this book will have you feeling more inspired and capable of making wonderful things.
Emotion can be a fuzzy word, but with Aarron Walter’s expertise and insight, you’ll learn how to turn it into an advantage for your business.
Whether you’re designing your first product or evolving a mature system, this book will help you make deeper connections with your users—by making your products feel more human.
Length: 143 pages
Available in PDF and epub formats, free for Design Better Premium subscribers