The role of emotional design within contemporary design practices and pedagogy

Design has long been intertwined with the behavioural sciences, drawing on insights from psychology and human behaviour to inform the conception of products, services and experiences. Existing theories of emotion in design predominantly frame emotion as an outcome of the user-product interaction, typically recognised at the evaluation stage of the design outcome. This research investigates how emotional design can be embedded in design practice through a multi-method qualitative approach that involves surveys and semi-structured interviews with design practitioners and academics from reputable institutions and organisations in the United Kingdom. The findings reveal that the application of emotional design remains largely intuitive and is often passed down through professional experience rather than through formal design methodologies or education.

This research makes two principal contributions to knowledge. First, it proposes the Emotion-Driven Double Diamond Framework, which systematically integrates emotional considerations throughout the Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver phases of the design process by linking emotional insights, design requirements, and design decisions. Second, it reconceptualises emotional design by identifying three transferable mechanisms, designer techniques, design triggers, and user responses. Together, these contributions advance emotional design from a concept focused on user response to a structured concept and a working framework, providing practical guidance for designers and educators to integrate emotional considerations alongside functionality and usability.