How do you create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings?

1 Know your users

The first step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to understand who your users are, what they need, and what they value. You can use various research methods, such as interviews, surveys, personas, scenarios, and user testing, to gather insights about your users' preferences, motivations, emotions, and associations. You can also use tools like mood boards, collages, and sketches to visualize your users' personalities, lifestyles, and aspirations.

2 Define your message

The second step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to define what you want to communicate with your product. You can use a design brief, a vision statement, or a value proposition to articulate your product's purpose, function, and benefit. You can also use a brand identity, a story, or a theme to convey your product's personality, values, and emotions. You should align your message with your users' needs and expectations, as well as with your market positioning and differentiation.

3 Choose your elements

The third step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to choose the elements that will shape your product's appearance and feel. You can use various principles of design, such as balance, contrast, harmony, proportion, and rhythm, to create a coherent and pleasing form. You can also use various elements of color, such as hue, saturation, value, and temperature, to create a mood and a meaning. You can also use various elements of texture, such as smoothness, roughness, hardness, and softness, to create a sensation and a perception.

4 Apply your style

The fourth step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to apply a style that reflects your message and your users. You can use various sources of inspiration, such as history, culture, art, nature, and technology, to create a style that is unique and relevant. You can also use various methods of expression, such as abstraction, realism, symbolism, and metaphor, to create a style that is clear and compelling. You should consider how your style relates to your product category, your competitors, and your trends.

5 Test your results

The fifth step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to test your results with your users and customers. You can use various methods of evaluation, such as feedback, ratings, emotions, and meanings, to measure how your product aesthetics affect your users and customers. You can also use various methods of iteration, such as prototyping, refining, and improving, to optimize your product aesthetics based on your findings. You should aim for a product aesthetics that is desirable, usable, and memorable.

6 Learn from examples

The sixth step to create product aesthetics that evoke emotions and meanings is to learn from examples of successful products that have achieved this goal. You can use various sources of reference, such as books, magazines, blogs, and podcasts, to discover and analyze products that have created strong emotional and meaningful connections with their users and customers. You can also use various tools of comparison, such as benchmarks, criteria, and frameworks, to evaluate and learn from products that have excelled in product aesthetics.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?