Over two billion people are using smartphones, and we are constantly using apps. Whether it's for social media, checking the weather, tracking our fitness and what we eat, or booking vacations, there is an app for almost everything. Consider the apps you have on your phone, and consider why exactly you have chosen to download them. Was it the design? The features? The reviews?People often underestimate the impact that emotions can have on our decision making. By considering users' emotions when developing an app, it will allow your mobile application to survive in the ever-competitive world of apps.
Are web and mobile UX design changing?
Yes, both are moving towards focusing on positive emotions. Often the details we consider insignificant at first glance can cause an emotional response in users. These details give the product a unique identity and allow the app and users to connect and communicate on a personal level. This is known as emotional user experience design.
Why is emotionally intelligent design important for business?
Design can already have a deep impact on potential customers. Emotions have a commercial value in business because they give you the ability to create a long-term relationship. The question is, how do we achieve emotionally intelligent design in mobile apps? This can be achieved in three key areas.
- Facial recognition of expressions
- Natural language processing
- Analysis of physical signals
Further below, we consider deeper how big brands are achieving this today.
The road to interactive relationships with emotional UX design
We all naturally express emotions and have done so since we were young. Consider that when we interact online, we make use of smileys, emoticons, and emojis to let people know and understand how we feel. There are now even colleges that offer courses in emojis as a language! That is exactly how in today's world, coders are learning to identify and capitalize on these user emotions.According to research, these psychological factors can induce positive emotions that technologies can affect:
- Surprise
- Positivity
- Uniqueness
- Attraction
- Anticipation
- Attention
- Responsiveness
- Exclusivity
If we look at these areas, we have a greater chance of obtaining a desired emotional response from our app users.Remember, however, emotional intelligence isn't all about animation effects that appear when the user performs a particular action. It's much more than that; it's a way to make a user experience more interesting and delightful, which in turn will make your app more popular. User experience is what keeps a current customer, and brings in new customers, so it's vital to ensure that user experience is top-notch.Currently Apple and Android are taking emotional intelligence by storm, and, so far, there are four main areas of emotionally intelligent design that are being utilized. These include:
- Personalization: such as the use of personalized in-app and push notifications
- Voice recognition and conversational interface: such as the use of AI and chatbots
- Expression analysis and face detection: the use of Bitmoji
- Analysing physiological parameters: health sensors which allow the detection of a pulse and blood pressure, which results in wearable fitness technologies and blood glucose monitors.
There are many new opportunities in the emotionally intelligent design industry already, but more work is needed. However, the use of emotional intelligence brings endless opportunities into the world of advanced UX design, and is something to be considered in mobile app design. It's an exciting step forward in the world of interactive apps.Call us on (800) 274 2908 for more information.
