Introduction—Feelings Matter

Abstract

Emotions are a hot topic in design, human–computer interaction and any area of business these days. Their significance in areas in which people make choices, decisions and engage in action has been undeniable for at least the last 40 years of psychology and consumer scholarship. What once was an extremely contested, fuzzy and (almost) easily scientifically avoidable area, is now at the centre of everyone’s interest. In an era of cognitive computing, artificial intelligence (so-called learning and thinking machines), and optimization, all attention is placed on what makes us human, and the ways in which human thought actually operates. This emotional logic, intentionality and consciousness itself, drive not simply the ways in which individuals process (cognitise) information, but also ways in which society and the built world are structured. Emotions play as much a role in shaping technology design, as they do in the way we experience it. This introduction presents a book that takes many angles towards concretely understanding what it is in design that makes people emotionally experience it in the ways that they do. It introduces the main themes and concepts of the book that include ethics, culture, measurement and design methods. It additionally demonstrates a broader understanding of technology in chapters that investigate graffiti, urban and art experience, filmic experience, architecture and cultural movements. It is hoped that combining this broader cultural-emotional insight into one package will enable readers to connect their design practice and research to the broader system of emotions, culture, ethics, lived experience and technology.