3.0 Emotional Design Why we Love Or Hate everyday things - Donald Norman

Now.. try look to your right, to your left and around you.. What you can see? There are many creatures and objects to talk about. If we open our eyes and minds wider, we would find many miracle things in this world that are difficult to interpret and explain.  Similarly, each objects in this world that contains variety of color, shape and function. There are all very subjective. Not everyone thought the same thing when they see an object. For example, when we gave ‘X’ shape, one person will tell us that he/she see it as a symbol of multiply. Another person will tell us that he/she see it as wrong message. When the ‘X’ colored by red, other person tell us it is dangerous sign. One other person will say it is icon in computer as ‘exit’. Nobody right and nobody wrong in this case. Through my reading from a fantastic book written by Donald Norman (2004), entitled "Emotional Design: Why We Love or Hate Everyday Things", I can see many different views in each object created in this world especially in design perspective and principle. It is influenced by the mental modal generated since we were born. They all share one property, however the condition can be recognized simply by the sensory information. The visceral level is incapable of reasoning, of comparing a situation with past history.

Sometimes, I always asked to myself and friends, why when we look and touch an object, we could distinguish the feeling either we like it or not the object. Do we love the shape, decoration or the way it is colored ??. Through this book I realized that the design also can affect feelings towards human. It is happen when emotions, moods, traits and personality are all aspects of the different ways in which people’s mind work especially along the affective emotional domain. Therefore, we can see and differentiate the products produced by a person while he is happy, sad, lonely or excited. Sometimes, the several levels of cognitive and emotional system arguing among themselves. Therefore, we often experience that is too hard to choose when we are going for shopping. For example, we love a shirt which is good in design and style, but unfortunately we do not like the color. Finally, we will fell disappointed and sad.Still, emotions win.

There are also the designs that influence belief and the spirit of a people such as the statues and sculptures on the island of Bali. Each sculpture in stone and wood bring a thousand and one of great significance to the people there. Design also may reflect the power and greatness of a person or an organization. For example, a logo design by team will choose strong and powerful form. They also use bright and vivid colors. It showed them a team that is unmatched by other teams and it will enhance their spirit to win.

Satisfying people’s true needs, interest and requirement is difficult. In this case, designer plays a very important role. They must be aware of the sensitivity of each culture, religion and belief that the resulting design can be accepted by all classes of society and level of age. Designer has to always think creatively and critically. This is because; every human has a different level of thinking. To some designers, the challenge seems overwhelming but for others it inspires. Designer have to brave to use every opportunity, space and time available to create something meaningful and useful  although the design is very simple. They also need to try something new and not depends to only one perspective. Sometimes they have to become a researcher or investigator. To produce something that useful and meaningful, this is closely related to the usability, which describes the ease with the user of the product can understand how it works and how to get it to perform. For this matter, the user experience is highly considered. It is because, confuse or frustrated of the person who is using the product will perform emotions negative result. It is not good for those we called designer.

  

Every people have their own appreciation or point of view on something. It is human being right since they have been brought to this beauty world. Different perspective, comments, ideas, gives us variety of fresh knowledge. If we just easily agree and stick to just one answer, WHAT IS THE BEAUTY IN OUR LIVE? MEAN ANYMORE? Based on my post ON THE AESTHETIC EDUCATION ON MAN, what I am trying to say that, live with a lots of options and choices is so much fun! We will be more open minded about everything, gain a lot more knowledge and live in the colorful of life. I feel very pity for those who live in cliché life. They really love to live just in the comfort zone. 

Here, try to consider Donald A. Norman brilliant perception; he said that   “A major theme for of this book is that much of human behavior is subconscious, beneath conscious awareness. Conscious comes late, both in evolution and also in the way the brain processes information; many judgments have already been determined before they reach consciousness. The affective system makes judgments and quickly helps you determined which things in the environment are dangerous or safe, good or bad. ”

Very deep huh?

My dream is to become a designer who can produce a product or services that is not only useful at present, but it is flexibility to be used for ten or twenty years that contains the values of emotions, fresh, far from cliché , aesthetic (from my understanding), creative and more .  In summary, through this book I can understand the need for a design that is closely linked with feelings and emotions.  Not only the design that is designed in accordance with the principles and conditions only.I believe, by guiding with this fantastic knowledge from the book of Emotional Design Why we Love Or Hate everyday things by Donald Norman,I do learn a lot of thing that change and improve my visions towards design world and i really enjoy reading it.

" Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand" - Donald Norman

Thank You.

MUHAMMAD AFFIFUDDIN BIN MD IBHARIM

D201110047239

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

2.0 On the Aesthetic Education of Man.

Based on my reading and understanding of  “Letters Upon The Aesthetics Education Of Man" by J. C. Friedrich Von Schiller, the collections of letters written by Schiller is all about his intelligent and very deep perspective about beauty in the aesthetics. All the words, point of view, elaborations and examples brilliantly fabulous that can even be used as a reference to the world of art and humanization nowadays.

Each true man have his own principle in life. So did Schiller. These letters shows his love towards Beauty and art in human even for himself. As what that i had read, There are lots of issues that can be discuses in this blog. The main point that i can state that how the beauty and art being the part of aesthetic, how the combinations for these two elements can build a better days and happiness towards future civilizations, and what is the principle of the Schiller himself. Besides, he also give the philosophic basis for his doctrine of art, and indicates clearly his view about beauty in human life.

Before I go through to the points and elaborations, I have been brief that this post should be contain the objective: 1. Describe the aesthetic issues discuss by author of the article given which in this case its Schiller 2. Demonstrate individual conception of beauty with reference to particular argument and  3. Analyses and juxtapose the aesthetic argument highlighted in the reading material  where as my reading material entitled The Aesthetic Education of Man.

My friends and I do have some group’s discussion on this and all of us agreed that BEAUTY is the main element from this 1th until 5th letters. For examples, based on the sentence “moral experience can be applied in greater truth in a manifestation of what is “beautiful”. Interesting isn’t it? How the beauty can bring freedom technically? By my point of view the words of beauty can be define in a lots of elements. In this context, the beauty of moral can bring us better days. With the beauty of moral, the peoples can build a better life, our environment can be safer, Peoples can growth a lots of pure values in their heart and be a better human. For me, good moral developments are more important than technology and financial developments only. For examples, we can see nowadays we live in such modern era but our civilizations moral keep moving backwards .Society sickness like drugs, robbery, and corruption still not find the death end.

Every human have their own thought and perspective. I can feel in my bones that this is what Schiller believe.From my reading, its states that "they would rather incur any reproach than that of a sectarian bias,and would prefer to succumb by their innate feebleness than sustain themselves by borrowed authority and foreign support"


 Why should this happen? I believe this is because people on that time lack of strong confident so they let their weakness control themselves. 

The words " they will appear as the verdict of reason pronounced from time immemorial by
common consent and as facts of the moral instinct which nature, in her wisdom, has given to
man in order to serve as guide and teacher until his enlightened intelligence gives him
maturity" can be a proof that each human have right and reasons to have some agreement in some certain issues.Its shows that the beautiful of moral should applied in life because it can lead us to the intelligent human thinking and a better civilizations.

I also find in the that some ideology of Kant's system that philosophers did disagree but the the people agree with the ideology.Its shows that people have their own opinions on something. 

In the 2th letter, i found the words “If we are to solve that political problems , in practice, follow the path of aesthetics, since it is through Beauty that we arrive at freedom” I do believe what Schiller trying to say that the significant political freedom when the beauty of moral can be achieve. The higher education’s, higher moral can bring to the different of philosophical points of view.  

In the 5th letter, its states that philosopher against political artist of their different view towards beauty and art. Philosphers said that when art peoples break the rules, they will feel guilty about it but for the high profile peoples, they deny it because of their standards and ego.

In the book also state "For art gas to leave reality,it has to raise itself bodily above necessity and neediness; for art is the daughter of freedom, and it requires its prescriptions and rules to be furnished by the necessity of spirits and not by that of matter".For me, we should guide ourselves by create our own rules in lifestyle, principle, self-confidence, own point of view to achieve freedom and not only obey to the rules that have been given.If we did,our beauty of mind and principle will be vanishing.

What happen to the philosophers that turn to the political side? I am not sure if I’m elaborate it right but based on my understanding these peoples actually believe that politic decide their life. They forget that we have our right to create or manipulate laws. It’s based on the way we thinking. The Brilliant ones can live by himself principle and create a better world.     

I do agree if someone said that these philosophies of Schiller intend to guide people nowadays preventing a bad humanizations. Again, about moral beauty, “that men are never satisfied with what nature has given them and they will also find a way to get what he desires (which subsequently is what nature anticipated him to do)” . The revolutions only can be created by men that have experience, braveness, brilliant thought and ideas. Peoples have different perspective and ideas of something so people have right to make a choices. Each choice has their own consequences. If we make wrong choices, we can always correct and improve it. But if we make it right, we can create the  world of revolution and freedom. That is the true concept of life.

How beauty and art bring the happiness toward human can be main materials in this book. I do believe with beauty, it can change the world as by the proof I have state above. Every action, decisions, doing, thinking, attitude have its own beauty of consequence and impact depends on the beauty of moral that we plant in our life.

For conclusions, together, let us applied these principles of schiller’s  in our daily life so that we can taste the real meaning of beauty, be a great civilizations, and provide to our next generations that World is always better place to live like it suppose to.

Thank You.

Muhammad Affifuddin Bin Md Ibharim

(D20111047239)

By applying beauty in our humanity,we can create a better future.