'Three Ways Good Design Makes You Happy'

Don Norman had a talk a while back where he discussed the three ways that good design makes you happy. He focused on the fact that it is largely part of your subconscious - your opinion's created without conscious realization based solely on how it makes you feel. This being the case, it means that looks count almost as much, if not more, than the actual functionality. He had a quote that really stuck with me - "pleasant things work better". This was really interesting to me because most people think that functionality would be the main thing one should take into account, but appearance overcomes usage more than we would like to admit. This is mainly because it makes us happy; design stimulates neurotransmitters in your brain that excite you. Dan Norman presented these three ways good design makes us happy:

1. Visceral - this is all about how the design makes you feel good and the emotions linked to certain colors, shapes, and symbols. 
2. Behavioral - this is when you feel in control of the product. It is the usability and understanding of a product, but also the feeling that it gives you.
3. Reflective - he described this one as the little voice inside your head. It's what explains why people get Hummer's or Rolex watches - it's all for the wow factor and the attention.

Seeing as he is an expert on design & emotion I know that he hit these right on the head, and being a product consumer I can testify to each and every one of these points. I know that I personally take appearance way more into account than I should. Nike shoes are a large exhibiter of this point. They are definitely the most visually-appealing and popular tennis shoes among my age group, yet they are not nearly as good for your feet as say Asics. Looks plays a huge role in a product's overall success whether we would like to admit it or not, and it will always be something needed to take into account.