CHARACTER and TONE
to be embodied in the design
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
phrased as concrete and
actionable guidelines
want to feel in relation to a product or service.
In short, these techniques are
successful for exploring affinities because they are based on
activities that people naturally
do well: telling stories about
their experiences in their terms
and responding to stimuli presented to them.
DESIGN ACTION
Brand Design
messaging, signature elements,
visual language
Industrial Design
features, form, color,
material, finish
Service Design
actors, objectives, tools,
workflow, affordances
Interaction Design
taskflow, functions, element
behaviors, cues, feedback
early ideation, development,
testing, and refinement
AFFINITIES
September + October 2010
[ 5] Most important,
affinities must be
addressed in all phases
of development, includ-ing discovery phases
when we define the
offering, in design activ-ities while we are creat-ing concepts, during
validation phases when
we ensure we success-fully built the correct
emotional connections,
and finally, in refinement
activities when we iter-ate on solutions and
focus the design more
precisely.
interactions
provide initial design direction,
the style boards can be created
with images of familiar, real-world products. A second round
of style boards, this time showing the team’s design concepts,
is then presented to validate the
initial input.
Associative techniques. The last
category of methods includes
associative techniques using sen-
sory stimuli as discussion start-
ers. This method can garner very
direct input on people’s expecta-
tions for the tone of an experi-
ence. Research participants react
to texture or material samples,
color swatches, word cards, or
even simple time-based media
(like sounds or animations) to
draw out stories and subtle,
unarticulated emotional connec-
tions about all senses. For exam-
ple, if we are researching moth-
ers’ expectations for post-natal
support services, we may show
a range of material samples to
elicit input. The moms may not
just gravitate toward soft, natu-
ral materials (like raw cotton)
and talk about their concern
for their baby’s comfort; rather,
they may also gravitate toward
strong, rigid materials (like cop-
per piping) and describe their
desire for agents to protect their
baby’s safety. This technique is
not simply about implementing
the materials that participants
discuss, but rather about giving
participants a starting point for
articulating the emotions they
Designing for Affinities
Once we have a deep understanding of what incites people’s
affinities, we can bring the
emotional drivers to the fore of
design thinking using a meth-odological approach [ 5]. Any
approach needs to be couched in
the manufacturer’s goals and the
designers’ sensitivity and creativity, but we have seen a general method used successfully
in product design. The method
includes transitioning research
findings about affinities into
core values, which are to be supported by the design. These core
values imply a character or tone
(or personality) that the design
should present and can be transcribed into explicit design principles to guide design activities.
Core values are the first deliverable we use to transition the
results of affinity research into
design action. Core values should
reflect the goals, needs, and
perceptions of the community
of use but simultaneously offer
direction to future design activities. Let’s go back to our earlier example of senior citizens’
expectations for emergent medical care while away from home.
If the senior population’s desired
core value is one of authority,
then we can start to think about
how a design would best support
that value. What would make
seniors feel like they are being
