Emotional Design in Web Icons
Emotional design is not a specific design field but a perspective that enables users to love and enjoy a product. Emotional design has a significant influence today
and is used in many media industries.
Emotional design has three levels: visceral, behavioral and reflective. When applied to web icons, the icons should address the three levels. Web icons are part of
the user experience of web design. Well-designed icons can improve user loyalty and attract more users. Icons can represent whole websites, such as brands or companies, and even whole countries and cultures. When users glance at an icon, they realize right away what a website is about.
Using primary and secondary research methods, this research investigates how emotional design can be applied to web icons. Using a survey as a primary research method, the researcher inquires about personal preferences regarding the visceral
level—which includes basic design elements, weight, texture, dimension and shape—
of three different web icons: search, home and cart. Through secondary research, the researcher discusses successful examples of specific brands and companies that incorporate emotional design at the reflective and behavioral levels.
