Advantage Quote by Donald A. Norman
“Products were once designed for the functions they performed. But when all companies can make products that perform their functions equally well, the distinctive advantage goes to those who provide pleasure and enjoyment while maintaining the power. If functions are equated with cognition, pleasure is equated with emotion; today we want products that appeal to both cognition and emotion.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Emotional Design, 2004
When function is equal, products succeed by delivering pleasure and emotional resonance alongside utility.
In simple terms: Products need both function and feeling.
Key Takeaway
Design for emotion as well as utility.
Themes
design
emotion
function
Mood
innovative
inspirational
Type
design
marketing
When to use this quote
- product development
- marketing
- branding
Key Concepts
user experience
cognitive psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance function and emotion?
- What emotions do you want your product to evoke?
A Different Perspective
Emotional appeal may not compensate for poor function.
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![“Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. [...] The advent of hypertext is apt to make writing much more difficult, not easier. Good writing, that is.” quote by Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/662/donald-a-norman-6862_advent_hypertext-makes-a-virtue-out-of-lack-of_51804.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
