Assignment 1: Products and emotion

We are suppose to find 3 examples of visceral, behavioral and reflective design. According to the lecture, these are the definitions of the 3 terms:

Visceral Design: refers primarily to that initial impact, to its apperance
Behavioural Design: is about look and feel, the total experience of using a prouduct -the physical feel/pleasure and effectiveness of use
Reflective Design: is about one’s thought afterwards, how it makes one feel, the image it portrays, the message it tells others about the owner’s taste

I decided to work on Luggage!

Viseral Design

Rockland 4-piece Expandable Upright Luggage Set
$99.99

Visceral: The range of cheery colours available for this luggage set makes it look attractive and unique. One can now buy this luggage in his/her favourite colour! It is also easy to spot for this luggage among the black ones during luggage collection at the destination country.

Behavioural: Though the luggages look pleasing, the quality and durability isn’t so good. I looked at the product reviews and there were a mix of good and bad reviews on this. Some said it can’t even withstand a single flight. They mentioned that after using it one time, the zipper broke, or the wheels broke or the luggage tore in some way. Clearly, this product is not of good quality.

Reflective: Not a high-status luggage. This is just a normal affordable and probably low-end brand.

Behavioural Design

Samsonite Cruisair™ 24″ ABS Upright Spinner
$179.99

the inner view

Visceral: Nothing exciting about its appearance. The luggage looks like a typical black and plain-looking luggage.

Behavioural: It has a hard shell and aluminium frames for durality. There is also a warranty of 10 years. The brand (Samsonite) is also known for its quality in the manufacture of luggage, backpacks and other travel-related products.

Reflective: Not a show off luggage. It does not raise one’s status or make one high class.

Reflective Design

Louis Vuitton: Monogram Canvas: PEGASE 60
US$2150

the close-up view of PEGASE 60

Visceral: Visually-pleasing, especially with the standard Louis Vuitton design.
 
Behavioural: The quality of the luggage should be good. It features leather top, noiseless wheels, douple zip-around closure etc. However, since this is not a hand-carry luggage, airline crews handling this luggage will not treat it with extra care like how the owner probably treats it. So there is a risk of finding the beautiful luggage with marks and scratches due to handling and transit when it comes back to the owner at the destination country. Thus it may not be very practical to use for frequent travelling.
 
Reflective: Using such a luggage (US$2150!) certainly reflects the owner’s taste and class. It is a status-symbol and a show off product. There is also a complimentary service of product personalisation where the buyer can choose to have 3 letters hot stamped onto the leather luggage tag. This personalisation makes the luggage more unique to the buyer.