Why Emotional Design is the key to competitive products

When did you last buy something, not because you needed it, but because it just felt right? Maybe it was a beautifully designed coffee maker that turned your morning routine into a ritual. A new pair of running shoes that made your weekly run feel a lot more exciting. Or a set of Japanese kitchen knives that made dinner prep fun instead of tedious.

The best products don’t just work well. They make us feel something.

Most of us like to think of ourselves as rational beings, who make decisions based on logic, not emotion. But in reality, humans are all deeply emotionally driven. Neuroscience has taught us that, without emotions, even simple choices become impossible.

In the digital market space, emotions play a huge role in whether a product succeeds or gets forgotten. It’s not just about function – it’s about attachment, trust, and delight. And in a world where every market is crowded with similar options, the products that tap into our emotions are the ones that stand out.

What is Emotional Design?

Most designers focus on usability – making sure a product is easy to use and gets the job done. That’s important. But function alone isn’t enough to make people care, or turn them into loyal customers.

Emotional design looks at how a product makes people feel before, during, and after they use it. It works on three levels:

Visceral – The First Impressions

This is our immediate, instinctive reaction to a product’s look, feel, and sound. Why does a luxury car door feel so satisfying to close? Why does an elegant watch catch your eye before you even check the time?

Behavioural – The Experience of Use

How smoothly and effortlessly the product functions. Why does a well-balanced knife feel ‘right’ in the hand? Why do some headphones make listening to music feel immersive, while others feel clunky and frustrating?

Reflective – The Lasting Impression

The deeper meaning we attach to a product over time. Why do people cherish an old camera, even when their phone takes better pictures? Why do some brands become part of a person’s identity?

The best products balance all three levels. They look great, they feel good to use – and they create a deeper sense of connection.

Why Emotional Design creates stronger products

We can forgive a few usability flaws in a product we love. But we won’t stick around for something that feels cold and lifeless, no matter how well it works.

When a product is designed to trigger positive emotions:

✅ We engage with it longer.

✅ We talk about it and recommend it to others.

✅ We form attachments and keep using it over time.

This is why some products inspire loyalty while others fade into obscurity. It’s not about raw functionality – it’s about how a product makes people feel.

Let’s look at how emotional design creates products people connect with.

Spotify – Music that feels personal

Spotify isn’t just a music streaming app – it’s designed to feel like a personal DJ that knows you better than you know yourself.

Visceral: An immersive, premium-feeling experience

The sleek, dark UI, bold album art, and fluid transitions create an immersive listening experience that feels premium and effortless.

Behavioural: Effortless discovery and seamless listening

Features like Discover Weekly, personalised playlists, and seamless cross-device playback remove friction, making finding and playing music feel natural and enjoyable.

Reflective: Music as identity and a personal soundtrack

Spotify isn’t just a music app – it becomes the soundtrack to your life. Playlists mark moments, moods, and memories, forming an emotional connection with users. The more you listen, the more the experience feels uniquely yours, reinforcing long-term loyalty.

Through Spotify Wrapped, you don’t just get insight to your personal data – you get a nostalgia-driven emotional moment, making your listening habits feel like a personalised story. You get to reflect on your music choices, share your Wrapped results with friends, and, in doing so, strengthen your emotional connection to Spotify. To a Spotify subscriber, music is more than just entertainment. To you, it's an experience – and you see music as a core part of your life.

Spotify doesn’t just stream music – it creates an emotional experience where music feels personal, effortless, and endlessly discoverable.

Strava – Making every workout feel like an achievement

Strava isn’t just a fitness app – it’s designed to make running and cycling feel social, competitive, and rewarding.

Visceral: A performance-driven look that feels serious

The clean, performance-driven UI, bold typography, and heatmaps instantly make workouts feel professional and serious – as if you’re tracking something that truly matters.

Behavioural: Turning every workout into a challenge

GPS-powered route tracking, real-time stats, and leaderboards turn every workout into a challenge. The seamless ability to compare performance over time and earn achievements keeps users engaged.

Reflective: More than an app – a community for athletes

Strava is more than an app – it becomes a digital trophy case, a training journal, and a social hub. Users feel part of a community of athletes, where every run or ride isn’t just personal progress – it’s a shared experience, a competition, or even a source of inspiration. If you’re on Strava, you’re not just a person who exercises. You’re an athlete, and you’re serious about fitness.

Strava doesn’t just track activities – it creates an emotional connection to progress, competition, and community, making workouts feel more meaningful and motivating.

Netflix – Effortless entertainment and comfort

Netflix isn’t just a streaming service – it’s designed for effortless escape and enjoyment.

Visceral: A cinematic experience that builds anticipation

The dark, cinematic UI, smooth animations, and bold thumbnails create anticipation and excitement before you even press play.

The logo, using the arc of a vintage cinema screen and the colour red on a black background, creates a cinematic feel.

Its iconic ”‘Tudum” sound logo, a three-second auditory cue, has become synonymous with the excitement of streaming entertainment.

Behavioural: Effortless watching with personalisation

Seamless autoplay, personalised recommendations, and a binge-friendly experience reduce friction and decision fatigue, making watching feel effortless.

Reflective: Entertainment as a daily ritual

Netflix becomes part of people’s daily routines – it’s a source of comfort, relaxation, and entertainment. Users feel a personal connection to their favourite shows, strengthening brand loyalty, even shaping cultural habits and phrases like “Netflix & Chill”.

Netflix doesn’t just deliver content. With thoughtful design at every opportunity, it delivers an emotional experience where watching feels effortless, enjoyable, and even a little addictive.

What happens when you ignore emotion?

When your product strategy focus only on function and ignore emotional connection, your product will become:

❌ Forgettable – It works fine, but there’s no reason to stick with it.

❌ Frustrating – If it lacks warmth, consideration, or clarity, your customers will quickly abandon it.

❌ Disposable – No one loves it, so there’s no loyalty.

If you want your product to be successful, it’s not enough for it to be useful. Your product has to make people want to use it. If it doesn’t create a connection with its users, a competitor will soon come along that does – and your users will move on.

How to apply Emotional Design to your product

If you want to create a product that people connect with, ask yourself:

➞ What emotions should it trigger?

Step into your user's shoes. How does the user want to feel? Excited? Comfortable? Proud?

➞ What small moments of delight can we create?

A warm welcome message? A satisfying animation when you tick that task of the to-do-list? A friendly nudge when you’re close to achieving a goal?

➞ What story does the product tell?

What does the product say about the person using it? Does it just solve a problem, or does it mean something to the user?

The best designs don’t just help people get things done. They create experiences that feel rewarding.

The future of great products is emotional

We may like to think we’re rational, but emotion is the hidden force behind most of our decisions. Understanding this is the key to designing better experiences and influencing human behaviour.

The companies that tap into our need for connection and master emotional design, build stronger brands, more loyal customers, and products that stand the test of time. So, don’t just design for usability. Design for emotion – because that’s what will make people fall in love with your product.

Do you want to give your users a digital experience that engages, delights, and keeps them coming back? Let's talk —>