Guiding Emotions

Emotions play a crucial role in the design process, yet junior design students often struggle to manage their emotional changes while creating. This title bridges the gap in design education by illuminating how emotional intelligence serves as a powerful tool for inspiration and decision-making. This investigation takes a new perspective on emotions in design projects, contrasting it with traditional approaches that prioritise technical skills and reasoning over emotional awareness. The focus of this title is to deliver accessible strategies to monitor and manage the reader’s emotional responses during projects.

This book presents a Phase-by-Phase Emotional Configuration Model alongside a taxonomy of tactics for concept creation, selection and prototyping. Through empirical research, 40 essential emotions linked to design were identified and validated using advanced emotion tracking techniques, including mobile applications and facial expression analysis. Case studies and reflective activities provide practical guidelines for emotional self-regulation throughout the design journey. By integrating these tools into their practice, readers will develop the ability to harness emotions as creative catalysts rather than obstacles, ultimately producing more resonant and effective design solutions.

Guiding Emotions: An Emotion-Tracking Approach to Rectify Design Experience and Process is for professionals, educators, students and researchers of design, human factors and creative industries.