Assignment 1 - Products and emotion

In this assignment I am supposed to look out for three products of the same category which roughly falls within the 3 emotional attributes, namely - visceral (attractiveness), behavioral (usability/functionality) and reflective (prestigiousness) design.

Well, I have chosen lip Gloss for my product review :). In the cosmetics market today, there all kinds of packaging of lip glosses to appeal to the various people. In the past, many people would believe that cosmetics is all about quality BUT in today's society where almost every cosmetics brand purport their products to be of the best quality, packaging is definitely very important to appeal to the ladies ! We, ladies , do seem to adore cosmetics with pretty packaging as well ;)

1) Behavioral Design - Shiseido Integrate glamourous Lip rough & gloss

* credits to www.shiseido.co.jp

Behavioral (10 /10) : My vote for behavioral design goes for this Japan lipgloss because it excels in terms of usability and functionality. The packaging itself is not fanciful. It is just a normal pen-like tube without any special designs on it and covered with a black cap. But being slim in size, this lipgloss does not occupies alot of space which makes it easy to carry around. This is very important because usually women will have to touch up their lipglosses once every while, therefore they will need to carry their lipglosses conveniently around them eg. in their jeans/small purses.

For lipglosses, the type of applicator is important as it affects the texture of the lipgloss once applied on our lips. Shiseido integrate wins hands down with their unique technology and material of applicator. Firstly, many conventional applicators in the market are usually made of fibre or sponge material. They not only wear off easily, the absorbing material of their applicator also smudges the lipgloss and makes an uneven applicator. Shiseido integrate's plastic applicator spreads like a butter-knife on the lips, ensuring that the lipgloss does not smudge. As such, the texture of our glossed-lips will look more shiny, smooth and plump - which is the purpose of applying lipgloss! The anti-smudging applicator makes the whole process of applying very convenient as users need to apply only one layer to acheive the desired lips, without needing to reapply a few times.

Another plus point is that when users twist the bottom of the gloss pen, an appropriate amount of gloss will ooze out in the middle part of the applicator. This clever innovation ensures that users will have control in deciding the amount of gloss they want without having to make a mess of dripping lipgloss. Furthermore, after finished using, ladies can twist the tube in the other direction again and the remaining lipgloss on the applicator will miraculously suck back into the tube! A clever design which ensures a mess-free lip-glossing process! you can click on the flash item at the bottom of this website to view how to use this product : http://www.shiseido.co.jp/ie/product/lip/01.htm . I believe women who choose this lipstick is mainly appealed by its functional qualities.

In summary : -

- practical & portable packaging

- ease of use design with plastic spatula-like applicator

- mess-free application process with clever innovative technology

Reflective (5/10) : Shiseido Integrate glamourous lip rouge is considered to be of a lower pricing in the shiseido line of products. Yes, the brandname has a certain reputation in the industry. But this particular item is well-known for its cheap pricing. It is not a luxury/stylish cosmetic product which girls will bring to flaunt about as there is nothing glamourous about its packaging. This lipstick is suitable for practical daily usage such as work or school but not an accessory to 'show-off '. It is only reflective of the owner's need for practical & quality products.

Visceral (3/10) : With the hug galore of fancy lipgloss designs in the market, this lipgloss appearance will not catch any ladies' eyes unless the company advertise it. Looking plain and nothing unique, there are tons of lipgloss which look like this.

2) Visceral - Kanebo Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge

Love-shaped Applicator !!

*Credits to www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca

Visceral (10/10) : Lavshuca lip gloss wows women with their cute and pretty packaging. Women who choose to buy this lipgloss are mainly drawn to their unique packaging as it makes them feel happy just by looking at the design. While many of the lipglosses in the market are packaged in plain tubes, Lavshuca distinguishes themselves with an exquisite glamour outlook - Ruby red tube topped on with a ruby red gem-like cap makes this lipgloss look lavish. Furthermore, even the applicator of this lipgloss is designed to enhance the visual appeal with an unconventional love-shaped opening. I personally have known friends who display their cosmetics products on their dressing table as a form of decorative art and Lavshuca is a one of the favorites amongst them.

In summary :

- attention catching packaging which exudes exquisite glamour
- Whimsical and attractive designs for females
- Even the applicator is designed to enhance visual appeal

Behavioral (5/10) : The applicator of this lipgloss is not as easy to use as it seems because of its small opening, thus users might not be able to glide on their lipgloss smoothly at one shot and they would take a long time to successfully apply the gloss. And because of its uneven output of gloss, we need to use abit of force to force out the gloss onto our lips, hence smudge the gloss, making it look dull on our lips. It could be due to the stiff tube and heavy texture of the gloss which prevent users from having control in squeezing out the desired amount of gloss. The white-colored applicator can look quite messy with the squeezed out gloss whenever we use it. thus need to clean it more often. As for the quality of gloss, users have complained that its quality is just very normal, with low pigmentation and watery texture: http://atouchofblusher.blogspot.com/search/label/-Lavshuca . Hence, in terms of behavioral deisng, it fails users' expectations.

Reflective (7/10) : Lavshuca lipsticks represent the user's taste for attractive packaging. At the same time, it also reflect women's feminity. This unconventional outlook of the gloss makes it a good discussion topics amongst girlfriends. However, it is not a exorbitantly glamorous or poshed designer brand such as Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent, therefore not considered reflective. While the packaging exudes taste and style, I feel that it is not a brand which screams prestigious wealth or exorbitant luxury.

3) Reflective - Guerlain Kisskiss gloss

*Credits to www.beautifulperfumes.com

Reflective (10/10) : Guerlain is a high-end lipgloss brand which has been in the market for years. They are popular for their quality products and glamourous looking golden packaging. Hence, women who own this lipgloss reflects their taste , class and wealth. The sleek packaging with a flashy golden cap exudes a posh aura which seems to remind others of its costly pricing - can be a flaunting product. Its luxurious outlook also distinguishes the owner's taste for the finer and more sophisticated things in life. It is a lipstick that is suitable to 'show-off' during a posh or prestigious event. Overall, a designer product which enhances self-image.

In summary:

- Reflection of wealth & taste

- Designer brand name & luxury outlook = glamour & sophistication

- Enhance self-image

Visceral (8/10) : The appearance of this casing is sleek and sophisticated which screams luxury. It appeals to women who love glamourous things (gold!) and want to be seen as a wealthy person. The minimalist design of the tube with a sleek bodyline also makes the packaging looks very classy. It makes women want to touch & hold it. Definitely a great design that helps to define Guerlain as a high-end cosmetic brand. However, the outlook might not appeal to the modern trendy women as it seems to be more suitable for matured women.

Behavioral (8/10) : As mentioned above, Guerlain is famous for their good quality lipstick and has won several accolades in female magazines. The brush applicator of the lipgloss ensure precision and control when applying the gloss. However, the brush might fray after a long time of usage. Also the tube is a little builky as it is not slim enough, hence might occupies quite abit of space.

4) Reflections

Norman wrote that the emotional side of design may be more critical to a product's success than its practical elements. After reviewing the 3 products above, I believe that this is true. For a lipgloss, I feel that there is limitations to how good its quality can be as there are numerous lipglosses which promise to deliver results. Hence, amongst this clutter, what helps a lipstick brand to standout will be its visceral design. It is an inherent human trait that first impression counts. People usually tend to think that the quality aspect of a product will be better if its design is attractive and stylish. With good visceral designs, it also shows that the commpany put effort in making the product. Therefore people will have higher confidence in pretty packaging products and will be tempted to purchase it. A product with good branding and good packaging will also affect the reflective aspect of the product, which many people values alot in order to portray their individualistic idententity & self image.

However, I believe that ultimately what determines a product's lifespan in the market will be a combination of the 3 aspects. Pretty packaging with low usability will cause frustrations among users and hence lost faith in the brand. Vice versa, unattractive products will not catch the attention of users or they will not easily accept the product for fear of damaging self image. Hence, involvement of the 3 elements are important.

Assignment 0 - A BAD DESIGN

Bad designs are all around us, but usually we don't bother to notice/remember them, which explains why I took quite some time to figure out this assignment , until I saw ....

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YES ! The NUS COMPUTERS!

That was when I remembered how these Dell comps used to give me problems. What I really thought is bad about their design lies in their CPU specifically, which I believe many of you might have encountered problems with the incovenient positioning of their thumbdrive slots :

Bad Design Problem

For some reasons, the positioning of the slot, which is placed at the lower portion of the CPU, is designed to be tilted downwards. And by common sense, users usually place their CPU either on their desk (eg. NUS) or on the ground. As such, the thumbdrive slot will be away from user's point of view, unless they bend downwards to peek.

So, the frustrating part comes when users attempt to insert their thumbdrive into the slots which are underneath the covers , all these while without being able to see where they are stuffing their thumbdrive into. This is particularly agonizing as the thumbdrive slots are usually quite small. So the usual experience is to try a couple of times , after flipping the thumbdrive up & down or shifting left or right *ARGHHH* before users can finally insert their thumbdrive correctly.

ALTERNATIVELY, users also can try this :

See what I mean? users can have difficulty detecting the slots if they were in a sitting position. And being a lazy person, I hate to bend down/squat down to plug in my thumbdrive. In my 3 years in NUS, I have always seen students struggling with their thumbdrives.

User Reaction

Feelings towards the product :-

"This design is totally not user friendly because it defies the basic principals of common sense!"

Lydia

Some of my friends were frustrated about the time wasted to do something so simple , especially when they are rushing to print out their assignments before deadline. In terms of aesthetic aspect, Lydia thought that Dell tried to be different from the other brands and felt that it was quite unique upon initial impression. However, she felt negative towards the product once she started using it.

My friends gave feedbacks that Dell had unnecessarily complexified a design that was meant to facilitate efficiency. In fact, Lydia would rather not use a thumbdrive & save her work online beforehand because like me, she consider it a hassle to squat/bend down to detect the thumbdrive slot. Overall, my friends do feel impatient towards the product after a few unsuccessful tries of inserting the thumbdrive.

Users' Conclusion: A troublesome, unfriendly and inconvenient product

Lesson my friends learnt from the interaction:-

1) Lydia : She mentioned that after her 3 years of using comps in NUS, she is still not able to insert the thumbdrive accurately at her first try. She learnt that she would need bend down to visually detect the thumbdrive slots else be prepared for the 'trial & error' time taken to plug in the thumbdrives.

2) Wen Jie: Due to the expected hassle in inserting the thumbdrive, Wen Jie would rather plug it to the thumbdrive extensions, which some computers in NUS have. Or, to the slots at the back of the CPU.

3) Benny: Think twice before using a thumbdrive

Impression on brand:-

Amazingly, most of my friends mentioned that they will remember this 'trademark design' of Dell's desktop. While they told me that this small design fallacy will not affect their overall impression of the brand, sometimes I do noticed that they curse & swear Dell when they encountered problems with their thumbdrive insertion ;)

My reflection on the product and user reaction:-

This product is not user centric (at least to some nus undergrads) because it does not consider the general behaviors and habits of people when they design this product. As what my friends mentioned, it complexifies a supposedly simple design which does not meet users' needs and capabilities. Unless Dell assumes that users usually place their CPUs high above, I don't see how this "unique" thumbdrive slot design maximises efficiency as it causes user to use more effort than what it should have been. This in turn affects their mood, causing them frustrations and thus overall experience of a product.

While I believe Dell tried to distinguish themselves from others brands with a different aesthetic appeal, user reactions shows clearly that functionality is more important when it comes to computers. If the design does not meet user's expected level of ease in using the product, they will have a negative impression of the brand no mattar how pleasing it looks. This is also lesson learnt for me as I now realise the importance of understanding user's environment such as the manner in which a product is usually placed/used by users.

A possible solution to improve this design is to place the thumbdrive slots horizontally facing users, instead of downwards. With a clear view of the slot, it will definitely make the job of plugging in thumbdrive much easier ! :D