Assignment 1: Pleasure with Product

To design for user experience, designers need to be able to create pleasures I believe and as such, we are tasked with this assignment of finding 3 examples of a product within a same category that exemplify the 3 different levels of brain processing resulting in human emotional attributes. And the product category I have chosen is wrist watch.

Visceral Design
The visceral design I have chosen is the Citizen Gents Classic Watch.
(Source: http://www.creativewatch.co.uk/citizen/bm8240-03e-mens-citizen-leather-strap-watch-large.jpg)

Quick Facts
Brand: Citizen
Model: Citizen Gents Classic BM8240-03E
Price: £76.00 approx. SGD 220.00, according to http://www.xe.com/
(Source: http://www.creativewatch.co.uk/citizen-astra-watches.html)

Behavioral: Well, the watch certainly performs the basic function of telling time but that's about it. Although it is water-resistant, it is not waterproof; I also doubt anyone will wear it to swim given the leather strap.

Reflective: The watch does not really have much show off value. It does not cost much and the brand positioning is not really high.

Visceral: The design is definitely timeless; it is a classic wrist watch that oozes stability and manliness.

Behavioral Design
The behavioral design I have chosen is the Casio Men's Classic Digital Watch.

(Source: http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=100-1330)

Quick Facts
Brand: Casio
Model: Citizen Men's Classic Digital Watch
Price: £7.98 approx. SGD 22.50, according to http://www.xe.com/
(Source: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-1330.aspx)

Behavioral: Definitely. This watch is packed with useful functions such as alarm, illumination, timer, etc. It is also water resistant up to 50 meters, making it suitable for common water sports uses. Made of plastics and rubber, it is also lighter and longer-lasting.

Reflective: Needless to say, this is not a show watch.

Visceral: This watch looks very retro or outdated, especially with its newer counterparts like the G-shock series.

Reflective Design
The reflective design I have chosen is Patek Philippe Calatrava 5296.

(Source: http://www.patek.ch//html/en/descriptionCards//ref_5296G_001.html)

Quick Facts
Brand: Patek Philippe
Model: Patek Philippe Calatrava 5296
Price: £7,420 approx. SGD 20910.00, according to http://www.xe.com
(Source: http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/Patek%20philippe.htm)

Behavioral: This is a rather basic wristwatch without much function. It is water resistant up to 25 meters. However, it is supposedly very long-lasting.

Reflective: This watch reflects the status of the wearer, as a stable man who is capable of appreciating fine craft. The brand also reflects the social status of the wearer as a person who has arrived in the society.

Visceral: While this watch looks classical like the Citizen Gents Classic Watch, it is a fine piece of art; it is made of white gold with solid gold winding rotor, and boasts sapphire crystal case back. It also bears the Geneva Seal Hallmark.

My Reflection
Having done the classification of the 3 different design types, it strengthened my understanding that the visceral and the behavioral designs are more tangible while the reflective design is more abstract; UX designers need to be able to design products that look good and are packed with desired functions, and they also need to design status symbols

While the Citizen Gents Classic Watch looks similar to the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5296, the perceived hedonic quality of the Patek Philippe's watch is much higher. And the price of the Patek Philippe clearly shows that reflective design is necessary for a product to command a premium in pricing.

Another realisation while I was doing the classification was that the perceived product value changes over time and with people; the Casio watch was perceived to be cool and hot when it was first introduced although it now seems a little outdated to most people. With the retro-craze going on recently though, some people are spotting the watch now, as it reflects their sense of style and fashion i.e. the reflective level of processing.

Hence, I feel that a reflective design is zeitgeist of a culture and period. And UX designers can either prolong the duration of such reflections or come out with a succession of products.

I also feel that the 3 levels of design are often interlinked e.g. a good visceral design or behavioral design may translate to a good reflective design. Likewise, a good reflective design requires the visceral and behavioral aspects to back it up.

Lastly, I ponder on the balance between the 3 levels and reaffirm the statement Mr Reddy made in Session 1 that there is no absolute methodology in UX design. I guess we can only rely on thorough researches and understandings of the users in order to ensure that we design occasions that evoke positive user experience.