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	<title>Aarron Walter &#187; Design</title>
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	<link>http://aarronwalter.com</link>
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		<title>Jonathan Ive On Simplicity</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2012/01/23/jonathan-ive-on-simplicity/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2012/01/23/jonathan-ive-on-simplicity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:10:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jonathan-ive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[simplicity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ux]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1461</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<blockquote>Why do we assume that simple is good?</blockquote>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>Why do we assume that simple is good? Because with physical products, we have to feel we can dominate them. As you bring order to complexity, you find a way to make the product defer to you. Simplicity isn&#8217;t just a visual style. It&#8217;s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep. For example, to have no screws on something, you can end up having a product that is so convoluted and so complex. The better way is to go deeper with the simplicity, to understand everything about it and how it&#8217;s manufactured. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.</p></blockquote>
<p><cite>Jonathan Ive, from the book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1451648537/aarronwalterc-20/" target="_blank">Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson</a></cite></p>
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		<slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>A New Type of Designer</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2012/01/20/a-new-type-of-designer/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2012/01/20/a-new-type-of-designer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:46:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interaction design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1452</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<blockquote>What’s clear, and it’s been said before, is that there’s an opening for a new type of designer. Someone that understands interaction design, product design and can add character to things through behaviour. A light touch. Very subtle in order to make them believable - without them being too ridiculous.</blockquote>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>What’s clear, and it’s been said before, is that there’s an opening for a new type of designer. Someone that understands interaction design, product design and can add character to things through behaviour. A light touch. Very subtle in order to make them believable &#8211; without them being too ridiculous.</p></blockquote>
<p><cite><a href="http://journal.benbashford.com/post/2848763029" target="_blank">Ben Bashford&#8217;s blog post entitled Emoticomp</a></cite><span id="more-1452"></span></p>
<p>It&#8217;s fascinating to think that personality could be the domain of a new type of designer that would understand psychology, interaction design, and could write with the skill of a novelist. It&#8217;s a strange intersection that this person would occupy.</p>
<p> In Bashford&#8217;s post, he suggests we start thinking about creating personas for the things we design.</p>
<blockquote><p>Interaction designers are used to using personas (research based user archetypes) to describe the types of people that will use the thing they’re designing &#8211; their background, their needs and the like but I’m not sure if we’ve ever really explored the use of personas or character documentation to describe the product themselves. What does the object want? How does it feel about it? If it can sense its location and conditions how could that affect its behaviour? This kind of thing could be incredibly powerful and would allow us to develop principles for creating the finer details of the object’s behaviour.</p></blockquote>
<p>That&#8217;s an idea I&#8217;ve been pondering for a while too, and discussed <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Designing for Emotion" target="_blank">in my book</a>. I call this design tool a <a href="http://aarronwalter.com/design-personas/" title="Design Personas">Design Persona</a>. Really fascinating to see other product designers moving in the same direction, and I&#8217;d love to see the idea evolve further.</p>
<p>We discovered in our design practice at <a href="http://mailchimp.com" target="_blank">MailChimp</a> that the design persona was great for starting design concepts, but when it comes to formulating a detailed understanding of the voice of a product, we had to take things further. That&#8217;s why we created <a href="http://voiceandtone.com" target="_blank">VoiceAndTone.com</a>, a writing guide with emotion in mind.</p>
<ul class="linear-list">
<li><a href="http://aarronwalter.com/design-personas/" title="Design Personas" class="action-button-sm">Learn About Design Personas</a></li>
<li><a href="http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/04/voice-and-tone-a-writing-guide-with-emotion-in-mind/" title="Voice and Tone: A Writing Guide With Emotion in Mind" class="action-button-sm">About Voice and Tone</a></li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://aarronwalter.com/2012/01/20/a-new-type-of-designer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Web Ahead Episode 10: On Human Connection</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/12/09/the-web-ahead-episode-10-on-human-connection/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/12/09/the-web-ahead-episode-10-on-human-connection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:18:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soliloquy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[5by5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jenn-simmons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1437</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I had a lovely time chatting with @JenSimmons, host of <a href="http://5by5.tv/webahead/" target="_blank">The Web Ahead podcast</a> on the @5by5 network. We talked about interface design, working in design teams, and the joy and pain of critical feedback.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a lovely time chatting with @JenSimmons, host of <a href="http://5by5.tv/webahead/" target="_blank">The Web Ahead podcast</a> on the @5by5 network. We talked about interface design, working in design teams, and the joy and pain of critical feedback. Have a listen, won&#8217;t you?</p>
<p><a href="http://5by5.tv/webahead/10" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm" title="The Web Ahead #10: Aarron Walter on Human Connection" target="_blank">Listen to The Web Ahead, Episode 10</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Forbes Magazine on Designing For Emotion</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/30/forbes-on-designing-for-emotion/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/30/forbes-on-designing-for-emotion/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:59:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Content Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forbes-magazine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Forbes Magazine contributor <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/anthonykosner/" target="_blank">Anthony Kosner</a> shares insights on how emotional design and the principles explored in <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Buy Designing for Emotion from A Book apart" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a> influence the relationships we craft with our audience. Below is an excerpt from the article entitled "<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2011/11/29/why-does-emotional-design-work-on-the-web-for-felony-mayhem-its-no-mystery/" target="_blank">Why Does 'Emotional Design' Work on the Web: for Felony &#38; Mayhem, It's No Mystery</a>".</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Forbes Magazine contributor <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/anthonykosner/" target="_blank">Anthony Kosner</a> shares insights on how emotional design and the principles explored in <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Buy Designing for Emotion from A Book apart" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a> influence the relationships we craft with our audience. Below is an excerpt from the article entitled &#8220;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2011/11/29/why-does-emotional-design-work-on-the-web-for-felony-mayhem-its-no-mystery/" target="_blank">Why Does &#8216;Emotional Design&#8217; Work on the Web: for Felony &amp; Mayhem, It&#8217;s No Mystery</a>&#8220;.</p>
<blockquote><p>Why are some company’s websites more memorable than others? On the surface, it might seem to have to do with originality, visual impact and branding. But what if I were to tell you that the most important factor is how a site makes a visitor feel?</p>
<p>That’s the premise of a new book by Aaron Walter, the lead user-experience designer for Mail Chimp. Based on the title, Designing for Emotion could have been just another collection of pretty design samples embroidered with squishy commentary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Walter’s approach is direct, rigorous, at times scientific and filled with practical insight and humor. The book is part of the truly excellent A Book Apart series, and Mail Chimp, if you haven’t had a chance to use it, is easily the most pleasurable of the gazillion SAS email marketing platforms out there. So despite the title I found my finger ineluctably moving to the checkout button.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2011/11/29/why-does-emotional-design-work-on-the-web-for-felony-mayhem-its-no-mystery/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">Read Kosner&#8217;s article on Forbes.com</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Video of Learning to Love Humans: Emotional Interface Design</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/30/video-of-learning-to-love-humans-emotional-interface-design/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/30/video-of-learning-to-love-humans-emotional-interface-design/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:15:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olso]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ux]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>In September of this year I delivered at talk about emotional interface design at <a href="http://webdagene.no/" target="_blank">Webdagene, an amazing conference in Oslo, Norway</a>. The conference organizers were kind enough to record the talk, which can <a href="http://webdagene.no/sesjoner/emotional-interface-design-the-gateway-to-passionate-users/" target="_blank">view on their website</a> in case you missed it in Norway.</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In September of this year I delivered at talk about emotional interface design at <a href="http://webdagene.no/" target="_blank">Webdagene, an amazing conference in Oslo, Norway</a>. The conference organizers were kind enough to record the talk, which can <a href="http://webdagene.no/sesjoner/emotional-interface-design-the-gateway-to-passionate-users/" target="_blank">view on their website</a> in case you missed it in Norway.</p>
<p><a href="http://webdagene.no/sesjoner/emotional-interface-design-the-gateway-to-passionate-users/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">Video of Learning to Love Humans Talk in Norway</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<title>Emotional Design Reading List</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/17/emotional-design-reading-list/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/11/17/emotional-design-reading-list/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:42:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content-strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ux]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1368</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>There are a host of interesting books about psychology, design, emotion, and how our brains work that informed my book, <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a>. Here's a list of essential books for the shelves of any user experience designer, web designer, or content strategist interested in the topic of emotional design.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are a host of interesting books about psychology, design, emotion, and how our brains work that informed my book, <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a>. Here&#8217;s a list of essential books for the shelves of any user experience designer, web designer, or content strategist interested in the topic of emotional design.</p>
<p><span id="more-1368"></span></p>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-New-Mind-Right-Brainers-Future/dp/1594481717/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future</a></h3>
<h4>David H. Pink</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-New-Mind-Right-Brainers-Future/dp/1594481717/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="A Whole New Mind" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20.png" title="A Whole New Mind" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic &#8220;right-brain&#8221; thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn&#8217;t.</p>
<p>Drawing on research from around the world, Pink outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment-and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that&#8217;s already here.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-New-Mind-Right-Brainers-Future/dp/1594481717/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things</a></h3>
<h4>Donald Norman</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-1.png" title="Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things"  /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Did you ever wonder why cheap wine tastes better in fancy glasses? Why sales of Macintosh computers soared when Apple introduced the colorful iMac? New research on emotion and cognition has shown that attractive things really do work better, as Donald Norman amply demonstrates in this fascinating book, which has garnered acclaim everywhere from Scientific American to The New Yorker.Emotional Design articulates the profound influence of the feelings that objects evoke, from our willingness to spend thousands of dollars on Gucci bags and Rolex watches, to the impact of emotion on the everyday objects of tomorrow.Norman draws on a wealth of examples and the latest scientific insights to present a bold exploration of the objects in our everyday world. Emotional Design will appeal not only to designers and manufacturers but also to managers, psychologists, and general readers who love to think about their stuff.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Interaction-Design-Effective-Experiences/dp/0321725522/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences</a></h3>
<h4>Stephen Anderson</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Interaction-Design-Effective-Experiences/dp/0321725522/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-2.png" title="Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>What happens when you’ve built a great website or app, but no one seems to care? How do you get people to stick around long enough to see how your service might be of value? In Seductive Interaction Design, speaker and author Stephen P. Anderson takes a fresh approach to designing sites and interactions based on the stages of seduction. This beautifully designed book examines what motivates people to act.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Interaction-Design-Effective-Experiences/dp/0321725522/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/General-Theory-Thomas-Lannon-Richard/dp/0375709223/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">A General Theory of Love</a></h3>
<h4>Thomas Lewis M.D., Fari Amini M.D., Richard Lannon M.D.</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/General-Theory-Thomas-Lannon-Richard/dp/0375709223/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="A General Theory of Love" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-3.png" title="A General Theory of Love" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Drawing comparisons to the most eloquent science writing of our day, three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain. The result is an original, lucid, at times moving account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being.</p>
<p>A General Theory of Love draws on the latest scientific research to demonstrate that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are. Explaining how relationships function, how parents shape their child’s developing self, how psychotherapy really works, and how our society dangerously flouts essential emotional laws, this is a work of rare passion and eloquence that will forever change the way you think about human intimacy.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/General-Theory-Thomas-Lannon-Richard/dp/0375709223/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">Descartes&#8217; Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain</a></h3>
<h4>Antonio Damasio</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-4.png" title="Descartes&#039; Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Since Descartes famously proclaimed, &#8220;I think, therefore I am,&#8221; science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—&#8221;one of the world’s leading neurologists&#8221; (The New York Times)—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Descartes-Error-Emotion-Reason-Human/dp/014303622X/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-What-Happens-Emotion-Consciousness/dp/0156010755/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness</a></h3>
<h4>Antonio Damasio</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-What-Happens-Emotion-Consciousness/dp/0156010755/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-5.png" title="The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>How is it that we know what we know? How is it that our conscious and private minds have a sense of self? A gifted medical clinician and scientific thinker, Damasio helps readers to ask and answer questions about what it is to be human. His elegant investigation of feeling and emotion offers a new understanding of the conscious mind and, as the New York Times has noted, &#8220;will change your experience of yourself.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-What-Happens-Emotion-Consciousness/dp/0156010755/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Spinoza-Sorrow-Feeling-Brain/dp/0156028719/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain</a></h3>
<h4>Antonio Damasio</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Spinoza-Sorrow-Feeling-Brain/dp/0156028719/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-6.png" title="Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Joy, sorrow, jealousy, and awe—these and other feelings are the stuff of our daily lives. In the seventeenth century, the philosopher Spinoza devoted much of his life&#8217;s work examining how these emotions supported human survival, yet hundreds of years later the biological roots of what we feel remain a mystery. Leading neuroscientist Antonio Damasio—whose earlier books explore rational behavior and the notion of the self—rediscovers a man whose work ran counter to all the thinking of his day, pairing Spinoza&#8217;s insights with his own innovative scientific research to help us understand what we&#8217;re made of, and what we&#8217;re here for.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Spinoza-Sorrow-Feeling-Brain/dp/0156028719/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Mind-Works-Steven-Pinker/dp/0393334775/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">How The Mind Works</a></h3>
<h4>Steven Pinker</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Mind-Works-Steven-Pinker/dp/0393334775/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="How The Mind Works" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-7.png" title="How The Mind Works" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>The Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestseller How the Mind Works is a fascinating, provocative work exploring the mysteries of human thought and behavior. How do we see in three dimensions? How do we remember names and faces? How is it, indeed, that we ponder the nature of our own consciousness? Why do we fall in love? In this bold, extraordinary book, Pinker synthesizes the best of cognitive science and evolutionary biology to explain what the mind is, how it has evolved, and, ultimately, how it works. This edition includes a new afterword that explores the impact of the book and its relevance today.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Mind-Works-Steven-Pinker/dp/0393334775/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Principles-Surviving-Thriving/dp/0979777747/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank">Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School</a></h3>
<h4>John Medina</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Principles-Surviving-Thriving/dp/0979777747/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank"><img alt="Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-8.png" title="Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>See how the brain works while using it in the process of reading this book! Most of us have no idea what&#8217;s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know &#8211; like that physical activity boosts your brain power.</p>
<p>How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget &#8211; and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?</p>
<p>In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule &#8211; what scientists know for sure about how our brains work &#8211; and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Principles-Surviving-Thriving/dp/0979777747/aarronwalter-20/" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expression-emotions-in/id361711497?mt=11" target="_blank">The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals</a></h3>
<h4>Charles Darwin</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expression-emotions-in/id361711497?mt=11" target="_blank"><img alt="The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/id361711497.png" title="The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Published in 1871, this book explores the universality of emotional expression in humans regardless of culture, and even in animals.</p>
<p><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expression-emotions-in/id361711497?mt=11" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">download the book free</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Camera-Photography-Evolution-ebook/dp/B005253FIM/aarronwalter-20" target="_blank">Darwin&#8217;s Camera: Art and Photography in the Theory of Evolution</a></h3>
<h4>Phillip Prodger</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Camera-Photography-Evolution-ebook/dp/B005253FIM/aarronwalter-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Darwin&#039;s Camera : Art and Photography in the Theory of Evolution" src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aarronwalter-20-9.png" title="Darwin&#039;s Camera : Art and Photography in the Theory of Evolution" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Darwin&#8217;s Camera tells the extraordinary story of how Charles Darwin changed the way pictures are seen and made.</p>
<p>In his illustrated masterpiece, Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1871), Darwin introduced the idea of using photographs to illustrate a scientific theory&#8211;his was the first photographically illustrated science book ever published. Using photographs to depict fleeting expressions of emotion&#8211;laughter, crying, anger, and so on&#8211;as they flit across a person&#8217;s face, he managed to produce dramatic images at a time when photography was famously slow and awkward. The book describes how Darwin struggled to get the pictures he needed, scouring the galleries, bookshops, and photographic studios of London, looking for pictures to satisfy his demand for expressive imagery. He finally settled on one the giants of photographic history, the eccentric art photographer Oscar Rejlander, to make his pictures. It was a peculiar choice. Darwin was known for his meticulous science, while Rejlander was notorious for altering and manipulating photographs. Their remarkable collaboration is one of the astonishing revelations in Darwin&#8217;s Camera.</p>
<p>Darwin never studied art formally, but he was always interested in art and often drew on art knowledge as his work unfolded. He mingled with the artists on the voyage of HMS Beagle, he visited art museums to examine figures and animals in paintings, associated with artists, and read art history books. He befriended the celebrated animal painters Joseph Wolf and Briton Riviere, and accepted the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner as a trusted guide. He corresponded with legendary photographers Lewis Carroll, Julia Margaret Cameron, and G.-B. Duchenne de Boulogne, as well as many lesser lights. Darwin&#8217;s Camera provides the first examination ever of these relationships and their effect on Darwin&#8217;s work, and how Darwin, in turn, shaped the history of art.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Camera-Photography-Evolution-ebook/dp/B005253FIM/aarronwalter-20" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<p>And of course, there&#8217;s this little book too.</p>
<div class="unit above-below15">
<hgroup>
<h3><a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a></h3>
<h4>Aarron Walter</h4>
</hgroup>
<figure class="unit size1of2 rgutter"><a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" target="_blank"><img src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aea-cover-5-e1321565603829.png" alt="Designing for Emotion" title="Designing for Emotion" width="200" height="309" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1400" /></a></figure>
<div class="unit size1of2 rgutter">
<p>Make your users fall in love with your site via the precepts packed into this brief, charming book by MailChimp user experience design lead Aarron Walter. From classic psychology to case studies, highbrow concepts to common sense, Designing for Emotion demonstrates accessible strategies and memorable methods to help you make a human connection through design.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">buy the book</a></p>
</p></div>
</div>
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		<title>.net Magazine Interview about Designing for Emotion</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/18/net-magazine-interview-about-designing-for-emotion/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/18/net-magazine-interview-about-designing-for-emotion/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:24:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ux]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1342</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I recently spoke with A Book Apart editor <a href="http://aworkinglibrary.com" target="_blank">Mandy Brown</a> (@aworkinglibrary) about design, psychology, branding, and finding a place for emotional design in our professional workflow. Our conversation has been published in .net Magazine.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently spoke with A Book Apart editor <a href="http://aworkinglibrary.com" target="_blank">Mandy Brown</a> (@aworkinglibrary) about design, psychology, branding, and finding a place for emotional design in our professional workflow. Our conversation has been published in .net Magazine.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.netmagazine.com/interviews/question-answer/aarron-walter-designing-emotion" title=".net magazine interview with Aarron Walter about Designing for Emotion" target="_blank" class="action-button-sm">Read the Interview</a></p>
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		<title>Designing for Emotion: Book 5 from A Book Apart</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/18/designing-for-emotion/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/18/designing-for-emotion/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:06:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soliloquy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[User Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[a-book-apart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotional-design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ux]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1315</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My new book, <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a>, has just been published by A Book Apart.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nearly four years ago I stumbled onto a topic that I just can&#8217;t get off my mind. As we&#8217;ve started to share more of our personal lives online and the barriers of our public personas have begun to crumble, we&#8217;ve started speaking with a more authentic voice. The blurred line between personal and professional is starting to influence our expectations of the products and services we seek.</p>
<figure><a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion"><img src="http://aarronwalter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/designing-for-emotion-1024x764.jpg" alt="Designing for Emotion" title="Designing for Emotion" /></a></figure>
<p><span id="more-1315"></span> </p>
<p>The sites, products, and brands that resonate most with people today are the ones that are human, honest and have a clear personality. It&#8217;s through personality and emotion that companies are forging real relationships with their customers and standing out in a sea of competitors. You don&#8217;t have to take my word for it, though. There are others in the <a href="http://vimeo.com/7730620" title="Andy Budd on seductive design" target="_blank">UX</a> <a href="http://getmentalnotes.com/" title="Mental Notes by Stephen Anderson" target="_blank">community</a> and even <a href="http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2011/09/minimum-viable-personality.html" title="Fred Wilson on personality in product design" target="_blank">in the VC</a> and <a href="http://www.jasonshen.com/2011/how-to-give-your-product-personality/" title="Jason Shen on personality in product design" target="_blank">startup communities</a> that are seeing a serious shift towards designing for emotion.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been wondering, how should designers, startups, UX folks and companies rethink how they present themselves and become more human? How do we go about making products feel like people? How do transcend usability and create experiences that are delightful? These are the questions that sparked the research and ideas presented in my new book, <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a>.</p>
<p>Packed into this tiny, purple volume you&#8217;ll find core principles of psychology, a plethora of case studies, techniques that will help you make a human connection through design and data that will convince skeptical management. This book is the culmination of four years of experimenting with emotional design <a href="http://mailchimp.com" title="I'm the UX lead at MailChimp" target="_blank">in my work</a>, more than a year of research, and countless interviews with other web and product designers who are uncovering new connections between design and emotion.
</p>
<p>It&#8217;s so gratifying to hold the culmination of these efforts in my hands, and how cool it is to see it on tablet devices too. French, Korean, and Russian readers will be happy to know that translations are in the works.</p>
<p>I have endless hugs and high fives for the brilliant folks that helped me craft this book. <a href="http://zeldman.com" target="_blank">Jeffrey</a>, <a href="http://aworkinglibrary.com" target="_blank">Mandy</a>, <a href="http://jasonsantamaria.com" target="_blank">Jason</a>, <a href="http://http://kristastevens.com/" target="_blank">Krista</a>, <a href="http://robweychert.com" target="_blank">Rob</a>, <a href="http://whitneyhess.com" target="_blank">Whitney</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/r_weisburd" target="_blank">Rose</a> and <a href="http://uie.com" target="_blank">Jared</a>, I thank you for making this little purple book sing.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a>, and I hope it inspires your work. <a href="http://aarronwalter.com/contact/">I&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts on the book and your perspective on emotional design</a>.</p>
<h3>Mobile First</h3>
<p>It&#8217;s an honor to publish with A Book Apart, but it&#8217;s twice as nice to have <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/designing-for-emotion" title="Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter" target="_blank">Designing for Emotion</a> launch along side <a href="http://www.abookapart.com/products/mobile-first" title="Mobile first by Luke Wroblewski" target="_blank">Mobile First by Luke Wroblewski</a>. The mobile experience is no longer a &#8220;nice to have&#8221; feature in a project. It&#8217;s essential. Luke&#8217;s book will walk you through core mobile design strategies and help you see how central mobile design is to all interface design. It&#8217;s an amazing book that I am certain you&#8217;ll enjoy.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Crazy Ones: Steve Jobs Narrates</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/06/the-crazy-ones-steve-jobs-narrates/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/10/06/the-crazy-ones-steve-jobs-narrates/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:48:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[steve-jobs]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1303</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remembering Steve Jobs.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="rich-media-block" style="width:420px;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8rwsuXHA7RA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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		<title>Everything is a Remix: The Elements of Creativity</title>
		<link>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/06/28/everything-is-a-remix-the-elements-of-creativity/</link>
		<comments>http://aarronwalter.com/2011/06/28/everything-is-a-remix-the-elements-of-creativity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:35:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aarron</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aarronwalter.com/?p=1268</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>In his short video series <a href="http://www.everythingisaremix.info/">Everything is a Remix</a>, Kirby Ferguson (@remixeverything), guides us through history and shows us how ideas are created, copied, and transformed.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In his short video series <a href="http://www.everythingisaremix.info/">Everything is a Remix</a>, Kirby Ferguson (@remixeverything), guides us through history and shows us how ideas are created, copied, and transformed.</p>
<div class="rich-media-block" style="width:600px;"><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/25380454?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" frameborder="0" width="600" height="338"></iframe></div>
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