---
name: emotional-design-norman
description: Apply Don Norman's Emotional Design framework (visceral, behavioral, reflective) for UX/UI critique, product concepting, and experience polish. Use when asked to make products feel delightful, engaging, meaningful, or to balance aesthetics with usability; or when emotional design / visceral / behavioral / reflective is mentioned.
---

# Emotional Design (Norman)

## Overview

Apply Norman's three-level emotional design model to set emotional goals, evaluate current experience, and propose changes that preserve usability while increasing meaning and delight. Read `references/emotional-design.md` for definitions, findings, and checklists.

## Workflow

1) Frame context

- Identify user, context of use, constraints, and desired emotion.
- If missing, infer from product category and ask 1-2 focused questions.

2) Map to three levels

- List current cues and gaps per level.
- Use `references/emotional-design.md` "Level cues" to avoid overlap.

3) Design interventions

- Propose changes per level with expected emotional effect.
- Keep behavioral usability intact; do not trade usability for surface appeal.

4) Align and prioritize

- Resolve conflicts between levels.
- Prioritize changes that reinforce multiple levels.

5) Validate

- Suggest lightweight tests: first-impression check (visceral), task success/effort (behavioral), recall/meaning interviews (reflective).

## Output format

- Provide a short summary, then organize by level:
  - Visceral: observation -> change -> expected emotion
  - Behavioral: observation -> change -> expected emotion
  - Reflective: observation -> change -> expected meaning

## References

- Read `references/emotional-design.md` when defining levels, choosing levers, or citing key findings.