Designing for the subconscious mind

How can we design experiences that intuitively feel good? What do recent learnings about the human brain reveal about the ways art & designed experiences affect human physiology?

What are we - as designers - missing out if we solely focus on designing for the conscious mind? Thanks to recent advancements in brain imaging technologies, Neuroaesthetics is delving into understanding how art and designed experiences tangibly influence our emotions, physical well-being, and mental state in ways that often elude our conscious awareness. In other words, our bodies have their own minds, and they feel all the time.

As the investigative mastermind Sherlock Holmes puts it in Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, “Intuitions are not to be ignored. they are simply data processed too fast for your conscious mind to comprehend”.

“Intuitions are not to be ignored. They are simply data processed too fast for your conscious mind to comprehend.” - Sherlock Holmes

Considering that 80% of our perception of the world is tied to our subconscious (the information we absorb through channels beyond rational thought), there's much to gain from understanding our true emotional responses while designing human experiences. While artists and designers may inherently grasp what feels right, bridging intuition with data has proven challenging – a necessity to convince "left-brained" business individuals tasked with selecting viable design solutions.

However, in the early 2000s, a turning point emerged when scientists began using non-invasive brain imaging techniques to study how the human brain works. Through the use of technologies like fMRI, EEG/MEG, PET - or even consumer-grade solutions like BLCKB , Emotive and wearables - we now have a lot more data on what was previously deemed as mysteries: how the human brain processes specific experiences, how neural activity responds to the simultaneous activation of multiple senses, and how our hormonal balance shifts during encounters with art and design. This newly discovered vast amount of unbiased data can help us designers iterate, validate and communicate solutions that we intuitively know to connect with humans on an emotional level.

“The vast amount of unbiased data can help us designers iterate, validate and communicate solutions that we intuitively know to connect with humans on an emotional level.”

Let’s take a look at the opportunities where Neuroaesthetics can transform the way we create experiences that put feelings at the center.

From “design thinking” to “design feeling”

As neuroanatomist and brain researcher Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor puts it “We are feeling creatures who think” and not the opposite. Design thinking provided powerful methodologies for creatives and business minds to be able to put structure around creative thinking and collaboration. This approach has made creativity more tangible, supplied valuable data, and laid the groundwork for comprehensive prototyping and iteration before final implementation.

With insights from Neuroaesthetics studies, we've gained a deeper understanding of how designed experiences affect both our bodies and minds, fundamentally shaping our perception of the world and influencing decision-making. Armed with this insight, can we reimagine some of the existing frameworks and methodologies to better harness emotions? What does “design thinking” evolve to when we put human emotions at the center of the creative (and business) processes? Can we involve poets, painters, musicians - people who are more connected to their emotions - to our ideation and creation processes? What do the phases that traditionally facilitated contexting, ideating, and testing transform to - when we prioritize how designed experiences leave us “feeling”?

“Ingredients” of an emotionally charged experience

How we perceive aesthetic experiences involves three major physiological systems. First, the sensory-motor systems process external stimuli through our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The second one is, emotional reactions. When we appreciate an artwork or an experience, our emotions trigger hormonal changes and activate the brain's reward systems, similar to our responses to food, or sex. Lastly, the semantic systems, encompass our knowledge, sense of self, and past experiences that influence our perception.

“Just like how a chef skillfully crafts a number of ingredients to create a culinary experience that stimulates our perceptual systems, designers compose different inputs to create emotional connections.”

Just like how a chef skillfully crafts a number of ingredients to create a culinary experience that stimulates our perceptual systems, designers compose different inputs to create emotional connections. These elements can vary depending on the type of experience but include a combination of form, color, language, light, sound, movement, touch, material, or texture. Through Neuroaesthetics, we can now have more concrete data on how each one of these elements contributes to the holistic feeling created by an experience. The question is, what can this data unlock for designers (or AI for that matter) in their pursuit of creating the next generation of immersive, elaborate experiences? It will be interesting to find out.

Multisensorial - The future of Human-Computer Interaction

Research demonstrates that the activation of multiple senses simultaneously in our brains amplifies the generation of human emotions. Unlike isolated visual or audio inputs, the engagement of multiple senses triggers distinct brain regions, resulting in heightened emotional responses. In the realm of hospitality, select brands have harnessed this phenomenon by collaborating with scent designers to infuse distinctive aromas into their public spaces. This fusion of scent with physical surroundings forges potent emotional connections with their guests.

While this approach represents an analog example of a multisensory engagement, the spectrum expands further when considering the convergence of digital interactions with the physical world through mixed reality and spatial computing. The opportunity to develop human-computer interactions that seamlessly integrate a spectrum of sensory experiences for increased emotional connections becomes more evident.

The future of interactions will be shaped by orchestrating what becomes possible through technology to unlock the remaining %80, the human subconscious that drive our emotions and and inspire our decisions. Spatial computing provides UX designers an entirely new arsenal of tools to do so. This trajectory will not only elevate the quality of experiences for individuals but also present brands with innovative avenues to connect with their audiences.

Here's to a future where technology makes life easier, and “feels good” in doing so.