Life-cycle interactions for modelling human emotions : a foundation for developing ‘design for emotion’ support tools

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical model representing human emotions as consequences of life-cycle interactions. Research into product design has been in most part limited to emotions elicited as a result of user-product interactions that take place during the use phase. Yet interactions involving humans, the artefact and other life-phase systems span across the entire life-cycle of the artefact. The study of emotions in product design should therefore be broadened by comprehensively considering human interactions that occur across different life-phases. The implication is to consider human emotions which result from the interactions involving the human worker, the artefact and other systems, as these take place throughout life-phases such as manufacturing, transport and disposal. The life-cycle interactions model presented in this paper, establishes the foundation for the development of support tools which take into consideration the influence of product design in eliciting emotions from both human workers and customers.