How do we build an emotional attachment

with our products?

Pudi Ravi Krishna

Dec 2014

Understanding object relationships, dependency and attachment

Research

Link

Infant & caregiver relationshipsIf we study the relationships between care givers and infants, the infants are looking for a safe base to explore.

In a secure environment, infant's attachment system is relaxed and they are free to explore.

http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/courses/620/pdf_files/attach_depend.pdf

Object attachmentThe organism, regardless of age and species, becomes attached to an object, whether animate or inanimate, which is constantly present in the organism's environment, through a process of associative conditioning.

The object of attachment gains control over the animal's behavior by virtue of being present as an accompaniment of many of its responses and thus becomes a cue for those responses.

Consumer-product relationshipsWhen a person feels emotionally attached to a possession, the product may be regarded as part of the self: what is ‘mine’ becomes ‘me’.

Some objects become viewed as parts of the self when a person can exercise power or control over them.

E.g. a carpenter may perceive his tools as self-extensions because he needs these tools to perform his job. In addition, his tools are part of his identity.

Irreplaceable(emotional) since there is a unique memory associated with it. E.g. wrist watch gifted by father

Indispensable (utilitarian) since it is essential tool to accomplish a task.E.g. tool to open wine bottle

Expression of selfAccording to Greenwald (1988), four facets can be distinguished in a person’s self-schema: the diffuse self, the private self, the public self and the collective self.

People become attached to objects because these objects help to define and maintain the self and this serves to enhance a person’s feeling of self-esteem. The four facets of the self-schema may indicate which variables affect the degree of attachment between a person and an object.

  

1.Diffuse selfThe diffuse self strives for hedonic satisfaction. It has its roots in the body’s innate pleasure and pain responses. The existence of a diffuse self suggests that product enjoyment is a driver of attachment.

This contains sensory pleasures experienced during usage, aesthetic pleasure derived from a beautiful appearance, enjoying the familiarity of a well-known product, and so on.

VisualAuralTouchSmellTaste

2. Private SelfThe private self aims at individual achievement; it tries to meet internal, personal standards. This implies products should help in defining a person’s being, wants and abilities.

Products to which we become attached should reflect our identity, individuality, independence, uniqueness, skills, goals, and achievements. 

3. Public SelfThe public self looks for approval of others. Products that support the public self thus define the important others for a particular person; they symbolize a person’s relationship to family members, friends or social groups.

Also, they may consist of tokens of approval from significant others, such as heirlooms, gifts received from loved ones, and gifts received at special occasions.

E.g. Facebook likes, Zomato/Twitter followers,

4. Collective SelfThe collective self searches for approval from a reference group. After internalizing the norms of a reference group, people may strive to conform to these norms.

Examples of important reference groups are the inhabitants of a country, a religious community, a subculture, or an ethnic minority. They symbolize an idea, a philosophy of life or an intangible, abstract entity; elements of a person’s life vision. Objects include books, works of art, and ornaments like amulets, crucifixes, decorative pins, and precious stones.

“We have inadvertently designed away the more poetic and enduring characteristics of our material culture.” 

Jonathan Chapman, Emotionally Durable Design

Sustaining interestThe only way for products to healthily sustain their interactions with consumers is for them to possess a diversity and pluralism of character. 

Products within the current model of design are static and non-evolving.

In sharp contrast, their users are constantly changing.

In order to form a stronger, more satisfying bond between a product and its user, designers must learn to embrace unpredictability and design objects that create situational variety.

Recommendations● Design products that evoke enjoyment, or facilitate the formation

of associations between products and people, places or events (memories).

● Incorporating surprise into products, since such products are found to be more enjoyable (Vanhamme & Snelders, 2003). 

● Product received as a gift to become a high-attachment product, it should reflect the receiver’s personal identity. As a consequence, the success of a gift depends on the giver’s capacity to judge what kind of product the receiver would like to have, which is not under the designer’s control.

● Just like a wooden toy reminds you of the friends you used to play with when you were a child, electronic game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii can remind you of the joyful and exciting experiences you shared with friends and family members. Kindle old memories when possible.E.g. facebook memories

● The recollection of memories may be enhanced if a product shows physical signs of the events. For instance, a scratch on your leather jacket may remind you of losing your balance after a fabulous night of partying. If a designer chooses materials that age with dignity, these marks of use do not necessarily degrade the product’s appearance, but can add to the richness of the shared history of the owner and the product (van Hinte, 1997).