This week we continued to focus on empathic design as it pertained to basic human need and wants. The article over people’s emotional relationship to products was very interesting. In the readings it was evident that as humans one of the most crucial factors we face is that we constantly want more than what we have. Yes, there is an emotional attachment to specific things such as a baby blanket, specific gifts we receive, or something we work hard for. But the most important thing I think we face in “emotional attachment” to objects is the status we associate with things. It doesn’t matter who you are, bottom line is we want to look and feel good. We typically determine that with what we own. We will always want the nicer better name brand item. We will also always want the next best thing. To me this takes us back to the issue of sustainability. I really feel that a lot of our issues in the world go back to the simple, but unavoidable fact, that peoples priorities will have to change in order to make a difference in anything. I honestly don’t see peoples priorities changing so to me this means there will have to be difference in the way we product things. I think that’s what our article was possibly trying to suggest. That if we can create an emotional response past the level of “the next best thing” then maybe people wouldn’t have such a high turn over rate with purchased items. If this response in evoked in people then maybe just maybe we could have less waste constantly being generated. If by some shift of the universe we could alter peoples priorities away from constantly wanting more then maybe we could alter the way we run things as well. In this I mean everyone “follows the money”. If manufacturers could create lasting products and afford the sacrifice of funds then we could also generate less waste in the essence that products would last longer.

Something that also stood out to me in the article was the phrase “We need to connect in order to create”. In simplicity this is what empathic design is really all about. We have spent time talking about empathic design on a large scale as it pertains to people with disorders, but the idea of dealing with empathic on the day to day with the average human might be where we can stir up a larger difference in how things are done. As a designer if I can create something that evokes a deeper emotional response from people they are more likely to frequent the space or keep the design in say their own homes. I feel it would be profoundly impacting to really get to know and understand clients on a personal level in order to design specifically for them. I feel this is something that would be so beneficial in residential design. I feel by learning about the clients you could design for them and who the are as a person rather than design for them with the trends. If we design away from trends, and for them as a person I think that is how we crate a deeper emotional response. If I feel connected to a space I’m more likely to keep it because of the connection I have created with the particular place and items in the area. I’m less likely to throw things away and replace them with new items.