Designing For Emotion by Aarron Walter and published by A Book Apart was a great read with some compelling case studies and examples and on how and when to use emotional design elements.

All release by A Book Apart and short, sharp and too the point. This release is no exception and once I began reading I was hooked and finished it off within a couple of days. The writing style is enjoyable and educational with a sprinkle of dry wit where appropriate.

Probably my favourite section was on Design Personas and they are something I will be implementing on some upcoming projects in the New Year. Aaarron also provides a great download form his own website containing a template for a design persona as well as the completed version from his work on the great MailChimp application.

My only complaint is that the book focuses on the fun elements of emotional design, such as MailChimp’s mascot. Whilst Aarron does take the time to point out that you wouldn’t use this fun style design for a serious application such as online banking I would love to have read more about how the techniques can be varied for more serious applications.

Overall another highly recommended book.