The two readings explore the broad subjects of design, usability, and the impact of emotions on cognition. The first reading (Emotion & design) focuses on the role that emotions play in designing and solving problems. It highlights how our emotions influence our perceptions, decisions, and behaviors. It also discusses how, in design, we frequently have to strike a balance between an object’s usability and beauty.
The second reading (Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—And Invented Software Itself) delves more into Margaret Hamilton’s contributions to the Apollo space program. It illustrates how important software design and usability were to the Apollo missions’ success even if it doesn’t specifically address emotions or usability. The development of flight software by Margaret Hamilton transformed our capabilities in space.
The lessons I learned from both the article and the book is that design and usability principles are crucial in a variety of contexts, from ordinary objects to space missions. Additionally, they recommend that while designing things to improve their functionality and make people happier, we take into account the ways in which our emotions shape our thoughts.
The readings also support the notion that emotions have a significant influence on our decision-making. According to the first reading (Emotion & design), our emotions cause our brains to generate chemicals that have an impact on our perception of reality and decision-making. It’s interesting to observe that our attention span increases and our thinking narrows down when we experience depression or anxiety. However, when we’re happy, we think more broadly and creatively.
Although it doesn’t address this specifically in the second reading, it makes a suggestion that our feelings have an impact on our actions. It demonstrates that anxiety causes us to concentrate intensely (depth-first processing), which is advantageous in some circumstances. However, when we’re in a good mood, we’re more inclined to use our imagination and focus on the wider picture.