Reading Norman’s Emotion & Design: Attractive Things Work Better made me think about how much our emotions influence not only our experience with products but also our perception of their effectiveness. I have always been drawn to minimalist and aesthetically pleasing designs, but I never consciously considered that the way something looks could actually change how well it functions in my mind. Norman’s argument that attractive things put us in a positive emotional state, which then makes us more creative and tolerant of problems, really resonated with me. It reminds me of how I feel when I use a well-designed app: if the interface is clean and straightforward, I naturally assume it’s easier to use, even before I’ve tested its features. When choosing basic necessity goods at the store, I tend to lean towards those with an aesthetically appealing package. It also made me reflect on branding strategies I’ve worked on in the past, where visual identity is not just about aesthetics but about making the user feel like they resonate with the brand’s values enough to engage more deeply.
Similarly, Her Code Got Humans on the Moon was a fascinating look at Margaret Hamilton’s contributions to the Apollo program, and it left me thinking about the intersection of creativity and logic in problem-solving. Her story challenged the way I usually imagine coding (often as monotonous and technical) by showing how she had to anticipate every possible mistake and failure scenario. I was especially struck by how she fought for software engineering to be recognized as a legitimate discipline. It made me wonder how many fields today are still in that stage, where groundbreaking work is being done but isn’t yet fully acknowledged. In a way, it reminds me of digital community-building and brand storytelling, which are the areas I work in that are often undervalued despite their fundamental importance.
Both readings reinforced something I’ve been thinking about a lot: creativity isn’t just for traditional “creative” roles. Whether in design, engineering, or strategy, thinking outside the box is what pushes boundaries and leads us to creating great things.