Embodied Typology of Positive Emotions

Abstract

This paper introduces a tool that has been developed to facilitate emotional granularity in design: ‘Embodied Typology of Positive Emotions’. Emotional granularity reflects individual differences in the ability to precisely represent and interpret one’s own and others’ emotional states, referring to distinct emotion words rather than merely to a general feeling of pleasantness. It can be advantageous for designers to have high emotional granularity. In design, the awareness of and ability to label nuances in emotions may facilitate to recognise users’ complex emotional responses with accuracy, and to specify design intentions in terms of emotional impact more clearly. The tool supports an understanding of 25 positive emotions by providing definitions of emotion labels, eliciting conditions, and visuals of expressive behavioural manifestations. This paper describes the tool, its development process, as well as ideas for applications in design. Implications of the tool and future research steps are discussed.