How to Increase E-commerce Conversion and Retention Rates with Affective Web Design

Executive Summary

Emotions are a vital and natural part of the human experience. Many researchers have suggested that emotions play a significant role in several core areas of our lives. Pert (2003) explained that human emotions are molecular in nature and act as chemical signals. These informational substances affect everything in our lives, including how we interact with people, products, and websites.

In light of these scientific findings, emotional or affective web design has become a focus of inquiry in recent years. Affective design is “design that’s created to intentionally trigger a conscious or unconscious emotional response” (Van Gorp & Adams, 2012, p. 19).

This white paper explains why developers should design their websites for emotion. It also identifies the problems associated with emotionally dull sites. Finally, this paper describes seven recommendations that will create a more satisfying and emotionally engaging user experience.

To learn more, please read my white paper.

© R. Dean Colston, 2017