Supplementary Reading: Donald Norman, Emotional Design, 99-133

Supplementary Reading: Donald Norman, Emotional Design, 99-133

"Fun and pleasure, alas, are not topics often covered by science. Science can be too serious, and even when it attempts to examine the issues surrounding fun and pleasure, its very seriousness becomes a distraction. Yes, there are conferences on the scientific basis of humour, of fun ("funology" is the name given to this particular endeavor), but this is a difficult topic and progress is slow. Fun is still an art form, best left to the creative minds of writers, directors and other artists. But the lack of scientific understanding should not get in the way of our enjoyment. Artists often pave the way, exploring approaches to human interaction that science then struggles to understand. This has long been true in drama, literature, art, and music, and it is these areas that provide lessons for design. Fun and games: a worthwhile pursuit." (Norman, 100)

Norman attempts to deconstruct fun several times in the book, most usefuly on page 105, in reference to the work of human factors expert and designer Patrick Jordan, when he defines four types of pleasure: physio-pleasure, socio-pleasure, psycho-pleasure and ideo-pleasure.