Surprise & emotion

Creating surprising products can be beneficial because a surprising object attracts attention, can evoke interest and is remembered better. However, a surprise can also result in negative reactions such as disappointment. Therefore, understanding the working mechanism of surprise and the different emotions it can bring about is valuable for product designers. In research on surprise in product design we found tentative evidence that a surprise reaction to a product has two stages. We propose a model in which surprise (first stage) can lead to different emotions (second stage). This model allows designers to better understand to which emotions a surprise can lead eventually. With this knowledge, designers will be better equipped to use surprise in products to their benefit