Darker Shades of Joy: The Role of Negative Emotion in Rich Product Experiences

Steven Fokkinga obtained his MSc in Design for Interaction at the TU Delft in 2009. He is currently a PhD candidate of user experience and emotional design at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. Fokkinga explores the theoretical possibilities and practical considerations of evoking pleasant negative emotions in product-user experiences. He is co-founder and director of the Delft Institute of Positive Design (DIoPD), which aims to investigate the role that products can play in human flourishing and happiness.

Pieter Desmet is an associate professor of emotional design in the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. He has published in the field of design, emotion, and subjective well-being. In addition, he has edited several books and special issues on emotional design, (e.g. the International Journal of Design and CoDesign.) Desmet is co-founder and executive board member of the International Design for Emotion Society, and co-founder and director of the Delft Institute of Positive Design.