ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 offers a synthesis of the book’s different considerations. The chapter presents a model that can be used for working strategically with aesthetics in the design process as well as for planning the recipient’s aesthetic experience. The aesthetic strategy model integrates the principles of the Pleasure of the Familiar and the Pleasure of the Unfamiliar, constructing a set of opposites to guide the design process. The aesthetic strategy is designed based on the hypothesis that people need aesthetic experiences and aesthetic nourishment; additionally, everybody sometimes needs to be challenged, fundamentally, and, conversely, sometimes to experience a confirmation of their basic assumptions about the world. The strategy enables designers to work intentionally and strategically with the creation of an aesthetic user experience that can strengthen the bond between product and user. As demonstrated in the chapter’s final section, the strategic model can also effectively be used to analyze objects and concepts.
