Toward a Theory-Driven Model of Emotional Interaction Design in Mobile Games Research

Abstract

AbstractThe rapid development of mobile information technology provides good opportunities for the maturity and growth of mobile games. In busy modern life, mobile games are playing an increasingly important role in people’s social connection. In addition to entertainment functions, mobile games in the near future have the potential to become a new method of teaching, by which users can learn a variety of knowledge in a lively and interesting way. What factors contributed to the birth of an excellent mobile game? Obviously, the emotional factors in interaction design play a vital role. Emotion-based interaction design can evoke various positive emotions of players, such as the sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, flow experience, awe, and other psychological experiences. Thus, it is of importance to analyze the emotional factors in mobile game interaction design and discuss emotional interaction design principles and methods. The purpose of this paper to establish an emotional interaction design model, which could provide the theoretical basis for improving mobile game design theory, expanding mobile game functions and value, meeting users’ more advanced emotional needs and guiding mobile game development and design practice. This paper first discusses the emotional design theory proposed by Professor Don Norman. And then it analyzes the intersection and integration of interaction design and psychology, human factors engineering, aesthetics, and other disciplines. Corresponding to the three levels of emotional design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective, it puts forward an emotional interaction design model consisting of user interface design, interaction operation design, and interaction experience design. Finally, it improves and applies the emotional interaction design model in mobile games through case studies.KeywordsMobile gamesEmotional interaction designUser interfaceInteraction operationInteraction experience