Have your customers ever expressed issues with your solutions?
So what's their underlying emotion? Is it genuine regret for choosing your service or just a hint of disappointment?
To help us answer this, we can look at The Junto Institute wheel of emotion. (or others like Plutchik’s)
1.
Looking at the Wheel
Imagine a big colorful wheel with many emotions on it, like joy, anger, or fear.
2.
Reading the Wheel
This is the foundational knowledge required to understand how emotions are interconnected. For instance, a base emotion like 'fear' can be more specific such as 'nervousness' or 'anxiety'.
3. Using the Wheel: -Once you identify the emotion, understanding its root cause (in a customer or employee) is crucial. -Realizing that emotions are not standalone, and they can lead to or arise from other emotions is key. -Finally, identifying the emotion provides actionable insights. For example, knowing that employees are anxious allows you to address that specific emotion, by providing clarity or reassurance.
4.
Importance of the Tool
By having a granular understanding of emotions, you can be more precise in designing experiences, services, or communication to address them. This ensures a more detailed approach.
5.
Further Reading
If you want to go deeper into emotions, you could also look at the work by Lisa Feldman Barrett - where she proposes the theory of constructed emotion, which argues that emotions are not universal and hardwired but are constructed by the brain using concepts learned through experience, culture, and context.
6.
Practical Application
While the Wheel of Emotions is a useful tool, it's most effective when combined with other methodologies and when used in contexts where emotional drivers have been identified.