Design for experience: Evaluating the use of an emotion-mapping tool to support brand equity through the identification of emotions

The ability to form emotional connections with consumers has become an essential way to support brand equity. Emotional connections are essential as they help define memorable brand experiences. This thesis addresses the following question: How can an emotion-mapping tool effectively facilitate designers and marketers ability to identify emotions as a way to emphasize a target emotion in the creative brief? Through an interactive brainstorming workshop, this research tests a proposed emotion-mapping tool. During the workshop, participants were presented with a speculative brand scenario, target personas and specific design objectives. This research contributes to marketing and design disciplines through an examination of how the emotion-mapping tool can be used to enhance workshop outcomes and provide preliminary evidence that this tool can benefit the creative development process.