Short answer
Design characters not just for likeability, but for complex emotional and cognitive engagement by considering their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic qualities, and managing the user's sense of involvement versus distance.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- Japanese Psychological Research (2003)
- Method
- Integrative literature review and model development
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Understanding how users perceive and emotionally engage with fictional characters is crucial for designing compelling and resonant experiences. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2003 study published in Japanese Psychological Research. Using Integrative literature review and model development, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design characters not just for likeability, but for complex emotional and cognitive engagement by considering their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic qualities, and managing the user's sense of involvement versus distance.
Designing for Emotional Resonance: The PEFiC Model for Character Engagement
Understanding how users perceive and emotionally engage with fictional characters is crucial for designing compelling and resonant experiences.
Japanese Psychological Research · 2003
Key Findings
- 01User perception of fictional characters involves judgments of ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology.
- 02User engagement is a trade-off between involvement and distance, influenced by personal relevance and norms.
- 03Complex emotional responses, including ambivalence and fascination with negative traits, are possible.
Application
Design takeaway
Design characters not just for likeability, but for complex emotional and cognitive engagement by considering their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic qualities, and managing the user's sense of involvement versus distance.
How to apply
When developing characters for games, films, or interactive narratives, use the PEFiC model to brainstorm character traits and narrative arcs that will elicit a rich spectrum of user responses.
Project actions
- 01When designing characters, consider their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic dimensions.
- 02Think about how to create a balance between making users feel close to a character and maintaining a sense of critical distance.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Integrates multiple psychological theories.
- +Provides a structured, multi-phase model for character perception.
Limitations
It can be challenging to empirically measure 'involvement' and 'distance' accurately.
Reliability & validity
The model's validity would be strengthened by empirical studies using diverse participant groups and various media, and by testing the reliability of the proposed judgment and response scales.
Think critically
How might the PEFiC model apply to non-fictional representations, such as political figures or brand mascots?
Design Principles
"Character design should account for user's ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic judgments, and manage the dynamic interplay between user involvement and distance."
This research provides a framework for designers to move beyond simple identification or empathy, offering a nuanced understanding of user responses to characters. By considering ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic judgments, alongside personal relevance and involvement-distance dynamics, designers can craft characters that evoke a wider spectrum of emotional and cognitive engagement.
What This Means for Your Design
To make characters interesting, think about what users think of them (good/bad, pretty/ugly, real/fake), how they relate to themselves, and how much they feel connected to or distant from the character.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use the PEFiC model to justify character design choices in your design project, explaining how specific traits aim to evoke particular user perceptions and emotional responses.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The Perceiving and Experiencing Fictional Characters (PEFiC) model offers a valuable framework for understanding user engagement with characters. By considering user judgments of ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology, alongside personal relevance and the balance between involvement and distance, designers can craft more resonant and complex character experiences. This approach moves beyond simple empathy to acknowledge the nuanced psychological processes at play, allowing for the design of characters that can evoke a wider range of emotional and cognitive responses.
Source
Japanese Psychological Research
Perceiving and experiencing fictional characters: An integrative account<sup>1</sup>
journal · 2003
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about designing for emotional resonance: the pefic model for character engagement?
- Design characters not just for likeability, but for complex emotional and cognitive engagement by considering their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic qualities, and managing the user's sense of involvement versus distance. Evidence: Japanese Psychological Research (2003).
- Why does "Designing for Emotional Resonance: The PEFiC Model for Character Engagement" matter for design?
- This research provides a framework for designers to move beyond simple identification or empathy, offering a nuanced understanding of user responses to characters. By considering ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic judgments, alongside personal relevance and involvement-distance dynamics, designers can craft characters that evoke a wider spectrum of emotional and cognitive engagement.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design characters not just for likeability, but for complex emotional and cognitive engagement by considering their ethical, aesthetic, and epistemic qualities, and managing the user's sense of involvement versus distance.
- What were the main findings?
- User perception of fictional characters involves judgments of ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology.. User engagement is a trade-off between involvement and distance, influenced by personal relevance and norms.. Complex emotional responses, including ambivalence and fascination with negative traits, are possible.
- What research method was used?
- Integrative literature review and model development.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2003 journal from Japanese Psychological Research.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing characters for games, films, or interactive narratives, use the PEFiC model to brainstorm character traits and narrative arcs that will elicit a rich spectrum of user responses.
- What are the limitations?
- The model is theoretical and requires empirical validation across diverse media and user groups.