161

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Samira Ashari,

Babak Amraee,

Stefan Schmidt,

Gaetano Cascini

Department of Design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran. ashari.samira@yahoo.com.

ORCID: 0000-0002-5767-2110

Department of Design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran. b.amraee@tabriziau.ac.ir.

ORCID: 0000-0002-9408-8490

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany.

stefan.schmidt@uniklinik-freiburg.de. ORCID: 0000-0003-4858-4220

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. gaetano.cascini@polimi.it.

ORCID: 0000-0003-1827-6454

Negative Emotional Experiences in Design:

A Theoretical Approach to the Literature

in Design Studies

Experiencias emocionales negativas en el diseño:

una aproximación teórica a la literatura en estudios de diseño

EÍDOS N

Revista Cientíca de Arquitectura y Urbanismo

ISSN: 1390-5007

revistas.ute.edu.ec/index.php/eidos

Recepción: 21, 04, 2024 - Aceptación: 21, 05, 2024 - Publicado: 01, 07, 2024

Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a signicant amount

of literature on design, design thinking, and the design

process. Many researchers have conducted studies

to describe and explain the essence and mechanisms

of the design process, as well as the unique nature

of design thinking. However, this research aims to

systematically review the literature in the eld of design

studies and related elds on the subject of negative

emotional experiences as perceived in these studies,

striving to present a comprehensive content and

theoretical framework for previous studies. The study

of this topic is signicant due to its potential to enhance

our understanding of how designers' function during

the creative design process and the effects of these

emotions on them. This research serves as a foundation

for more precise analyses of these negative emotional

experiences, which can lead to the development of

effective and structured design approaches.

The study utilizes descriptive and analytical methods,

conducting a thorough review of library and

documentary information. It identies articles from

reputable international scientic sources that have

addressed the topic of negative emotional experiences

in design. The ndings reveal that various negative

emotional experiences, such as fear, stress, and

anxiety, have been examined and analyzed in different

contexts, including design, architectural design, and

art. These studies highlight the signicance of safety

and environmental effects in architecture, the impact

of negative emotions on the creative process in art,

and the importance of the design process and user

experience in design.

Keywords: Design, design thinking, emotional design,

design stress, design anxiety, negative emotions.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Today, there is a vast amount of literature

on design, design thinking, and the design

process. Many researchers have undertak-

en studies and research to describe and

delineate the essence and mechanisms of

the design process and the unique nature

of design thinking (Lawson, 2005: 9). How-

ever, the focus of the current research is

on the literature in the eld of design stud-

ies and related study areas that have ad-

dressed the topic of negative emotional

experiences as perceived by designers

and their impact on the design profession,

the design process, designers, and their

performance. Studies have shown that the

accurate measurement of cognitive pro-

cesses in designers, especially concern-

ing mental stress, is crucial for construct-

ing a functional design model. According

to the Yerkes-Dodson law, the relationship

between performance and mental stress

is an inverted U-curve, indicating how a

design approach can affect the level of

stress. A suitable design methodology can

help reduce mental workload and thereby

increase the mental peace of the design-

er. However, if this methodology does not

align with the usual cognitive and work

methods of designers, it may lead to frus-

tration. Therefore, it is important that de-

sign methods maintain mental stress at an

optimum level to enhance the designer's

performance. This underscores the impor-

tance of accurately modeling the relation-

ship between mental stress and designer

performance (Petkar, Dande, & Zeng,

2009). Other research has also quantita-

tively examined the relationship between

information gathering strategies and de-

signers' mental stress. Quantifying mental

stress aids in better understanding the cre-

ative and innovative processes of design

(Zhao & Zeng, 2019). The use of Recurrent

Object Modeling (ROM) as a tool for repre-

senting the mental state of the designer at

each stage of the conceptual design pro-

cess enables the examination of the impact

of various information-gathering strategies

on design creativity. These studies illus-

trate how these strategies, by inuencing

mental stress, can affect design creativity.

These ndings are based on theoretical

analyses that explore the reciprocal rela-

tionship between the design process and

the mutual impact of creativity and mental

stress, conrming the following of the in-

verted U-curve of the Yerkes-Dodson law

(Wang, Nguyen, & Zeng, 2015).

Resumen:

En los últimos años, ha habido una cantidad signica-

tiva de literatura sobre diseño, pensamiento de diseño

y el proceso de diseño. Muchos investigadores han

realizado estudios para describir y explicar la esencia

y los mecanismos del proceso de diseño, así como la

naturaleza única del pensamiento de diseño. Sin em-

bargo, esta investigación tiene como objetivo revisar

sistemáticamente la literatura en el campo de los estu-

dios de diseño y campos relacionados sobre el tema

de las experiencias emocionales negativas tal como

se perciben en estos estudios, esforzándose por pre-

sentar un contenido integral y un marco teórico para

estudios anteriores. El estudio de este tema es impor-

tante debido a su potencial para mejorar nuestra com-

prensión de cómo funcionan los diseñadores durante

el proceso de diseño creativo y los efectos de estas

emociones en ellos. Esta investigación sirve como

base para análisis más precisos de estas experiencias

emocionales negativas, que pueden conducir al desa-

rrollo de enfoques de diseño estructurados y ecaces.

El estudio utiliza métodos descriptivos y analíticos,

realizando una revisión exhaustiva de la información

bibliográca y documental. Identica artículos de fuen-

tes cientícas internacionales acreditadas que han

abordado el tema de las experiencias emocionales

negativas en el diseño. Los hallazgos revelan que di-

versas experiencias emocionales negativas, como el

miedo, el estrés y la ansiedad, han sido examinadas y

analizadas en diferentes contextos, incluido el diseño,

el diseño arquitectónico y el arte. Estos estudios re-

saltan la importancia de los efectos ambientales y de

seguridad en la arquitectura, el impacto de las emo-

ciones negativas en el proceso creativo en el arte y la

importancia del proceso de diseño y la experiencia del

usuario en el diseño.

Palabras claves: Diseño, pensamiento de diseño, dise-

ño emocional, estrés por diseño, ansiedad por el dise-

ño, emociones negativas.

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In today's complex world, where science

and knowledge are constantly evolving

and changing, achieving a comprehen-

sive and deep understanding of previous

research has become especially impor-

tant. The review and reevaluation of past

research outcomes, whether in the form of

articles, books, or theses, play a vital role

in identifying achievements, theories, and

various approaches. This process, ground-

ed in the careful examination of research

models, scientic methods, and research

tools employed in conducted studies, en-

ables researchers to establish a solid foun-

dation for their future research. These re-

views also aid in identifying gaps and new

opportunities for investigation, thereby un-

derlining the importance of using system-

atic reviews of published articles in terms

of subject matter and methodology as a

powerful method in the research process

to create a unied and fundamental per-

spective in any scientic eld (Hay & et al.,

2017). However, it is observed that some

areas, especially design, architecture, and

art, have been less impacted by system-

atic reviews and meta-analyses of exist-

ing literature. The insufcient attention to

these elds compared to other study areas

highlights the absence of comprehensive

and precise reviews. Stress, anxiety, wor-

ry, dread, negative emotions, and similar

negative feelings, as psychological factors

affecting creative and innovative design

processes, can have varying effects on

professional and specialized design activi-

ties across different branches and orienta-

tions. Based on this, the present research

aims to systematically examine the litera-

ture in the eld of design studies and re-

lated study areas on the topic of negative

emotional experiences as perceived by

designers and their impact on the design

profession, design process, designers,

and their performance. It strives to provide

a comprehensive content and theoretical

framework for the studies conducted. This

allows researchers to not only compare

and synthesize methodologies and exist-

ing results through a qualitative review of

the research conducted but also to identify

new opportunities to address this topic in

the eld of design studies. Therefore, the

present study endeavors to systematically

review the research conducted in this area

and subject it to examination and analysis.

This review includes categorizing research

based on content and different approach-

es, determining the thematic classication

of studies, and evaluating the extent to

which existing research focuses on each

of the emotions, sentiments, and negative

states. This study not only helps identify

knowledge gaps but also introduces new

areas for future research and provides

guidelines for addressing these issues.

This research attempts to answer ques-

tions such as: What is the thematic classi-

cation of most studies conducted? Which

negative emotions have received more at-

tention from researchers? What emotional

experiences have been the focus of exist-

ing research in the eld of design studies

and related study areas?

2. METHODOLOGY

This research was conducted with the goal

of achieving a broader understanding of

the negative emotional experiences per-

ceived in the eld of design studies and

related areas. This study is theoretical, em-

ploying a content analysis approach, utiliz-

ing descriptive and analytical methods to

gather library and documentary informa-

tion. It identies articles that address this

topic by referencing reputable internation-

al scientic sources. In this methodology,

special emphasis is placed on precise and

systematic searches in scientic databas-

es to select articles directly related to the

study topic. It then proceeds to examine

and analyze the content of the collected

data, attempting to classify the existing lit-

erature based on content and different ap-

proaches and to evaluate the extent of their

focus on each of the emotions, sentiments,

and negative states. This theoretical and

analytical approach provides the possibil-

ity of meaningful interpretation and infer-

ence from a wide range of primary data,

which in turn can offer new insights into the

challenges and opportunities in the eld of

design. Therefore, this research provides

164

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valuable information for professionals and

enthusiasts in the eld of design and helps

ll knowledge gaps in this area.

3. DESIGN

Design is an activity aimed at generating

innovative solutions and ideas in pursuit of

transforming the world, rather than simply

reproducing existing ideas and solutions.

It strives to go beyond mere repetition of

existing thoughts and approaches (Ashari

& Shah Hosseini, 2023). The term "design"

is derived from the Latin word "Desig-

nare," meaning to describe, dene, and

draw (Erllhoff, 2008: 195). A wide range of

professional specialties and skills such as

product design, service design, graphic

design, architectural design, interactive

design, and more fall within the profes-

sional elds of design, which are dened

based on the results they deliver (Faragh

& Ashari, 2023). There is no single deni-

tion of design that is accepted by all ex-

perts and researchers; its meaning var-

ies across professions, disciplines, and

design contexts (Abhigyan et al, 2021: 4).

The traditional concept of design dates

back to the 19th century, associated with

the movement of applied arts and indus-

trial production of "Artifacts" (Niiniluoto,

2014: 12), transitioning from the modern

era, which focused solely on the functional

aspect of the product, to the post-modern

era (Ghodusinejad, 2015: 74). However,

the expansion of the concept of design

across various scientic disciplines has

led to new denitions of design that align

with research in the eld. Simon believed

that the science of design comprises a

set of analytical theories about the design

process that possess intellectual robust-

ness and are to some extent testable (Par-

sons, 2016: 55). Design can also be seen

as the deliberate solution to a problem

and the creation of designs for a new type

of artifact, as well as a method for creating

practical solutions to a problem, accepted

as a research paradigm in various scien-

tic disciplines (Ashari & Naeini, 2022).

In a comprehensive denition, design can

be considered a type of exploratory pro-

cess and a form of research (Lawson, 2005:

160). It is an activity that focuses on gener-

ating new ideas and solutions for changing

the world, rather than simply repeating ex-

isting ideas and solutions (Chrysikou, 2020:

320). A clear idea that encompasses the

elements of design, quality, shape, func-

Figure 1. Initial Access to Conducted Studies: Selected Keywords in Two Areas: Design and Stress,

and Reputable Scientic Websites for Keyword Search.

Source: Authors

165

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tion, form, materials, and other characteris-

tics should prevail over all other ideas and

encapsulate the main narrative of a prod-

uct (Ashari & Shah Hosseini, 2023). In es-

sence, design is a creative discipline that

utilizes imagination; its subject matter con-

sists of things that can exist. The main task

in design involves considering the relation-

ships, alignments, and conicts among a

multitude of factors and immersing oneself

in the process of presenting imaginative re-

sponses based on them. The vital charac-

teristic of this integrated process is its think-

ing and action, which connects motivations

and tangible actions, marking the distinct

role of design. When design is conducted

through a combination of logical reasoning

and creative expression, it can be referred

to as thoughtful design or the act of design-

ing, which is neither thought alone nor ac-

tion alone but both together, forming an in-

terconnected unit (Walker, 2017: 19).

4. ARTICLE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS

In the initial phase of identifying relevant

previous studies, a search was conducted

in reputable databases. To primarily ac-

cess articles in the eld of design studies

related to the experience of negative emo-

tions, specic keywords relevant to the

proposed topic were determined for use

in the existing literature search. Given that

the present research is interdisciplinary

between the elds of design studies and

psychology, the keywords were catego-

rized into these two thematic classica-

tions (Figure 1). Keywords selected for the

search in reputable scientic sites within

the design studies eld include "Design".

Keywords related to the eld of psychol-

ogy that connect to negative emotional ex-

periences include ten keywords: "Stress",

"Anxiety", "Worry", "Fear", "Arousal", "Ex-

citation", "Excitement", "Tension", "Strain",

"Emotion", chosen for their search in repu-

table scientic sites. The reason for choos-

ing these keywords is their highest similar-

ity in terms of content load and semantic

meaning. The selection of keywords like

"Excitation", "Emotion", and "Excitement" is

because they encompass negative emo-

tions and sentiments, thus being utilized

in this search. Following the selection of

keywords, they were searched within the

titles and keywords of articles, theses, and

books on reputable international scientic

websites without a time limit from the year

1975 to 2023.The top foreign article and

book search websites were reviewed, and

among them, the Web of Science (WOS),

Science Direct, Scopus, and the British Li-

brary were selected for keyword searches

(Figure 1). These sites were chosen due to

their thematic categorization, allowing for

the classication of articles across various

elds. On the WOS and Scopus websites,

searches were conducted in the titles and

keywords of documents, whereas the Brit-

ish Library website only allowed searches

in document titles, not keywords. Addi-

tionally, on the Science Direct website,

searches could be conducted simultane-

ously in titles, keywords, and abstracts,

and searches were performed in these

sections. Table 1 displays the search of

these keywords on reputable international

sites. In this table, the number of articles

obtained from searching the keywords in

the title, keywords, and abstract is listed

separately for each of the four scientic

websites (WOS, Science Direct, Scopus,

and British Library), with the search time

noted. Keyword searches were conducted

in all documents and all articles, and their

results are stated separately.

5. DISCUSSION

After searching for keywords in interna-

tional scientic databases (WOS, Science

Direct, Scopus, and the British Library), a

collection of related documents was gath-

ered. In this study, we will focus solely

on examining articles, setting aside other

types of documents. These articles have

been recorded in Table 1 and then cat-

egorized into specic thematic classica-

tions, which are presented in Table 2. In

this table, articles are categorized based

on different study areas and their connec-

tions to the selected keywords. Essential-

ly, this table shows the most studies con-

ducted (over fty percent of the articles)

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in various study areas from each of the

keywords related to design and negative

emotional experiences, according to the

thematic classication of reputable sci-

entic sites. This categorization allows us

to gain new insights into the study areas

that focus most on examining negative

emotional experiences and to nd new

pathways for research and development

of methods and strategies for improving

design approaches (Table 2).

Table 3, continuing from the previous ta-

bles, provides a more general and concep-

tual classication of related studies, drawn

based on the keywords used in various re-

search efforts. This thematic categorization

allows us to approach the studies on de-

sign and negative emotional experiences

in different research areas from a broader

perspective, showing which keywords and

topics have attracted the most attention in

the scientic community. Thus, these tables

Table 1. Search for Keywords Related to Negative Emotional Experiences in Design Studies on Reputable

Foreign Sites

Keywords

Articles search websites

Articles

obtained

Search timeBritish Library Science Direct Scopus WOS

Articles Doc Articles Doc Articles Doc Articles Doc

Design

Stress

Title 3144 3336 54268 59091 2570 4001 1961 2230

144

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 19901 81616 2293 2395

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Anxiety

Title 166 172

8208 9236

160 221 150 235

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 4008 5288 155 168

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Worry

Title 16 16 821 926 6 7 8 11

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 82 86 6 6

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Title 90 104

3300 3697

51 79 45 58

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 725 904 48 52

Fear

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Emotion

Title 345 377 3584 3968 209 615 172 204

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 2444 4185 318 342

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Excitement

Title 16 16 217 257 4 7 2 3

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 18 24 – –

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Excitation

Title 837 845 9591 10219 804 1349 593 633

–

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 5375 9361 285 300

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Strain

Title 1571 1632 29927 32547 1183 1872 1136 1279

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 20513 31188 778 807

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Tension

Title 682 706 9784 10531 520 860 439 492

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 4884 7680 322 326

Abstract – – – – – –

Design

Arousal

Title 20 20 2057 2213 16 20 18 23

2022/11/01

–

2022/12/01

Keywords – – 491 641 20 21

Abstract – – – – – –

Keywords – – 59 85 2 2

Abstract – – – – – –

Source: Authors.

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Table 2. The Most Studies Conducted in Various Study Areas from Each of the Keywords According to

the Thematic Classication of Reputable Scientic Sites

Keywords WOS Scopus British Library Science Direct

Design +

Stress

Materials Science

Multidisciplinary -

Mechanics - Engineering

Mechanical - Engineering

Civil - Engineering Electrical

Electronic

Engineering

Mechanical engineering

- Civil engineering -

Electrical and Electronic

Engineering

Engineering - Materials

Science

Design +

Anxiety

Psychiatry - Psychology

Clinical - Psychology

Multidisciplinary - Public

Environmental Occupational

Health

Medicine

Medicine -

Pharmaceutical

chemistry -

Biotechnology

Medicine and Dentistry

Design +

Worry

Psychiatry - Health Care

Sciences Services

Medicine -

Engineering -

Psychology

Mechanical engineering

- Civil engineering -

Electrical and Electronic

Engineering

Medicine and Dentistry

Design + Fear

Neuroscience -

Psychiatry - Psychology

- Art - Pharmacology

- Environmental Studies -

Psychology Multidisciplinary

- Criminology Penology

Engineering -

Social Sciences

- Medicine

Engineering -

Architecture and

Planning

Medicine and Dentistry

Design +

Emotion

Psychology Multidisciplinary

- Education Educational

Research - Art - Computer

Science Information

Systems - Social Science

Interdisciplinary -

Engineering Multidisciplinary

- Management

Computer Science

- Medicine

Engineering - Articial

intelligence - Design -

Computers - Computer

science

Medicine and Dentistry

- Psychology

Design +

Excitement

Medicine -

Computer Science

Mechanical engineering

Medicine and Dentistry

- Social Sciences -

Psychology

Design +

Excitation

Engineering Electrical

Electronic - Radiology

Nuclear Medicine Medical

Imaging - Engineering

Mechanical - Engineering

Civil - Instruments

Instrumentation

Engineering

Mechanical engineering

- Civil engineering

Engineering

Design +

Strain

Engineering Civil -

Construction Building

Technology - Materials

Science Multidisciplinary

- Engineering Mechanical

- Physics Applied -

Engineering Electrical

Electronic - Biotechnology

Applied Microbiology

Engineering

Mechanical engineering

- Civil engineering -

Electrical and Electronic

Engineering

Engineering - Materials

Science

Design +

Tension

Engineering Civil -

Construction Building

Technology - Materials

Science Multidisciplinary

Engineering Engineering Engineering

Design +

Arousal

Ergonomics - Neuroscience

- Business - psychiatry

-Communication - Family

Studies

Engineering -

Psychology

Psychology - Social

Sciences or Social

Services - engineering

Medicine and Dentistry

- Neuroscience

Source: Authors.

168

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offer valuable information for researchers

seeking a deeper understanding of nega-

tive emotional experiences in various study

elds, enabling them to discover connec-

tions between different segments of this

area and advance towards future research

(Table 3).

The thematic categorization of the articles

obtained in the previous table demon-

strates the subject distribution of studies

related to the keywords. This analysis also

indicates the level of focus various scien-

tic elds have on these topics. In Table 4,

our analysis is centered on articles from the

elds of design, art, architecture, and ergo-

nomics, gathered from four prominent sci-

entic references including the Web of Sci-

ence (WOS), Science Direct, Scopus, and

the British Library. This table highlights the

diversity and breadth of studies in these

areas, enabling us to identify the extent of

research focus each of these study elds

has on keywords related to negative emo-

tional experiences. A detailed examination

of these articles leads us to a better under-

standing of the psychological impacts on

these elds of study (Table 4).

Table 3. General Thematic Categorization of Each Keyword

Keywords

Engineering

Materials Science

Medicine

Dentistry

Psychology

Psychiatry

Education

Chemistry

Biotechnology

Art

Architecture and Planning

Neuroscience

Pharmacology

Environmental Studies

Criminology Penology

Management

Social Sciences

Articial intelligence

Design

Computers

Construction Building Technology

Health Care Sciences Services

Physics Applied

Business

Communication

Ergonomics

Design +

Stress

• •

Design +

Anxiety

• • • • • • •

Design +

Worry

• • • • • •

Design +

Fear

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Design +

Emotion

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Design +

Excitement

• • • • • •

Design +

Excitation

• • •

Design +

Strain

• • • • •

Design +

Tension

• • •

Design +

Arousal

• • • • • • • • • •

Source: Authors.

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Table 4. Number of Articles Obtained from Searching Keywords in Reputable Scientic Sites

with Subject Categorization in Design, Art, Architecture, and Ergonomics

Keywords Related eld WOS Scopus

Science

Direct

British

Library

Design

+ Stress

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords 1 – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – 37

–

Keywords – 595 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title 18 –

–

Keywords 18 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – –

Design

Anxiety

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – 18

100

–

Keywords – 116 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords 2 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – –

Design

Worry

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – –

–

Keywords – 4 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords 1 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – –

Design

Fear

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title 1 10

–

Keywords – 48 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords 1 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – –

Design

Emotion

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords 9 – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title 6 48

103

Keywords 28 261 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title 17 –

–

Keywords 21 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – 32

Design

Excitement

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – –

170

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Creating a frequency distribution chart

based on the information gathered from

the tables and the content mentioned pro-

vides a valuable tool for a more accurate

and detailed analysis of the data derived

from the most studies conducted in the

thematic categories of each searched key-

word (in the titles and keywords of previous

articles) within the eld of design studies

and related study areas focusing on nega-

tive emotional experiences. This would be

applicable across all four scientic web-

sites (WOS, Science Direct, Scopus, and

the British Library). The design of this chart

aims to facilitate researchers' access to

the focal points of study areas and topics.

It offers a general analysis of the obtained

data, displaying at a glance the topics with

the highest number of articles on the dis-

cussed subject (Chart 1).

Based on this chart, the keyword "Design

+ Stress" has the highest frequency of re-

search in the eld of Art and Humanities,

Design

Excitation

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – 2

–

Keywords – 76 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – –

Design

Strain

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – 3

–

Keywords – 125 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title 8 –

–

Keywords 5 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – –

Design

Tension

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title 1 –

–

Keywords 2 – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title 4 24

–

Keywords 2 84 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title 4 –

–

Keywords 2 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – –

Design

Arousal

Architecture (WOS)

Architecture and Planning (British Library)

Title – –

–

Keywords – – –

Art (WOS) (British Library)

Arts and Humanities (Scopus) (Science

Direct)

Title – 1

–

Keywords – 35 –

Ergonomics (WOS)

Title – –

–

Keywords 4 – –

Product Design (British Library) Title – – – 2

Source: Authors.

171

KAIWAAN, et al. - Negative Emotional Experiences in Design: A Theoretical Approach to the Literature in Design Studies. pp. 161-173 ISSN:1390-5007 EÍDOS 24

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indicating a signicant focus of research-

ers in this area on the topic of stress. The

number of studies using this keyword in

the elds of Art and Ergonomics is much

lower. Following this keyword, a consider-

able amount of studies in the elds of Art

and Humanities relate to the keywords "De-

sign + Emotion," likely examining both the

positive and negative impacts of this emo-

tional experience. The number of studies

for this keyword in the eld of Ergonomics

is very low. Subsequently, keywords such

as "Design + Anxiety," "Design + Strain,"

and "Design + Tension" have signicantly

fewer studies, which may indicate a new

research opportunity in these areas. This

chart represents the total number of pub-

lished studies for each keyword in each

eld (Chart 1).

Table 5. The Majority of Articles Conducted in

Design-Related Study Fields on the Topic of

Negative Emotional Experiences

Keywords Related eld

1 Design + Anxiety Arts

2 Design + Fear

Architecture and

Planning

3 Design + Emotion Design

4 Design + Strain Arts

5 Design + Arousal Arts

Source: Authors

Considering the content, tables, and a

thorough analysis of the data obtained

from the frequency distribution table of ar-

ticles, the ve keywords that have yielded

the most research are as follows: The ma-

jority of articles with the keywords Anxiety,

Strain, Arousal are found in the eld of Art;

with the keyword Fear in the eld of Archi-

tecture and Urban Planning; and with the

keyword Emotion in the eld of Design

(Table 5). The keyword "Emotion" indicates

that articles related to emotions have been

primarily focused on in the eld of design.

This may be due to emotions being a cru-

cial component in user experience and us-

ers' interactions with designed products.

Research in these areas can improve how

products are designed and enhance user

experience. The keyword "Anxiety" has

the highest frequency in studies related

to the eld of art. This might be because

art is considered a space for exploration

and expression of emotions, and studying

Anxiety can lead to a better understanding

of how these psychological states impact

creative processes. The keywords "Strain"

and "Arousal" have also been highlighted

in the eld of art, indicating an interest in

examining the effects of psychological and

physical pressures on artists. Research

in these areas could help identify stress

management strategies and promote well-

being and mental health among artists. Fi-

nally, the keyword "Fear" has been particu-

Chart 1. General analysis of the data obtained from the most studies conducted on each of the searched keywords in the elds

of Art and Humanities, Architecture, and Ergonomics

Source: Authors

172

KAIWAAN, et al. - Negative Emotional Experiences in Design: A Theoretical Approach to the Literature in Design Studies. pp. 161-173 ISSN:1390-5007

EÍDOS 24

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larly focused on in the eld of architecture

and urban planning. This could mean that

researchers in this eld aim to understand

how fear affects designers and users and

how architecture can help reduce or man-

age these fears.

6. CONCLUSION

The research conducted in the eld of de-

sign studies and related study areas con-

cerning negative emotional experiences

clearly demonstrates that these two sub-

jects intersect in various ways and across

different contexts. Reviews suggest that

negative emotional experiences in the eld

of architectural and urban design studies

are primarily focused under the theme of

Fear, possibly due to safety challenges and

environmental impacts on individuals. In

the eld of art studies, experiences associ-

ated with Anxiety, Strain, and Arousal have

been more extensively examined, indicat-

ing the inuence of these states on creativi-

ty processes and art production. Moreover,

articles related to both positive and nega-

tive emotional experiences, Emotion, are

generally concentrated in the eld of de-

sign studies, highlighting the signicance

of user experience and users' emotional

connection with products. A broader analy-

sis of the data and charts shows that the

elds of design, architectural design, and

art each explore negative emotional expe-

riences in their unique ways. Researchers

in architecture tend to consider fear as a

fundamental element in designing physical

environments and emphasize it, while art

researchers examine deep emotional and

psychological impacts. Design research-

ers conduct studies focused on reducing

stress, enhancing human efciency, and

comfort. These investigations underline the

need for interdisciplinary approaches in ex-

amining negative emotional experiences,

which could ultimately lead to the develop-

ment of more comprehensive strategies for

managing these experiences across vari-

ous elds. Given the presented content, the

limitations, challenges, and recommenda-

tions of this research are as follows:

Limited access to certain international da-

tabases and the high variability in study

elds and related keywords pose chal-

lenges to the comprehensiveness and ac-

curacy of research. The use of the keyword

"design" in broad and general terms, espe-

cially in unrelated articles, can lead to the

collection of incorrect data and increase

complexity in data analysis. To counter

these challenges, it is recommended to

strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations

to establish common denitions and mod-

els, laying the groundwork for integration

and comprehensive outlooks in research

endeavors. Furthermore, emphasizing the

study of anthropological and psychologi-

cal aspects, including negative and posi-

tive emotional experiences in design and

its process, and their impacts on creativity,

productivity, and the mental well-being of

designers, can provide valuable insights.

This research offers a foundation for future

studies to specically focus on addressing

existing issues and leveraging the provid-

ed recommendations to enhance future re-

search in areas related to negative emotion-

al experiences such as stress and anxiety

in design.

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