Kansei: the idea of designing with the client or customer's emotions in mind. Are you doing this?

What's that you say - you're not a designer? Excuse me, but yes you are. If nothing else, you design the interaction you have with others (and yourself) every moment of every day. You design your life and everything in it, whether actively, or passively.

Kansei is philosophic origami that neatly folds my own idea of high amplitude into so many paper Miatas. I drive Miata - I just think they're fun and cute - plus I bought mine used, and it's great on gas.

When I was a girl, and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I imagined myself at 25, driving a Mustang convertible alone, top down, hair flying, North on the Pacific Coast Highway. I was from Pennsylvania, and I'd never been to the West Coast, nor even heard of the PCH, but that was my idea of my future.

But why did legions of loyal Miata buyers choose them over other cars in the same range, or even pricier models? Kansei. Mazda designers depended on profiling their prospective buyers' emotions to create a product so appealing, that buyers would fall in love with the cars - and that's exactly what happened. Miatas tap into the romance of what driving a sportscar - and a dependable one at that - is all about. The car screams "I'm so Sexy" and it runs forever. It carries little baggage, so no packrats allowed. It's the ideal lover, as a car.

So what about you? Are you paying attention to the emotions of the people you interact with? What do they like? What do they want? What are their fears? Are they smart, or not? Are they powerful? Can they hurt you? Would they hurt you?

Is all that in sync with what you want? If it's not, what are you doing with them? How can you cope with them or steer them into a positive relationship with you?

Homework: Ericksonian psychology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson