A Study on the Emotional Analysis of Interaction Design in Fitness Mobile Applications
Xiaojie Peng, Yang Zhang, Sun‐Mi Lee · Korea Institute of Design Research Society · 2025
With increasing digital health awareness and the widespread use of mobile devices, health management apps have become vital tools for behavioral intervention. However, most apps prioritize functionality while neglecting emotional experiences in visual and auditory interactions, limiting long-term engagement. This study adopts Don Norman’s emotional design theory, integrating the Semantic Differential (SD) method and Kano model to evaluate 10 key interfaces across six affective dimensions. Results show that “exercise planning” and “social challenge” features excel in visceral design, while “goal achievement reminder” needs improvement at the behavioral level. Kano analysis further identifies attractive attributes that enhance user retention. A three-level design strategy is proposed to integrate functionality with emotional engagement.This study empirically confirmed that emotional design positively influences users' emotional experience and continued use of health management apps.