Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

008 Anthropomorphism

The attribution of humanlike characteristics to nonhuman things.

Humans are predisposed to perceive certain forms and patterns as humanlike — specifically, forms and patterns that resemble faces and body proportions. This tendency, when artfully applied to design, is an effective means of getting attention, establishing a positive affective tone for interactions, and forming a relationship based, in part, on emotional appeal. When inartfully applied, however, anthropomorphic forms can manifest as awkward or even ghoulish, attracting the wrong kind of attention and creating the wrong kind of emotional reactions.1

Anthropomorphism can be expressed in both visual and nonvisual forms. Social robots and personal robot assistants ...