Emotional-UX Strategy: Because Your Brand Should Make Me Feel Something
- Sacha G
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Introducing Margaux Mondays
Every Monday, I’ll be dishing out one zesty nugget of wisdom — no gobbledygook, no fluff — for marketers with a palate for the finer things and a thirst for greatness.
You can call me Margaux De La Griffe. I’m part strategist, part fashionista, part social experiment. I believe a website should flirt, not lecture. That storytelling is the backbone. And that “good enough” is never good enough.
Welcome to Margaux Mondays — your new weekly ritual for brand brilliance, digital savvy, and career advice that doesn’t sound like it was penned by a lavender-scented candle.
Margaux's hot takes on Emotional-UX Strategy
Your UX Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Boring.
The calls are coming from inside the funnel. Most drop-offs aren’t caused by friction. They’re caused by forgettable design — the kind that follows all the rules, hits all the checkboxes, and leaves absolutely no impression.
If your site feels like a brochure, it’s already failed.
A Field Note From the Archives
A luxury brand once brought me in post-replatform. “Everything is technically perfect,” they said. “So why is conversion dropping?” Their site was polite. Efficient. And utterly soulless.
We rewrote the PDPs with cinematic detail. We added emotional entry points. Conversion lifted 13% in two weeks. Moral of the story? Elegance without emotion is just expensive silence.
Why Emotional-UX Strategy Matters Now
McKinsey calls it “the era of experience.” I call it the year of brand amnesia. Everyone’s optimizing funnels. No one’s optimizing feelings. Meanwhile, AI floods the web with sterile sameness. If your brand doesn’t resonate, it’s replaceable. And that is very bad for margins.
Table of Contents
What Emotional-UX Actually Means
Not soft. Not squishy. Not cute.
Emotional-UX is the architecture of feeling.
It’s the moment a shopper knows they belong before they read a single word. The instant a click feels like a commitment. The thing your heatmaps can’t measure — but your revenue can.
Clues You’re Getting It Right
Scrolls slow down, not speed up
Visitors navigate like they’re following a story, not searching for specs
Bounce drops, but AOV climbs
The Metrics That Matter
Let me guess: your team’s reporting on bounce, CTR, and “engagement.”
Darling. That’s like reading a wine list and calling it dinner.
Better Signals for Emotional Resonance
Scroll velocity (did they savor the story?)
Hover zones (did they pause where it mattered?)
Survey language (did they feel something?)
Tools to try:
PlaybookUX for emotional reactions
Contentsquare for behavioral zones
UsabilityHub for first impression tests
Three Brand Shifts (If You Want to Be Remembered)
From Funnels to Flows
Nobody shops in a funnel. They wander, swipe, flirt. Your UX should feel like a narrative, not a maze.
From Best Practices to Bold Gestures
The moment you copy your category, you become invisible. Lead with creative risks, not committee-approved templates.
From Features to Feelings
No one cares that your bag has “double-stitched Italian leather.” They care how it makes them feel walking into a room.
The F.E.E.L.S. Framework
Feel First. Everything Else Later, Strategically.
Focus: What should the user feel right here?
Evoke: Use visuals, language, micro-interactions.
Embed: Don’t isolate emotion on one page. Layer it throughout.
Layer: Add storytelling, sensory cues, or interactive touches.
Signal: Measure not just what users do, but why they linger.
Use Case
A DTC fragrance brand applied FEELS by embedding scent memory vignettes across its site. Add-to-cart rates rose 11%. Coincidence? Please.
Quick Comparison: Functional vs. Emotional UX
Attribute | Functional UX | Emotional UX |
CTA | “Buy Now” | “Your Signature, Bottled” |
PDP Description | Material, Size, Price | Story, Sensation, Identity |
Homepage Design | Grid of products | Visual narrative arc |
Checkout | Form fields | Affirmations, progress cues |
Common Mistakes Brands Make with Emotional-UX Strategy
Outsourcing Story to Branding Only UX is the brand. Period.
Copying Competitors If it works for them, it won’t work for you. That’s how echoes work.
Thinking “Emotional” Means “Feminine” No. Emotion is not a tone — it’s a tool.
Leaving Emotion on the Homepage Your PDP is your true first impression. Dress accordingly.
FAQ
Q: Is this relevant for B2B?
Yes. People buy from people. Even the ones in suits.
Q: Isn’t this just content marketing?
No. This is experience design. Different department, different budget, same customer.
Q: How do I convince my CEO this matters?
Talk in revenue, not resonance. Cite AOV, retention, customer lifetime value.
Q: What if my brand is “serious”?
Emotion doesn’t mean whimsy. It means intention. Use pride, trust, ambition.
Q: Where do I start?
Start with your most visited page. Find the moment that feels sterile. Rewrite it until it doesn’t.
Ready to Take Action Now?
Last Word
Most brands whisper when they should seduce.
Build experiences that move your customers — and they’ll move your metrics in return.
Until next Monday.
— Margaux
