I’m a fan of metrics driven design but sometimes its hard to figure out where emotional decisions fit into the process. Ever try to justify an emotional appeal in a meeting room surrounded by people who are focused on metrics and hard data? Usually its not enough to say, “trust me, it’ll be funny/infuriating/heart-breaking/inspiring/etc.”
It’s almost always easier to make a pitch when your audience is actually feeling the feeling you’re pitching. Establish the goals of the project first, retire to the dark cave where you do your work, then present your best concepts that include the emotional appeal to your managers, product owners or clients. Once they are laughing/fuming/crying/floating you can figure out how best to measure the success of the thing you’re making.
Passion is fueled by the heart, connections are made in the mind. You feelin’ me?