Human Needs and Values as Guideline for Brands and Their Products

Abstract

The quality of identification is essential for choosing a certain product or a brand. Users want to represent and communicate themselves, which is reflected by special affective experiences. Humans continuously compare the detected experience with the desired value and needs they want to satisfy. This comparison either leads to acceptance or aversion. So, to reach a certain target group, brands create and define values that they want to represent. These have to fit to their users’ personal goals, motives, and values. To better understand where the often-used terms user needs and brand values come from and why they are so important for marketers and designers, they are explained in this chapter along with the underlying established theories and interrelationships. This includes human motivation theory from Maslow, self-determination theory from Ryan and Deci, as well as theoretical knowledge on the universal psychological structure of human values from Schwartz. A look at theory from psychology and social sciences is essential to be able to understand the necessity of established processes, methods, and techniques in marketing and UX design.