Google recently announced the launch of Material 3 Expressive (MD3)—the most significant evolution of their design language since the original introduction of Material Design in 2014. This update is a thoughtful reimagining of digital experiences grounded in research and emotional resonance.
At Hot Neon Learning, we’ve always believed that great design is foundational to great digital storytelling. Here’s why Google’s latest design evolution matters to our industry, why it resonates with us, and how it aligns with a future of more emotionally attuned, highly engaging digital experiences.
MD3 Expressive represents Google’s response to evolving user expectations—namely, that interfaces should not just function well, but should also resonate emotionally and adapt personally. Building on the dynamic personalization introduced by Material You in 2021, MD3 takes things further, and we’ll look at these thoughtful enhancements using Don Norman’s three distinct emotional levels:
- Visceral: Immediate aesthetic appeal
- Behavioural: Functional excellence and intuitive usability
- Reflective: Deep personal meaning and user identity
By addressing these emotional dimensions holistically, MD3 aims to transform interactions into meaningful human experiences based on their most researched and evidence-based design system yet.
Animation as an Emotional Language
One of the standout features of MD3 is its playful and dynamic approach to how elements move. revolutionary approach to animation and motion graphics. Motion celebrates interactions and guides attention thoughtfully.
Google has introduced a robust “expressive motion physics” system, grounding digital animations in the principles of natural, real-world physics. Elements move naturally, responding dynamically and authentically to user gestures—creating experiences that feel less artificial and more alive.
For example, dismissing a notification now triggers subtle, springy animations and cascading visual effects. These details aren’t just decorative; they communicate clearly, guide attention intuitively, and reward interaction subtly through haptic feedback. This thoughtful choreography reinforces an emotional connection that goes beyond mere utility, transforming routine digital gestures into rewarding emotional micro-interactions. Small interactions matter profoundly. MD3 demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of micro-interactions—brief, subtle exchanges that, cumulatively, shape the overall emotional tone of digital experiences, or what we call at Hot Neon the Experience Arc. The principle here is simple yet powerful: tiny moments of delight (responsive animations, subtle visual feedback, satisfying haptic responses) create deeper engagement and stronger emotional bonds between users and products.
At Hot Neon Learning, this philosophy aligns directly with our own design practice which we’ve used to transform behaviour and user engagement. We’ve seen firsthand that people respond positively—and retain more information—when their digital journeys include thoughtfully choreographed tiny moments of satisfaction.
Emotional Design Principles and Expressiveness
Let’s look at MD3 through the lens of Don Norman’s framework for emotional design. We often consider design through this angle at Hot Neon Learning as it provides a structured roadmap for crafting emotionally intelligent experiences. Let’s briefly unpack how MD3 addresses each level:
Visceral: The immediate visual appeal matters—it’s what draws users into an experience. MD3 achieves this through dynamic color palettes personalized from user preferences, vibrant contrasts, adaptive typography, and immersive animations. These choices feel instantly relevant and engaging. For digital learning, visceral appeal is critical in establishing initial engagement and motivating continued exploration.
Behavioural: Good behavioural design removes friction. MD3’s interface components are intentionally designed to be easier, faster, and more intuitive for diverse user groups. Features like Live Updates, customizable Quick Settings, and adaptive accessibility standards mean that MD3 interfaces support seamless, frustration-free interactions. At Hot Neon, we know that a smooth user experience directly correlates with motivation and user persistence, making this a particularly exciting alignment.
Reflective Design: Reflective design goes deeper, addressing how users find personal meaning and identity in products. MD3’s personalization capabilities—such as dynamically adapting colours and themes based on user preferences—transform digital products from generic utilities into personalized artifacts. Users become emotionally attached, perceiving interfaces as extensions of their identities. This kind of attachment and ownership is exactly what we strive to foster through our digital behaviour change solutions, creating lasting connections and meaningful impact.
Overall, Why We Love It
MD3 isn’t just an exciting design update from Google; it mirrors many principles we’ve championed for years. At Hot Neon we know that:
- Behaviour and learning is inherently emotional: To be effective, digital experiences must engage users on visceral, behavioural, and reflective levels simultaneously.
- Design enhances empathy and engagement: Thoughtfully executed animations, intuitive interactions, and meaningful personalization deepen the emotional and cognitive connection between user and content.
Google’s MD3 validates and extends these core values, reflecting a shared vision of emotionally intelligent digital experiences. At Hot Neon, we’re already exploring ways to integrate MD3 principles into upcoming projects—developing design systems and interactive storytelling tools that maximize engagement through emotion-driven interfaces. We believe that thoughtful emotional design will continue to help you stand out as a leader in digital learning and storytelling—and MD3 offers a compelling model to follow.
Stay tuned to see how we continue to blend emotional intelligence, sophisticated animation, and personalized storytelling to transform the way our clients and their audiences experience learning.
If you’re intrigued by how expressive design, motion, and visual storytelling can transform your organization’s digital experiences, we’re here to chat. Reach out to explore how we can work together to harness emotion-driven design for deeper engagement and meaningful impact.
Hot Neon Learning helps visionary organizations create digital experiences that people love to learn from and engage with. By combining sophisticated storytelling, emotionally intelligent design, and thoughtful user experience, we transform digital content into compelling human connections.
