Emotional Design Psychology & Neuroscience (EDP)
Learn how to build emotionally-driven technology & campaigns
Classroom & self-paced training
Join our students from beginners to pros in top companies:


Discover how to build emotionally intelligent websites, apps, content and campaigns based on psychology and neuroscience.

This class will transform your understanding of what emotions are, how they work and what shapes user decision-making and behavior.
The practical skills in this class focus on using emotional design strategies to fine-tuning your digital creative.
This workshop is for intermediate-to-advanced digital-media practitioners who are looking for deeper insight into the factors that shape user and consumer behavior.
We usually recommend taking DBC before this class, so check our course-selection advice on this course.
Skills and knowledge you’ll gain
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:
Modules
Over 2 days, we’ll cover:
Day 1
- Intro to emotional design neuroscience
- The emotion-behavior model
- Sense perception & digital triggers
- How users understand their digital experience
- Cognitive schemas & intuitive design
- How emotions work
- Irrational decision making
- Targeting habits v.s. intentional behavior
- Mental energy & cognitive load
- Designing within cognitive limits
- Defining & classifying emotions
- Mapping the spectrum of user emotion
- Rapid tools for measuring emotional impact
- Designing for emotions that drive behavior
- Dopamine-targeted design strategies
- Stress-based design & management strategies
Day 2
- Designing for social emotions
- Establishing authenticity & sincerity
- Digital body language & facial expressions
- Attachment anxiety & retention
- Digital ownership & territory
- Avoiding moral, disgust & fear backfires
- Social hierarchy emotions
- Design for pride & shame
- Empowering & disempowering users
- Digital respect & disrespect
- Gratitude & flattery in design
- Fairness & injustice in design
- Engineering high & low-status products
- Sex, love & parenting emotions
- Reinforcement learning
- Engineering emotional intelligence
Here’s what you get

Classroom training kit
- Training guide
- Reference manual
- Workbook
- Behavioral design templates
- Wireframe kit

Self-paced training kit
- On-demand video lessons
- LIVE tutorial recordings
- Wireframe kit (mini)
- Behavioral design workbook
- Closed community
- Cheatsheets
Ensure this course is right for you
If you’re interested in gaining a deep understanding of emotions and how they shape user behavior, then this class is for you.
You can take this class alone or as the complement to DBC, as they draw on different approaches to behavior change and focus on different hands-on skills.
The goal of this course is to deepen your understanding of what shapes user behavior from within, rather than using external behavior change techniques, which is what we cover in DBC.
For this reason, we do not recommend this course for beginners or people who are interested in learning foundational digital psychology. These groups will benefit more by taking DBC first.
Classroom vs. self-paced editions
We offer this course in classroom, self-paced editions, and corporate formats.
Here’s how our classroom and online editions work.
Classroom | Self-paced |
---|---|
Duration 2 days | Duration 10 hours of self-paced lessons and three live group ABD classes on hands-on skills |
Timing 9:00–17:00 with 1 hour lunch and two 15 min breaks | Timing Self-paced lessons are up to you, but if you take the live ABD classes, see our scheduling suggestions in the FAQs |
Instructional hours 13 hours, based on 6.5 hours of instruction per day | Instructional hours 10 hours of lessons. Plus, 4.5 hours of ABD tutorials covering hands-on skills from EDP. |
Logistics The class runs 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (but please arrive by 8:50 as we start at 9:00 sharp). There is a 15-minute break in the morning, an hour for lunch, and another 15-minute break in the afternoon. | Logistics We’ll grant you immediate access to the videos as soon as you register, plus access to the waiting room for the upcoming LIVE tutorials. You’ll have access to the lessons, and then we’ll start the behavioral design process during the LIVE training term. |

Certification
After completing all modules, covering 13 hours of instruction over 2 days in class, or 3 weeks online, you will receive a certificate of completion.
You’ll also have three attempts to write the optional test for an “Emotional Design Psychology Certificate (EDPC)”.
Learn about your certification options.

Meet your instructor
Brian Cugelman, PhD
With an extensive career running online projects and studies for industry, non-profit organizations, governments and the United Nations, Dr. Brian Cugelman has been working as an online behavior change specialist since 1997.
If you'd like to learn more, read Dr. Cugelman's bio or see what he has to say about his training system.
Who this course is for
This class is suitable for:
- Usability and UI/UX professionals
- Graphic designers and interactive designers
- Digital marketing and advertising specialists
- Content strategists and web writers
- Product marketing managers
- Digital project managers
- Health promotion specialists
- Conversion optimizers & researchers
- Entrepreneurs
Industries that will benefit
Our training attracts an eclectic blend of professionals from:
- Technology firms, cloud services
- Digital agencies, creative firms
- Non-profit organizations
- Government, health sector
- Retail businesses, consulting services
- Financial services, insurance
- Media, gaming, entertainment
- Telecommunications, infrastructure
- Small businesses, freelancers, students
- Academia, behavioral science, psychology
How students describe our training
I gained valuable insights that I can apply to landing pages currently in production. The context was very interesting, delivered in an easy to understand format and actionable.
Brian’s expertise has given me not only additional tools to make my client’s campaign more successful. It’s helped me make my agency stand out in the world.
We marketers cannot do our jobs successfully without psychology knowledge. Brian shares current research and examples that can be used in creating more impactful interactive messaging.
Enrollment Options
Need a hand?
If you need a hand with our payment system or require any formal documents, contact us:
+1 (416) 858-2055
[email protected]
Satisfaction guarantee
We know you’ll gain a lot from our training, but we offer a 48-hour window to receive a 100% refund if our online training does not meet your expectations. See the details.
Your next steps
The next step takes you to our secure enrollment page. After enrolling, you’ll receive a confirmation message and full access.
Enroll in Online Package
Get instant access
Our training packages mix self-paced learning with LIVE online group classes.
After you’re enrolled, start the self-paced lessons.
Then join any upcoming ABD live group class.

Digital Psychology Package {DBC & ABD)
This package blends self-paced lessons with LIVE online group tutorials.
You'll learn the core principles that shape user behavior and develop new skills in building psychology-driven products and campaigns.
Courses included:
You'll get:
- 15 Hours on-demand DBC lessons
- 9 Weeks live group training
- 5 Digital psychology workbooks
- 12 Behavioral design templates
- Behavioral science software
- Personal feedback by Dr. Cugelman
- Community support
- Certificates of Completion
- Certificates of Mastery optional
Save $249 with package


Emotional Design Package (EDP & ABD)
This package mixes self-paced lessons with LIVE online group tutorials.
You'll learn the emotions that drive online behavior and gain new skills in designing digital products for user perception, cognition, emotion, and behavior.
Courses included:
You'll get:
- 10 Hours on-demand EDP lessons
- 9 Weeks live group training
- 3 Emotional design workbooks
- 12 Behavioral design templates
- Behavioral science software
- Personal feedback by Dr. Cugelman
- Community support
- Certificates of Completion
- Certificates of Mastery optional
Save $249 with package


Behavioral Design Complete Package (DBC, EDP & ABD)
This package mixes self-paced lessons with LIVE online group tutorials.
You'll learn the core principles of behavior change and how to build technologies that target those emotions that drive human behavior.
This is our most popular package.
Courses included:
You'll get:
- 15 Hours on-demand DBC lessons
- 10 Hours on-demand EDP lessons
- 9 Weeks live group training
- 5 Digital psychology workbooks
- 3 Emotional design workbooks
- 12 Behavioral design templates
- Behavioral science software
- Personal feedback by Dr. Cugelman
- Community support
- Certificates of Completion
- Certificates of Mastery optional
Save $348 with package

Enroll in Scheduled Classes
LIVE online & classroom training
To join our classroom training, follow the links below to enroll with Eventbrite.
To enroll in our 9-week live ABD term, there are two steps.
First, enroll in a training package through Teachable.
Then once you’re enrolled, complete the ABD sign-up sheet.
We cannot find any upcoming classes.
See our LIVE ABD online tutorials.
Need a hand?
If you need a hand with our payment system or require any formal documents, contact us:
+1 (416) 858-2055
[email protected]
Classroom Enrollment
You’ll use Eventbrite for classroom training. After enrolling, you’ll receive your ticket and logistical info.
Satisfaction guarantee
We know you’ll gain a lot from our training, but we offer a 48-hour window to receive a 100% refund if our online training does not meet your expectations. See the details.
Online Enrollment
You’ll enroll in Teachable for self-paced and live group classes. After enrolling, you’ll get instant access and can sign-up for live terms.
Your next steps
The next step takes you to our secure enrollment page. After enrolling, you’ll receive a confirmation message and full access.
Secure registration
All online payments are securely processed by PayPal and Stripe.
Join thousands who’ve completed our training
From beginners to pros in top companies


Guarantees and Terms
All training come with our Guarantees and Terms. Please read these before enrolling.