1,720,969 research outputs found
Sensory incongruity and surprise in product design
No full textPeople continuously experience the world and the objects in it through all their senses. Product designers can influence the way people experience products by paying attention to the multiple sensory aspects of product design. Designing sensory experiences can be aimed at communicating a consistent message to all sensory channels, making this message a stronger one. The opposite approach, designing a product in a way that incongruent information is provided to different senses, can be used as a means to create surprising products. Perceiving one sensory aspect of a product first can create an expectation on what will be perceived through other sense modalities. The information perceived at a later stage may disconfirm the expectation formed upon the initial perception, resulting in a surprise reaction. In this thesis, three types of sensory incongruities were studied: visual-tactual, visual-auditory and visual-olfactory. Our studies suggest that out of the three types of incongruities that were studied, visual-tactual incongruities in products are most effective in evoking surprise reactions. Furthermore, the surprise reaction seems to have a long-term effect on 3 other emotions: interest, fascination and confusion. From the experiments on visual-auditory and visual-olfactory incongruity we concluded that people seem less likely to experience surprise upon encountering one of these types of sensory incongruities. Nevertheless, the sound of a product can in some cases influence the overall perceived expression of that product. Designers should always carefully consider whether to design a sensory incongruity or a product that communicates a consistent message to all sensory channels.Industrial Design Engineerin
Should Mary smell like biscuit? Investigation scents in product design
No full textIn attempt to influence how a product is experienced, designers can manipulate all aspects of a product, including odor. The effect odor has on a consumer’s experience of the product is still not yet understood. Two experiments were conducted in order to shed more light on the influence odor has on consumers. In Experiment 1, differences in people’s reactions to congruent and incongruent odors for products that normally have an odor (e.g., lemons) and for products that normally do not have an odor (e.g., kitchen paper holder) were investigated. All scented products were found to be surprising, and were evaluated moderately positively. In Experiment 2, the effects of the degree of inappropriateness of odors on the evaluations of products that normally do not have an odor were investigated. Although ratings for degree of fit obtained in a pre-study showed that our manipulations were successful, no significant effects were found for the degree of inappropriateness on overall product evaluations in the main study. This may stem from the fact that because scent is a relatively unimportant attribute for the products used in our experiment, its contribution to the overall evaluation is difficult to measure on rating scales. However, participants’ comments suggest that odors do play a role in their evaluations. Therefore, this investigation sets forth that product designers should not ignore the potential effects of odorsIndustrial Design Engineerin
Effects of visual-auditory incongruity on product expression and surprise
No full textProduct experience is influenced by information from all the senses. Our experiments provide insight into how sounds contribute to the overall experience of a product’s expression. We manipulated the sounds of dust busters and juicers so that they either did or did not fit the expressions of the products’ appearances. In some, but not all cases, we found an inverse relationship between the degree-of-fit of a sound and the degree of surprise evoked. Furthermore, we found in some cases that the expression of a product’s sound influenced the overall expression of that productIndustrial Design Engineerin
'Feeling good' unpacked: Developing design tools to facilitate a differentiated understanding of positive emotions
No full text The range of positive emotions experienced in human-product interactions is diverse, and understanding the differences and similarities between these positive emotions can support emotion-driven design. Yet, there is little knowledge about what kind of tool would be effective to leverage the differentiated nature of positive emotions in a design process. The current study explores the possibilities to develop design tools that facilitate a nuanced understanding of positive emotions and the considerations for developing such tool. Four new tools were developed that were different regarding how they described distinctiveness of positive emotions, formats, and usages. This paper introduces the tools and reports a focus group study that investigated when and how the tools would be of use in design processes, and their strengths and weaknesses. Design Aesthetic
Symbolic meaning attribution as a means to design for happiness
No full textMaterial possessions with happiness-related symbolic meanings can provide a contribution to subjective well-being (happiness), because they remind owners of memories, achievements, or aspirations. Such possessions provide an anchor for personally meaningful narratives, help in the construction and communication of self-identity, represent personal values and achievements, etc. Capturing this richness in a design process is challenging, because meaning is person and context-dependent, and the effects on happiness are subjective. In order to provide inspiration for designers to create products predisposed to symbolic meaning attribution, six happiness-related symbolic meanings were identified. Based on those, 16 design directions were developed. To communicate the six symbolic meanings and the 16 design directions, a toolkit for designers was created, composed of a deck of cards and a website. This paper serves as an introduction to a workshop where the toolkit is applied, and it explains the process and the rationale behind the card set and website that make up the toolkit.Design AestheticsResponsible Marketing and Consumer Behavio
A framework of technology-supported emotion measurement
No full textEmotion measurement is a vital aspect for new product development and product improvements (see e.g. P. Desmet & Schifferstein, 2012). Nowadays, new technological devices, data mining, and social media offer many opportunities to invigorate design research. This paper tries to combine both aspects by exploring the question, how new technologies can be utilized for emotion-focused design research. The range of applicable technologies spans from eye-tracking, to EEG measuring, to semiautomated facial expression recognition in photographs or texts based on data mining technologies or crowdsourcing, etc. Furthermore, many traditional technologies for emotion tracking are becoming smaller and mobile, which allows also in-field research (e.g. mobile EEG headsets). Triangulating different data sources might result in new insights and improve user research significantly. This paper provides an overview of related literature indicating the current state of emotion measurement in the design field, and presents a framework that outlines possible new approaches utilizing new technologies. Thus, this work might contribute as a source of inspiration for other researchers to develop new research approaches for technology-supported emotion measurement.Design AestheticsOLD Design Theory and Methodolog
Still in its infancy: Design for co-wellbeing among different user groups
No full textThis paper introduces a design approach for co-wellbeing. We exemplify how design enables designers to facilitate a meaningful interaction between two diverse groups of people with different pleasures, needs, concerns, strengths and virtues. Given that people meet each other constantly in daily interactions, it is relevant to look at these social interactions from a Positive Design perspective, which has hardly been done before. In the presented approach, the perspectives of both parties are studied separately first, before aligning them to create one positive experience that is meaningful for both. The identification of ‘co-experience states’ is essential in this process, to give the designer insight into why certain complications and matches during mutual interactions occur, and how design can be used to achieve co-wellbeing among the two parties. This approach is demonstrated in a research and design case of parents and toddlers (1,5 up to 3 years old). It builds on existing knowledge in the field of Positive Design and design for co-experience, and intends to support and inspire designers in their aim to design for the subjective wellbeing of diverse user-groups in interaction. Design AestheticsApplied Ergonomics and Desig
Designing materials experiences through passing of time - Material driven design method applied to mycelium-based composites
No full textAs part of a research about the relationship between time and design through the topic of materials and processes, this paper presents experimentation on a novel material. New materials are emerging through a Do-It-Yourself approach encouraged by Open source behaviors and trans-disciplinary design. These materials become representative of new values, aesthetics and dynamics, which lead to an emotional bonding with the user and the designer. The need of applying a method suitable for the design of these materials is emerging. New tools for selecting, exploring and designing materials based on experience, senses and emotion are starting to be available and applied. Mycelium-based DIY material have a strong potential and might be a perfect candidate to experiment with an experience-based method, that is the Material Driven Design method. Through this method a material experience related to the passing of time and consistent with the material qualities and characteristics was developed. Combining a novel material with a novel method might lead to development both on the material and on the method itself
The emotional value of Do-It-Yourself materials
No full textIt is known in the field of design, that when a project comes to shape, an emotional value of the designer or the team of designers that put together all the elements for the project to be born, it is and will be always something that artificiality and industry will never be able to meet. Imagine for a moment that even before the project comes as an idea, the designer is able to create a material that may be the perfect match for that idea to arise into a project. This pictorial is presented as a way to evidence the valuable contribute that material experience through the concept of Do-It-Yourself Materials is providing nowadays to designer's research. It is an approach to understand what is happening when everything starts with the material in mind before the project. By a meticulous interrogation to design students during the development of a material, a collection of experiences and a visual storytelling of a Do-It-Yourself Materials are presented to elucidate the importance of the meaning that the designer provides when, as an alchemist gains control of the material through interacting with it, how that meaning is carried within the material and therefore can be transferred to the project subsequently throughout an established vision
Surprise as a design strategy
No full textImagine yourself queuing for the cashier’s desk in a supermarket. Naturally, you have picked the wrong line, the one that does not seem to move at all. Soon, you get tired of waiting. Now, how would you feel if the cashier suddenly started to sing? Many of us would be surprised and, regardless of the cashier’s singing abilities, feel amused. The preceding story is an example of how a surprise can transform something very normal, and maybe even boring, into a more pleasant experience. Analogously, a surprise in a product can overcome the habituation effect that is due to the fact that people encounter many similar products everyday. Colin Martindale describes this effect as ‘the gradual loss of interest in repeated stimuli’.¹ A surprise reaction to a product can be beneficial to both a designer and a user. The designer benefits from a surprise reaction because it can capture attention to the product, leading to increased product recall and recognition, and increased word-ofmouth.² Or, as Jennifer Hudson puts it, the surprise element “elevates a piece beyond the banal”.³ A surprise reaction has its origin in encountering an unexpected event. The product user benefits from the surprise, because it makes the product more interesting to interact with. In addition, it requires updating, extending or revising the knowledge the expectation was based on. This implies that a user can learn somethingnew about a product or product aspect. Designers already use various strategies to design surprises in their products. Making use of contrast, mixing design styles or functions, using new materials or new shapes, and using humor are just a few of these. The lamp ‘Porca Miseria!’ designed by Ingo Maurer that is shown in the left part of Figure 1 consists of broken pieces of expensive porcelain tableware, making it a lamp with a unique shape. The idea that another product had to be destroyed to make this lamp may inflict feelings of 3 puzzlement and amusement on someone who sees this lamp. The perfume ‘Flowerbomb’ (right part of Figure 1) designed by fashion designers Victor & Rolf is another example. The bottle is shaped like a hand grenade and it holds a sweet smelling, soft pink liquid. By combining conflicting elements in their perfume bottle, Victor & Rolf have succeeded in creating a perfume that attracts attention amidst the dozens of perfumes that line the walls of perfumeries.Industrial DesignIndustrial Design Engineerin
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