The value of product form for evaluating the experience and credence attributes of consumer durables (11129)

Project nummer: 11129

Omschrijving van het onderzoek

Research on consumer response towards products has mostly studied either a product's functional attributes or the product form, separately. However, for many consumer durables the product form and the perceived functional attributes are highly interdependent. When looking at a product, people use the product form to draw inferences about functional attributes that are difficult to verify at purchase (i.e., experience and credence attributes). For example, people may judge an iron with a sharp point as faster in ironing. To encourage people to perceive the desired functional attributes in products, companies need to know how they can purposely facilitate these inferences through product design.

Although past research concluded that product form is important for evaluating experience and credence attributes, they fail to uncover the underlying principles by which product form can prompt inferences about these attributes. This research project contributes by investigating the design characteristics (e.g., complexity, curvature) that can prompt inferences about the product?s experience and credence attributes. To study this research question, designers will design stimulus products that systematically differ in their form on specific design characteristics. Next, subjects will evaluate these stimuli on the relevant experience and credence attributes (e.g. performance quality, usability) and overall evaluation. Furthermore, the research will explore the mechanisms (e.g., analogical reasoning) that underlie the relationships between specific design characteristics and the perceived functional attributes.

This research project investigates an important topic for product perception and design theory that has received only limited attention up to now. Moreover, the findings will result in several design guidelines on how companies can design products that prompt the desired inferences through its form.
The host institution is ideal for this type of research, because it houses specialists on product perception and aesthetics, and because it has facilities to create the stimuli that are needed for the experiments.

Gebruikers

Two companies and one other university are involved in this project.

Projectleider

Dr.ir. R. Mugge
Technische Universiteit Delft
Faculteit Industrieel Ontwerpen
Postbus 5
2600 AA DELFT

Status van het project

Starting date:	01-01-2010
End date:	31-12-2013

Print | Over deze site |

Sitemap | Voorbehoud | Gewijzigd 3-1-2011