THE DESIGN OF A DATA RECORDER TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF COLOR CONTRAST ON \u27THIS SIDE UP\u27 PICTORIAL MARKINGS ON PACKAGE ORIENTATION WITHIN UPS GROUND

A data recorder was built and qualified to record package orientation over time. The device was then used to observe the effects on package orientation during UPS ground shipping of current and modified ASTM D5445-03 \u27This Side Up\u27 symbols. Modified symbols on packages demonstrated the effects of contrasting color relationships on symbol noticeability and human compliance. Shipping trials were conducted through UPS distribution centers for cube-shaped packages equipped with custom designed tri-axial accelerometers. Data recorded on 112 shipments provide comparisons of four ASTM D5445-03 \u27This Side Up\u27 symbols: unmodified, modified blue, modified \u27black and white\u27, and control (no symbol). Data analysis revealed package orientation changes did not differ between any of the samples for changes in orientations lasting between 1 and 3 seconds. These changes were attributed to non-human impacts, vibrations, and drops. Orientation changes lasting from 3-20, 20-3600 and greater than 3600 seconds did not differ significantly between the ASTM standard and the control. It was found that the modified blue and modified \u27back and white\u27 symbols reduced the number of orientation changes from 20-3600 seconds. Statistical analysis showed that the modified \u27black and white symbol\u27 significantly reduced total orientation changes when compared to the other symbols tested. Human compliance towards the modified symbols is analyzed in light of the 1924 Hawthorne experiments. The thesis describes the accelerometer construction, experimental design, and detailed results of the study

PERSUASIVE PACKAGING: AN EYE-TRACKING APPROACH TO DESIGN

This dissertation details the development of a consensus-centered strategy for managing packaging design projects that enables designers from various fields to participate (seriously play) in the development process. The Work/Flow developed was quantified though a series of empirical eye-tracking experiments to determine if objects produced through the system resulted in longer fixation durations than the control. It was determined that packages developed through the Work/Flow were significantly more persuasive than the control (P \u3c 0.0005). The second experiment observed the effectiveness of designs produced through the Work/Flow in respect to the competitive retail array. Out of three product categories tested, one package was developed which garnered significantly different total fixation duration than the competition (P \u3c 0.0005). The remaining two packages failed to significantly attract attention more than the competitive array. However, the results showed that the designs developed did not differ, and thus all designs produced through the Work/Flow were as equally as persuasive against the competition. The dissertation details an intensive review of literature on three areas of study: serious design and play, participatory strategies, and rhetorical persuasion and seduction. The last chapter provides a detailed analysis and description of implementing the teaching and communicating the Work/Flow to professional packaging engineers, designers from various backgrounds, and academia

An Eye-Tracking Methodology for Testing Consumer Preference of Display Trays in a Simulated Retail Environment

Display trays have traditionally been used to support distribution packaging and retail stocking. Yet, it is becoming increasingly common to find display trays as devices to garner attention and increase the shelf presence of packaging. This paper presents a method for testing consumer preference of display trays for liquid dish soap and canned tomatoes in CUShop™, a consumer experience laboratory, using eye-tracking technology. It was hypothesized that display trays would increase total fixation duration and decrease time to first fixation on the respective products tested. However, it was determined that attention to products in a display tray was less favorable to products not in a display tray. Experimental results are limited because of the many variables that exist for display trays. If further studies were to be conducted on a larger variety of display trays using the methodology described, the appeal and attention value of display trays could be comprehensively understood

The Effect of Decorative Foil Stamping on Consumer Attention

Packaging plays a crucial role in communicating product benefits to consumers. Oftentimes, designers use high visibility enhancements to differentiate packaging within the competitive array. Although luxury brands commonly use enhanced graphical and printing techniques to convey high quality products, many private label package designers are also utilizing enhancements to attract attention to their products. This research sought to understand how incorporating foil stamping to the primary panel of fast moving consumer good packaging will affect consumer attention and purchase preference. Through the collection of quantitative data, consumer attention and purchase preference were evaluated. Three different products were selected for evaluation for the study: popcorn, cereal, and boxed pasta dinners. A total of 172 participants completed the study, which took place in a realistic and immersive shopping environment (CUshop™). Two eye tracking metrics were collected using mobile eye tracking technology. Participants completed a qualitative survey, which recorded basic demographic information. Significance tests were conducted to test for statistical differences in consumer attention behavior as well as purchase decision between the foil and control packages. It was determined that foil stamping did significantly (α =0.05) affect consumer attention towards the respective product compared to the control, yet the effect was not consistent. Eye tracking metrics varied across the products and categories tested; some foil stamped samples positively affected consumer attention, others negatively and some had no effect whatsoever. Results show that foil stamping can be a highly strategic influencer (both positively and negatively) on consumer attention and purchase decision. However, it is recommended that this enhancement be tested within an in-context environment to ensure it benefits the brand and product within the competitive array

Pallet system

Pallet systems are described that can be formed of corrugated paperboard without the necessity of any attachment materials such adhesives, staples, or the like. Individual stringers of a pallet matrix are interwoven together, with stringer notches interlocking with notches of crossing stringers from both above and below any one stringer. Systems can be easily and quickly assembled and, should the need arise, can be quickly repaired, for instance by replacement of one or more individual runners. Systems can also exhibit extremely high strength, and can withstand greater than about 20,000 pounds of static compression at less than about 3/8 inch deflection

The Impact of Simulated Kraft Substrates on Consumer Attention at the Point of Sale

In order to remain on store shelves and stay competitive among the overwhelming number of packaged goods on today’s shelves, companies continue to cut packaging material and increase sustainability. Current packaging has made use of a variety of paperboard materials including Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS), Coated Recycled Board (CRB) and Uncoated Recycled Board (URB), also known as Kraft. While both SBS and CRB feature a smooth, white printing surface ideal for high quality graphics, Kraft is typically associated with a dull printing surface and lower-quality graphics. Companies and brands interested in marketing to the eco-friendly consumer are printing a simulated Kraft look on SBS and CRB board rather than utilizing a natural Kraft substrate. The packages printed on natural Kraft substrate (URB) or simulated Kraft substrate (CRB) may or may not affect attention of the consumer when shopping. This research sought to investigate this by using eye-tracking metrics collected from participants in a retail-shopping environment. Statistical analysis yielded no significant difference for participant’s attention when shopping for packages made from (URB) or (CRB). This study illustrates how consumer attention can factor into purchasing products packaged with Kraft substrate compared to products packed with simulated Kraft substrate

Measuring Physiological Arousal Towards Packaging: Tracking Electrodermal Activity Within the Consumer Shopping Environment

Contrasted against the popular belief that consumers make purely rational decisions, purchasing decisions are rapid, subconscious, and emotional decisions. In order to understand a consumer’s purchasing decisions, we suggest finding methods beyond focus groups, which typify this type of research, to measure and interpret consumer reactions to various packaging designs. In this paper, we examine electrodermal activity, a measure of emotional arousal, and eye tracking in the context of a realistic shopping environment as possible measures to support insight into customer preference of packaging. We hypothesized that presenting consumers with an experience more closely related to actual shopping would encourage more natural selections. Further, that the combination of eye tracking and physiological measures with self-report would support a more holistic understanding of decision-making. Although our eye-tracking hypothesis was supported in the studies conducted, a revision of our approach to physiological measurement is necessary to fully understand the validity of electrodermal activity for in-context experiments. We end by presenting suggestions for future research in the field of consumer emotions, highlighting the struggles and successes of measuring one’s subconscious motives

Extended Consciousness: an Interim Report

Advocates of extended cognition hold that the physical machinery of mind sometimes extends beyond the skull and skin. In the first part of this paper, I explain why, and more specifically the precise sense in which, consciousness presents such theorists with an extra hurdle to be cleared. The key challenge is posed by phenomenal consciousness, the what-it's-like-ness of experience. I consider two arguments for the claim that the physical machinery of phenomenal consciousness sometimes extends beyond the skull and skin. The first – the argument from sensory substitution – suggests that acceptance of extended phenomenal consciousness should follow from a careful analysis of the phenomenon in which technological augmentation enables one sensory modality, for instance touch, to support the kind of environmental access and interaction ordinarily supported by a different sensory modality, for instance vision. The second argument – the argument from the relational character of experience – suggests that acceptance of extended phenomenal consciousness should follow from a particular conception of conscious experience that is mandated by sensorimotor contingency theory. I conclude that neither argument is decisive

Belief-Forming Processes, Extended

We very often grant that a person can gain knowledge on the basis of epistemic artifacts such as telescopes, microscopes and so on. However, this intuition threatens to undermine virtue reliabilism according to which one knows that p if and only if one’s believing the truth that p is the product of a reliable cognitive belief-forming process; in an obvious sense epistemic artifacts are not parts of one’s overall cognitive system. This is so, unless the extended cognition hypothesis (HEC) is true. According to HEC when parts of the environment become properly coupled to the agent’s brain then they too can be considered constitutive parts of the overall cognitive mechanism—i.e. cognition potentially extends to the world surrounding the agent. Interestingly, HEC and the broader framework of virtue reliabilism share some intriguing similarities, which render these two views mutually supportive. Making these similarities explicit provides a principled account of the way in which our knowledge-conducive cognitive characters may extend beyond our natural cognitive capacities by incorporating epistemic artifacts