6 research outputs found
Transparency in product design: investigating design intentions and consumersâ interpretations
Transparency is used in product design across various product categories. Because of the physical property of letting light go through, transparency can create unique visual styles. Transparency can also communicate additional information as a result of what is situated underneath the product cover, which prompts different consumersâ interpretations. To support designers to use transparency effectively, this research aims to explore the use of transparency in product design to provide an overview of the design intentions of using transparency. Specifically, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, in-depth interviews with experienced designers (Nâ=â6) were conducted and the results revealed the overview of the following five design intentions of using transparency in product design: enrich visual appeal, enrich product experience, improve product usability, facilitate consumersâ comprehension and demonstrate product functionality. The overview was further validated through consumer interviews (Nâ=â13) in Study 2
âSmart home system is like a motherâ: The potential and risks of using product metaphors to influence consumersâ comprehension of really new products
Driven by innovative technology, really new
products (RNPs) incorporate new functions that provide significant benefits for
consumers. But consumers often experience difficulty understanding RNPs, which
hinders consumersâ further adoption. To facilitate consumersâ comprehension, the
use of product metaphors in RNPs is a promising strategy because it relates a
target RNP to a source product/concept familiar to consumers. By using
knowledge from the familiar source, consumers could gain better comprehension of
the RNP. However, product metaphors can also carry risks that hinder consumersâ
comprehension of RNPs, such as consumersâ misidentification of the source and consumerâ
inability to use the relevant knowledge to comprehend RNPs. This
research investigates the potential and risks of using product metaphors in
RNPs through a mixed-methods approach. Specifically, an
experiment and in-depth interviews were conducted to examine the effects of
product metaphors on consumersâ comprehension. Results revealed that consumers
encounter difficulty in detecting the similarities between source
concepts/products and target RNPs due to which product metaphors may not
necessarily enhance consumersâ comprehension. Accompanying a product metaphor
with a textual clue can help consumers to detect the similarities between
source concepts/products and target RNPs, leading to enhanced consumersâ
comprehension. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. <br
"No fun, but very effective": consumers' evaluation of design strategies for product care
Product care describes consumers' activities to prolong the lifetime of a product, such as
repair, maintenance or careful handling. By keeping the product in a functional state, replacement can
be postponed. Previous research has identified eight design strategies that can foster product care
among consumers. To use these design strategies to their full potential, a deeper understanding of their
effectiveness is needed. The current study aimed to evaluate the design strategies with consumers. We
conducted interviews with 15 consumers and discussed the effectiveness of our strategies for product
care in the consumersâ daily life. Results indicate that the effectiveness of our strategies varies over
products and product categories. A combination of strategies seems to be the most promising approach
for fostering product care among consumers. Our research contributes to the scientific knowledge by
providing deeper insights into the conditions under which design strategies for product care are most
effective
'Complexity in simplicity': the effects of visual complexity on consumers' comprehension of product innovations
Designers are frequently involved in embodying product innovations. It is challenging to embody really new products (RNPs) because consumers often have difficulty comprehending them. This study explores the value of visual complexity for designing RNPs. In study 1, an experiment was conducted (n = 77) to test the effects of visual complexity on consumers' comprehension of incrementally new products (INPs) and RNPs. The results revealed different effects for INPs and RNPs. Specifically, a more complex appearance triggers congruence with the functions of a RNP, which facilitates consumers' comprehension. For INPs, no effects for visual complexity were found. Based on the positive effect of visual simplicity on consumers' aesthetic response to product design, the design strategy 'complexity in simplicity' is proposed. In study 2, we asked experienced designers (n = 6) to apply this design strategy. Results showed that they can design RNPs using the 'complexity in simplicity' and possible ways to achieve this are explained
Buying new or refurbished? The influence of the productâs durability and attractiveness, contamination risk and consumers âenvironmental concern on purchase intentions of refurbished and new products
This research investigates how a durable and attractive product appearance, the perceived contamination risk, and consumers âenvironmental concern influence the purchase intentions of refurbished products. Consumers often have lower purchase intentions of refurbished products because they associate them with lower durability and fear that they are contaminated with a former userâs traces. The environmental friendliness and lower price incentivise consumers to purchase refurbished products. Limitations of prior research are that it has focused strongly on qualitative research, and a comparison to the factors influencing the adoption of new products is lacking. This research contributes by investigating which factors significantly influence the purchase intentions of refurbished products. It additionally aims to uncover how these factors differ from those influencing purchase intentions of new products
A poorly educated guess: consumersâ lifetime estimations, attitudes towards repairability, and a product lifetime label
Consumersâ expectations about product lifetimes have an influence on the actual lifetimes. Promoting repairability and a product lifetime label can potentially encourage consumers to extend product lifetimes. In this paper, we present in-depth insights in how consumers make estimations about product lifetimes, and their attitudes towards repairability and a product lifetime label. Our results reveal that consumers feel unable to make a well-informed estimation about the product lifetime, have negative associations with product repairability, and have concerns about how use intensity and use behavior can be taken into account on a label. Additionally, displaying a minimum number of years on a label may cause unintentional rebound effects