Considering Emotional Impressions in Product Design: Taking on the Challenges Ahead

Kett S, Wartzack S (2016)


Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Conference contribution, Conference Contribution

Publication year: 2016

Publisher: TUDpress

City/Town: Dresden

Pages Range: 215-232

Conference Proceedings Title: Entwerfen Entwickeln Erleben 2016 - Beiträge zum Industrial Design

Event location: Dresden DE

ISBN: 978-3-95908-061-3

URI: https://www.mfk.uni-erlangen.de?file=pubmfk_5783ae659c201

Abstract

There is a stronger focus on emotional aspects affecting users' product selection as ever before. Recent User Centred Design (UCD) approaches already take up this fact, but still this is at the very beginning regarding UCD implementation. As on addressing emotional aspects in particular, the big challenge lies in the management of their low grade of concretisation and intense complexity. From other disciplines such as marketing strategy, psychology or sociology, we know instruments that help to describe this fuzzy theme. But still, its discrete integration into product development processes and high complexity remains as one main issue. In this paper, the challenges in design for emotions in the context of UCD are firstly examined to understand possible starting points.

We give potential reasons for the insufficiency of current approaches, answering the question why there is no adequate tool for their consideration so far. Therefore, we summarize some of the challenges that exist both in UCD itself and its relevant enhancement for emotional consideration. We extract these findings during our studies reviewing several relevant surveys and research literature.

Often, it is hard to make decisions only based on implicit information. Even though the designer can make good decisions based on his own well trained emotional perception ability, he might not be able to do so for whole target groups. Moreover, the communication between different parties in the interdisciplinary field needs improvement. In the field of UCD, it is obligatory both to manage the future users' and the developer teams' heterogeneity. So a reliable objectification of subjective information in an interdisciplinary field becomes necessary.

Based on the findings on the present knowledge, an approach called ACADE - Application for Computer Aided Design of Emotional impressions - is presented. ACADE is a tool that systematically processes and links subjective and implicit information to objective, measurable data that can be used as basis for high-quality decision making in product design. To get an overview of the different elements in its architecture, they will be carefully explained. Giving a firm example, we show the general workflow and linkages. Thus we illustrate the potential of ACADE for future research in emotional design by addressing the aforementioned identified UCD problems.

ACADE supports strategic product design decisions. Its application in product development environments can be extremely extended to support decision making in product development throughout the whole process. It enables the transparency and the traceability of decisions in a highly implicit domain. Barriers in communication caused by the interdisciplinary of decision-makers may be reduced. Moreover, it forces the product developer to look at his product to be designed through the emotional profile of the user. With ACADE, an important step forward to a holistic, interdisciplinary UCD is given.

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How to cite

APA:

Kett, S., & Wartzack, S. (2016). Considering Emotional Impressions in Product Design: Taking on the Challenges Ahead. In Jens Krzywinski, Mario Linke, Christian Wölfel (Eds.), Entwerfen Entwickeln Erleben 2016 - Beiträge zum Industrial Design (pp. 215-232). Dresden, DE: Dresden: TUDpress.

MLA:

Kett, Susan, and Sandro Wartzack. "Considering Emotional Impressions in Product Design: Taking on the Challenges Ahead." Proceedings of the eee2016, Dresden Ed. Jens Krzywinski, Mario Linke, Christian Wölfel, Dresden: TUDpress, 2016. 215-232.

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