This paper discusses consumer response to product visual form within the context of an integrated conceptual framework. Emphasis is placed on the aesthetic, semantic and symbolic aspects of cognitive response to design. The accompanying affective and behavioural responses are also discussed and the interaction between cognitive and affective response is considered. All aspects of response are presented as the final stage in a process of communication between the design team and the consumer. The role of external visual references is examined and the effects of moderating influences at each stage in the process of communication are discussed. In particular, the personal, situational and cultural factors that moderate response are considered. In concluding the paper, implications for design practice and design research are presented.
Diagrams are effective instruments of thought and a valuable tool in conveying those thoughts to others. As such, they can be usefully employed as representations of a research domain and act as stimulus materials in interviews. This process of graphic elicitation may encourage contributions from interviewees that are difficult to obtain by other means. By representing concepts and relationships that other visual artefacts cannot depict, diagrams provide a complementary addition to conventional interview stimuli. This article discusses the application of graphic elicitation within the broader context of the diagramming process. Consideration is given to the unique characteristics of diagrams and the ways in which they are interpreted. Thus, the specific benefits that diagrams offer as interview stimuli may be understood. Following this, an example study is described in which the graphic elicitation process was employed in interviews with industrial designers. Reporting on a study in which the interviewees possessed a well-developed graphic sensibility allows a broad range of graphic elicitation’s potential benefits to be illustrated. In closing the article, a discussion is held on the range of methodological issues that must be addressed when employing diagrams in a research study.
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