Shaping things: intended consumer response and the other determinants of product form

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative investigation of the factors that influence the visual form of products during the design process. Based on a series of interviews with practicing industrial designers, a framework is developed that categorises and relates the various determinants of product form. This framework represents designers as holding multiple and potentially conflicting intentions for how products should be interpreted by consumers (e.g. perceived qualities). These intentions are driven by various motivating factors (e.g. the brand) and constrained by other factors (e.g. production costs). Designers seek to resolve these competing factors by constructing visual representations (e.g. sketches) that describe the planned form for the product. In constructing such representations, reference is often made to visual sources (e.g. existing products) that are considered to exemplify how the intended responses can be evoked. Despite designers' efforts to specify a plan for the product's form, the eventual form may be outside their control because still other factors (e.g. manufacturing tolerances) modify the design in unanticipated ways or otherwise affect how the resulting product is experienced by the consumer.

Aesthetic Design Process: Descriptive Design Research and Ways Forward

“…Crilly et al [5], from their interviews with industrial designers, found that sources of inspiration "may be drawn from almost any sphere", but generally include similar or dissimilar products, historic products and natural objects. The features from these sources can be embodied in the design, and thus the product form is influenced by these sources.…”

“…However, the subject of aesthetic design process has been relatively neglected [5]. In order to improve the aesthetic design process, it is important to understand this process (i.e.…”

“…Crilly et al [5], based on interviews with industrial designers, examined such influencing factors. They developed a framework to represent: the intended consumer response that designers attempt to embody in the design of products; visual sources (e.g.…”

“…They generate and evaluate concepts to effectively communicate the intended response. The aesthetic design process has a major influence on the consumer response and product success [5].…”

“…Consumer response to designed products has a profound effect on how products are interpreted, approached and used [5]. Based on such response, evoked by product-characteristics, consumers make judgments on the elegance, functionality and social significance of products [3].…”