User-packaging interaction (UPI): A comprehensive research platform and techniques for improvement, evaluation, and design

Abstract

User packaging interaction (UPI) has evolved in packaging research because of its importance to users, manufacturers and designers. A great deal of work addressing problems and suggesting potential improvements has been directed toward UPI. However, this work is not easily accessible to researchers as it lacks a cohesive structure. This paper serves as a platform for UPI researchers by presenting previous work in the field of UPI in an organized structure based on stages of interaction. Over one hundred articles were reviewed to identify the scope of research in this area and then categorized according to stages of interaction. During the review of more articles, these stages of interaction were modified to ensure that they reflected all the reviewed articles. The review process resulted in the enumeration of the following stages: at point of purchase, checking out, handling, opening, and disposal. The related articles in each category are presented and discussed, and potential future work is presented. The articles were further categorized according to the age and gender of users under test, and packaging and product types considered. The review process has revealed different issues in the current research structure of UPI including the comprehensibility of the conducted research and the distribution of the reviewed articles. Based on this review, a model is proposed 1 The publisher of this journal "Wiley "allows the authors to use the accepted version of the work in their institutional repository. 2 Primary researchers and authors. Graduate student and academic advisor, respectively.

Consumer experiences and perception with reclosable pharmaceutical child resistant closures in Ghana, West Africa

“…Manufacturers are not always aware of the problems that consumers face when interacting with packages 29 . Carli‐Lorenzini and Olsson 30 in a research to address the challenges associated with the usage and openability of CRCs reported that pharmaceutical closures are produced from the industry's point of view (i.e., reviewing the type of closure employed, the stability of the product in the container closure system and whether the closure design is suitable for the product) instead of critically reviewing their performance from the consumers perspective 7,31…”

“…Manufacturers are not always aware of the problems that consumers face when interacting with packages. 29 Carli-Lorenzini and Olsson 30 in a research to address the challenges associated with the usage and openability of CRCs reported that pharmaceutical closures are produced from the industry's point of view (i.e., reviewing the type of closure employed, the stability of the product in the container closure system and whether the closure design is suitable for the product) instead of critically reviewing their performance from the consumers perspective. 7,31 Even though there is a high level of difficulty in opening CRCs ( Consequently, consumers of CRCs in Ghana within the West African sub-region recommended that despite the difficulty in opening CRCs, its importance cannot be downplayed and, thus, recommended the need for public education at the pharmacy to assist with compliance and appropriate usage of CRCs.…”

Packaging Accessibility: Developing a Comparison Tool for Structural Designs

“…As practitioners have had to consider tradeoffs (e.g., accessibility, cost, logistics, branding, and sustainability) researchers have emphasized the benefits of a systematic evaluation method applied to packaging design (Fulconis & Philipp, 2018;Mumani 2018). Existing methodologies include Finite Element Analysis, Uncertainty Analysis, Checklists, and Scorecards, which can complement Inclusive Design approaches.…”