Optimal balancing of multiple affective satisfaction dimensions: A case study on mobile phones

Abstract

Product designers need to consider a variety of consumers' tastes and preferences to design a product that appeals to consumers. However, it is often difficult for designers to find optimal design settings because a number of design features could affect the tastes and preferences. This study proposes a method for optimally balancing various affective satisfaction dimensions based on the multiple response surfaces (MRS) methodology. Applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated through a case study on mobile phone designs. A set of design values which would optimally balance the levels of luxuriousness, attractiveness, and overall satisfaction are obtained. The resulting values of design features are verified based on a similarity test. In addition, they are compared with the optimal design values obtained using a single dimension optimization method in order to show the advantages of the MRS methodology. Relevance to industry This study proposes a new way of finding design settings, which would optimally balance various needs of consumers. The resulting design values can help designers improve the consumers' affective satisfaction toward their designs. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.