The objective of this study is to investigate affective preference of the automotive tactile switch which influences package controllability and user satisfaction. In order to accomplish this objective, the independent variables for this experiment were package location (door trim, crash pad, steering wheel (L), steering wheel (R), center fascia, center console and overhead console) and operating force (1.5N, 2.0N, 2.5N, 3.0N and 5.0N). Furthermore, we constructed an automotive seating buck based on actual location data for switch assemblies that consisted of similar tactile switches. Then we measured affective preference on the operating force for each switch in each package location on a 7 point Likert scale. The ANOVA results for affective preference on the whole package location categorized the package locations into three groups for driver behavior: tapping zone, reaching zone and grasping zone. SNK posthoc-analysis revealed that the tapping zone showed that the operating force preferred by the users was 2.0N and 2.5N. The results for the reaching zone showed that users preferred the 3.0N operating force while the results for the grasping zone showed preference for the 3.0N and 5.0N operating forces. We expect the results of this study to be utilized to improve the affective quality of the automotive tactile switch.

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The aim of this research is to figure out design variables that have an effect on user satisfaction for the operation of automotive switch and to investigate the relative importance of the variables and the utility of attribute level. To achieve these goals, an empirical evaluation was made through operating of automotive switchs. First, five design variables were selected for the external design elements and the internal design variables of switch were chosen based on the opinions of design experts and previous studies. Next, an experiment was designed using the fractional factorial design for 18 alternatives by 5 design variables (stroke, peak force, drop force, angle of surface, and curvature) that affect user satisfaction. Then, the level of satisfaction of each alternative were evaluated on 100-point scale by 22 subjects. Finally, ANOVA was conducted to verify the significant level of the 5 design variables of the automotive switch. A conjoint analysis was used to investigate the relative importance of each design variable by the utility of attribute level. As a result, the design variables turned out to be of significant importance. Moreover, the result showed relative importance for each design variable and utility of attribute level. It is expected that the results of this study could be utilized to improve the affective quality of the automotive switch.

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