Relationship between meanings, emotions, product preferences and personal values. Application to ceramic tile floorings

Abstract

This work aims to validate several hypotheses that emerged from a conceptual framework which establishes the main relationships between subjective elements in human-product interaction, such as meanings, emotions, product preferences, and personal values. The study analyzes the relationships between meanings and emotions, and between these and preferences, as well as the influence of personal values on such relationships. The study was applied to ceramic tile floorings.A questionnaire with images of a neutral room with different ceramic tile floorings was designed and distributed via the web. Results from the study suggest that both meanings and emotions must be taken into account in the generation of product preference. The meanings given to the product can cause emotions to be generated, and both types of subjective impressions give rise to product preferences. Personal reference values can modify these relationships between subjective impressions and product preferences.

Principles of Affective Design in Consumers’ Response to Sustainability Design Strategies

“…Thus, within the consumers' response, it is possible to distinguish between the subjective impressions generated (which include both the meanings referring to the product and the emotions elicited in the individual) and the behavioral response; that is, the affect towards it, or the reactions of approaching the product or avoiding it [1]. Although the relationship between both components of the response has been demonstrated in the general affective field [7], for the topic of sustainability, this distinction has not been studied in as much detail. Furthermore, this analysis will make it possible to go deeper into the influence of design strategies and personal concerns in the consumers' response.…”

“…Furthermore, the previously mentioned correlation between the impression Environmentally friendly and PA disappears if the effect of sustainability concerns is not considered. Designers should therefore also consider whether the designed product is addressed to a particularly aware type of consumers, in order to weigh up the functional, versatile and aesthetic characteristics that should shape the product [2,7].…”

“…In this communication between the individual and the product, the product design elicits different cognitive (meanings) and affective responses (emotions) of different types and intensities [1,[4][5][6], hereafter called subjective impressions. These subjective impressions give rise to a global assessment of the product [2], product preferences [7] and behavioral responses [1,8]. Therefore, human factors in product design can be used to fulfill users' needs and wants [9].…”

“…Personal criteria such as sociological reference values or personality traits, resulting from previous experiences, culture, training, and internal and learned rules can also influence consumers' assessment and behavior [2,7]. Consequently, these 'concerns' should be considered a possible influence on subjective impressions and product preferences [10,11].…”

“…Therefore, product attachment (related to willingness to keep and take care of it) should be considered as an affective behavioral response of consumers, unlike the treatment given to product attachment as a design strategy in van Nes and Cramer [26] or Bocken et al [27]. In view of the abovementioned elements in this interaction, a conceptual model establishing the relationships among the subjective impressions elicited and consumers' behavioral responses, sustainable design strategies and consumer concerns is proposed in Figure 1, based on [1,2,7]. Within the response to sustainability design strategies (RS), subjective impressions (SIs) refer to meanings given to the product and the emotions or feelings experienced by the consumer.…”