A Research on the Extention of Product Form Feature-Take the iPod MP3 as a Case Study

• Main Authors: Shu-Hui Chen, 陳淑惠
• Other Authors: Yow-Sheng Liu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/40018399698027230215

碩士 === 大同大學 === 工業設計學系(所) === 95 === In an era when new hightech products are released to the market every day, the product life cycles become much shorter. Therefore, the early birds going off with big chunk of market share seize the business opportunity. The looks of products, however, is often the most direct way to attract the customers, and is the main consideration of their purchase, its main purpose is to attract the consumers to buy the products. In order to make profits for the company, in the beginning phase of new product development, we consider extending the Product Form Feature to the designs so as to make consumers have constant partiality for the series of products. Using iPod MP3 walkman developed by Apple Corporation as an example, this research explores and analyzes the dimension, proportion, shape and features, and array position of the product form features one by one after sketching an obverse map of its basic contour, display panel, and key pads array of the product form feature; the study found that product form features are the elements reserved in extended product appearances, and then we will further survey and verify our findings by collecting information of MP3 walkman of other brands through consumer interviews. In the preliminary test, various MP3 wlakmen are collected at random and the interviewees are asked to classify those with more extension of features into one category based on their own opinion; again, we group up the above test results by their features. In the formal test, the results of the preliminary test are used to make a further interview test in terms of such 8 kinds of permutations and combinations as basic contour, key pads arrangement, display panel, and overall contour; basic contour and display panel; key pads arrangement and display panel; basic contour and key pads arrangement; and key pads arrangement and display panel; and the results are in accordance with those of the research and we conclude that the extension of features results in extension of appearances. The conclusions are: 1. Extension of features in product appearance: this Product Form Feature must be extendable, and this feature needs to take a half of the obverse basic contour of the shape and appearance and has its uniqueness. 2. Extension of two product form features : (1) These two features need to be extended in the new product with similarity and repetition. (2) If the features are similar, the number of product form feature factors is the same but their arrangements are different, they are still extendable. 3. Extension of three product form features: the three form features (all three features) take all part of the product form features, then they are the most extendable features. The above conclusions can be used as reference when a new product is designed for a company.