| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺灣科技大學 === 設計研究所 === 97 === Consumers in the modern time eagerly demand product quality. Hence, extra pleasurable value has become a key design requirement during the product development stage. To achieve a pleasurable product, consumers prefer products that not only provide high functionality, ergonomic satisfaction, and smart interface design, but also pleasure benefits. In order to capture consumer attention and generate success in competitive markets, the product has to satisfy their desires and provide them with a novel product experience. In other words, a product should provide users with a pleasurable experience when using it.
The increasing demand for pleasurable products in today’s sophisticated consumer markets has motivated this study. This research uses a systematic method. It is divided into four parts. In the first section, consumer pleasures evoked by product appearance are investigated using a holistic research approach, in order to view the entire scope of pleasurable product forms. Primarily, the research focuses on the exploring types and characteristics of pleasurable product forms that evoke consumer pleasure. The results of the study showed that pleasurable products could be depicted using 14 characteristics that could be categorized into five types of pleasurable forms: Aesthetic, Bionic, Cultural, Novelty, and Ideo. Among the responses of the interviewees, those related to Aesthetic and Bionic forms were mentioned most frequently and thus, these forms were found to be the ones most likely to elicit consumer pleasure. It was found that the responses to hi-tech products tended to highlight characteristics related to the aesthetic type of pleasurable form, while the responses to kitchen products highlighted the Bionic form. In the second section, the relevant measurements and tools towards pleasure are discussed. A scale is then developed for assessment of pleasurable response towards product appearance. The scale was selected as a measuring tool to assess consumer pleasure in the experiment in the next section of this research. The scale contained 17 items regarding product pleasure, and was demonstrated to be reliable and valid. Two main factors, gratification and sensory pleasure, were extracted based on the results of the factor analysis. The third section of this dissertation focuses on the empirical study of bionic features, identified as one of the most affective forms in the first section of this research. An empirical experimental was conducted to assure the intensity of the pleasure response evoked from product with bionic features. The results demonstrated that participants have a greater pleasure response towards kitchen appliances with less abstract forms than those with more. It was also found that a bionic form which mimics human features, particularly using eyes and mouth as part of a product’s feature, may have a greater effect on consumer pleasure than those without. Further, female participants consistently tended to give higher scores to products enhanced with bionic feature than males did, particularly, when a focus on gratification concerns a kitchen appliances product. In the fourth and final section, based on the results of section 3 and the literature review, a Pleasurable Bionic Products Design Model (PBPDM) was developed. The model was tested through both a workshop and an experiment. The results demonstrated that the model is useful and effective in designing a pleasurable product. Particularly, ELM was found to be a valuable tool for inspiring lateral thinking when performing ideation towards pleasure. Moreover, practitioners commented that both the ‘user concerns board’ and ‘bionic image board’ were a valuable tool to communicate ideas and define design criteria, and further to develop concepts and forms. Discussions were held and suggestions received. It is hoped that the model can benefit designers in developing a pleasurable product in the future.
In sum, the following goals were attained through the research: 1) a holistic knowledge of types and characteristics of pleasurable products was acquired; 2) the development of a reliable scale provides designers and marketing staff with a tool to assess the intensity of consumer pleasure evoked by a given product’s appearance; 3) an empirical test was conducted to confirm the pleasure evoked through the bionic design of a product and its features; and 4) finally, a model for the development of a bionic product was developed to assist design students and designers when creating pleasurable products to evoke consumer pleasure.
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