Exploring the relationship between visual evaluation and user preference in wooden cork flooring: An application of the semantic differential method

To enhance consumers’ preference for the appearance of cork flooring, this work employed the semantic differential method to explore the relationship between consumers’ visual perceptions and their preferences. First, a collection of cork flooring product images was assembled, and a lexicon of perceptual vocabulary describing the visual characteristics of cork flooring was developed. Subsequently, a survey based on the semantic differential method and preference questionnaires was completed. A regression model was established to analyze the relationship between the scores of perceptual vocabulary and consumer preferences. The results indicated that the perceptual terms “light” and “warm” had a significant positive impact on consumer preferences. Furthermore, the study explored the relationship between the granularity, grain arrangement, and color of cork flooring samples and the perceptual vocabulary, revealing distribution patterns of the samples in terms of “light” and “warm” characteristics. The findings suggest that increasing the saturation and brightness of cork flooring surface colors, reducing granularity, and enhancing the rhythmic arrangement of patterns can improve consumers’ preference for the appearance of cork flooring.