A framework for affective customer needs in product design

Abstract A systematic framework is proposed to conceptualize customer needs in product design. Customer needs were derived for current and future electronic devices in automobiles. Subjects rated their preferences for 15 product attributes on 10-point semantic differential scales. Using factor analysis, three generic factors were extracted, namely holistic attributes, styling and functional design. Depending upon the familiarity of the device, there were clear differences among potential customers. Unknown devices such as a navigation map were assessed first hand by using holistic attributes. Familiar designs such as car radio and cell phone were assessed using styling and functionality attributes. Customer reactions and preferences may be caused by product design parameters that operate either through their perceptual attributes or from the experience they acquire in using the artifacts or interfaces. There are both functional and affective needs. Functional (or cognitive) customer needs can be derived top-down, using product design features. Affective customer needs are difficult to derive top-down—typically they are evaluated by looking at several design propositions. Keywords: Customer needsproduct familiarityaffective designfactor analysis Acknowledgement This study is a part of the VCODE project that is funded by a grant from the Intensified Research in Prioritised Areas (IRPA Grant No. 04-02-09-1401). The authors are grateful to Liew Yan Lee for her support in the data analysis and to Alvin Yeo, Wan Abdul Rahman, Ravindra Goonetilleke, Richard So and Zaid Othman for their comments on the survey.