Unlocking Emotions in Design E-Book

Simon Schütte

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 191

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

"Unlocking Emotions in Design: A Comprehensive Guide to Kansei Engineering" delves into the captivating realm of Kansei Engineering, an innovative methodology originating from Japan that revolutionizes product design and development. Unlike traditional approaches, Kansei Engineering places emotions and psychology at the heart of the design process. By unraveling the intricate tapestry of users' emotional responses and psychological nuances when engaging with products, this methodology transcends mere functionality to craft profound user experiences. Through insightful examples and a didactic journey, this book demystifies the foundational tenets of Kansei Engineering. As readers embark on this voyage, they'll traverse a landscape of diverse tools meticulously tailored for the methodology's application. These tools, akin to a craftsman's instruments, empower designers to decipher the intangible intricacies of human emotions and weave them seamlessly into their creations. Readers will emerge with a profound grasp of the Kansei Engineering methodology. Armed with this enriched comprehension, they will be adept at carrying our their own Kansei Engineering studies, a testament to the book's efficacy as a transformative learning resource. As designers and enthusiasts embrace the teachings held within, they will wield the power to evoke precise emotional landscapes through their creations, ultimately fostering unparalleled user satisfaction and profound engagement.

Leseprobe

About the Authors

Simon Schütte is an Associate Professor at Linköping University in Sweden at the division for Product Realisation. He started research on Kansei Engineering in 2001 and has since developed a Europeanized version that can be applied in industrial affective product development processes.

Anitawati Mohd Lokman is a full Professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Her research focuses on emotional user experience including Kansei Engineering. Anitawati has a long experience in application and development of Kansei Engineering techniques.

Shirley Coleman is Technical Director and Principal Research Associate at Newcastle University in the UK. Her expertise of research focuses on statistical modelling, problem solving, data visualization and business statistics. Shirley has many years’ experience in the usage and application of Kansei Engineering

Lluis Marco Almagro is an Associate Professor at Polytechnical University of Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. His field of research is industrial statistics. In 2011 he wrote his PhD Thesis on the topic of evaluation methods in Kansei Engineering technique.

Table of Content

Part 1 Introduction to Kansei Engineering

Chapter 1: A Notion of Kansei

Kansei

The Mystique of Kansei

Definition of the term Kansei as used in this book

Harnessing the Power of Kansei

Chapter 2: Kansei Engineering

Overview

Types of Kansei Engineering

Chapter 3: Measuring the Kansei

Overview

Physiological vs Psychological Measurement

Physiological Measurement

Psychological Measurements

Quantitative Measurement of the Kansei

Qualitative Approach in Kansei Engineering

Chapter 4: General Kansei Engineering Model

A six-step process guide

1.Choosing the Domain

2.Defining the Semantic Space

3.Defining the Space of Properties

4. Synthesis step

5 and 6.Model Building and Test of Validity

Chapter 5: Kansei Engineering and Data Science

Chapter 6: Summary

References for Part 1

Part 2 Kansei Engineering Methodology in Practice

Chapter 7: Kansei Project management

Six Sigma

Quality Function Deployment

Data issues

Database structures

Chapter 8: A Kansei study of fruit juices – As an example

Choice of domain

Spanning the Semantic Space

Spanning the space of properties

Data collection

Synthesis

Test of validity and model building

Some technical details on the analytical methods

Chapter 9: Software Solutions

Kansei Engineering Software (KESo)

Additional Software solutions

References for Part 2

Part 3 Kansei Engineering Product Stories

Chapter 10: Chocolate - An example from food industry

Aim of the study

Study structure

Study results

Data analysis results

Discussion of the Chocolate snack case study

Conclusions of the case

Chapter 11: Apartments

Structure and layout of the experiment

Spanning the Semantic Space

Synthesis

Model building

Results

Chapter 12: Shoes

Choice of domain

Case study 1 – Men’s everyday shoes

Spanning the Semantic Space

Synthesis

Test of validity

Model building

Summary of Results

Discussion

Case study 2 – Bespoke fancy shoes

Spanning the Semantic Space

Spanning the Space of Properties

Gathering and surveying a customer base

Synthesis

Model building

Validation

Discussion

Case study 3 – Orthopaedic shoes

Spanning the Semantic Space

Spanning the Space of Properties

Synthesis

Gathering respondents

Model building and validation

Discussion

Chapter 13: Website Emotion

The Kansei Measurement

The Emotion Conceptualization

Understanding the Kansei Semantic Space

Understanding the Emotional Structure

The Design Requirement

Discussion

References for Part 3

Part 4 Exercises, small group work and ideas

Chapter 14: Exercises and Teacher guidelines

Teacher guidelines

Introduction to the exercises

Discovering the feeling the customer wants

Understanding the consumers affective needs

Understanding the products delighters

Linking the Emotions to product features

Using Quantification Theory Type 1

Using KESo Software

Chapter 15: Examples of group work

References for Part 4

Part 1

Introduction to Kansei Engineering

Kansei is a relatively new method in its origin in Japan it is based on a product realization philosophy embedded in the Japanese culture. As Kansei Engineering spreads to Western countries it is mostly seen as a tool for integrating feelings, emotions and subjective values of users, consumers and buyers of products and services.

As such it needed to be modified and altered from the traditional philosophy of Kansei Engineering into a tool for standardized product development on an international level. Part 1 explains the essential underpinnings of this tool as well as its theoretical base.

Chapter 1: A Notion of Kansei

Kansei

Kansei is a Japanese term meaning affect, emotion or feeling, and has been a major area of research in product development for over 40 years, primarily in Japan, China, and Korea. In recent years, the concept of Kansei in product development has been spreading to Europe and other parts of the world. Various groups have been established to promote Kansei, including regional organizations such as the Japanese Society of Kansei Engineering and the European Kansei Group. The bi-annual Kansei Engineering and Emotional Research (KEER) conference has grown to become an umbrella organization for research on the topic. The diverse perspectives and methods of Kansei have fostered a wider interpretation of the term and inspired the creation of various applications. The community welcomes different approaches and provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and further development. Kansei has evolved from a psychological method linking basic emotional expressions with product features to a complex collection of affective product development methods with diverse approaches, tools and applications.

The Mystique of Kansei

The term "Kansei" is of Japanese origin and roughly translates to "feel, emotion, or affect." However, its true meaning is often only understood in conjunction with a corresponding term. In contemporary dictionaries, the term Kansei is often listed alongside secondary expressions, such as "Kansei Engineering" or "Kansei Technology," but also "Kansei Poetry" or "Kansei Food." The phrase "brush up your Kansei" also exists, meaning to sharpen and improve one's attitude. This indicates that the term Kansei often adds an emotional-affective dimension to the corresponding word.

Kansei is difficult to define more precisely as it stems from a long Japanese tradition and is closely connected to Japanese culture and philosophy. This makes the term Kansei desirable for a novel dimension of research as it still holds a degree of purity and novelty, allowing researchers to define research related to affect, emotion, and personal preferences anew.

In the context of product development, the expression of Kansei describes an affective approach by product developers. Traditional product development methods use fact-based input to achieve customer satisfaction, which is mostly functional. Kansei adds an emotional aspect to product development and enables developers to cope with mostly qualitative, affective input data to create emotionally pleasing products.

However, practitioners use Kansei in different ways, due to its ambiguity. Many researchers and practitioners have found and published their own definitions to promote their personal take on the field. Although this may seem chaotic at first glance, it is actually a rich source of novel ideas and approaches and is widely seen as an advantage.

Definition of the term Kansei as used in this book

In Japanese culture, the term Kansei is mostly associated with the appreciation of beauty and the development of refined taste. Although many Kansei researchers therefore focus solely on the aesthetic aspects of artifacts, subtle and hidden technical properties also affect the emotional experience of the artifact for humans. This book establishes a bridge between the affective properties of artifacts (Kansei) and design factors (engineering), encompassing both the aesthetic and technical aspects of the artifact under the term Kansei.

The Japanese philosophy of Kansei emphasizes the use of intuition, empathy, and emotional intelligence to create products, spaces, and experiences that resonate with people on a deeper level. Kansei designers and artists aim to elicit emotional responses that provide users with a sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and well-being. They emphasize the need to create works that harmonize with nature, integrate the old with the new, and respect the cultural traditions and values of the society in which they are created.

This philosophy has deep roots in Eastern culture and has now spread around the world. However, practitioners in countries outside Japan and Eastern culture may not have an inherent understanding of the underlying philosophy. Therefore, in this book, Kansei is presented as a tool for product and service design rather than just an artistic tool, acknowledging its origins while also recognizing its global application.

Harnessing the Power of Kansei

So Kansei is a complex concept that elicits powerful feelings and emotions - yet is difficult to describe. Despite its intangibility, the Kansei is crucial for decision-making, as emotions are involved in virtually every decision humans make, according to Damaiso (1996). This means, the Kansei can - and should - be harnessed for practical purposes such as marketing, nudging technology, and product development. However, in order to use the Kansei in an industrial context, it must first be made visible and measurable, allowing people intentionally to manipulate the Kansei of objects in their environment. Although the Kansei cannot be fully measured, human reactions to emotions such as affection, desire, disgust, and inconvenience can be quantified. From there, conclusions can be drawn about the quality of the Kansei, which can be applied in the aforementioned areas. Ultimately, while the Kansei may remain an enigma, we can still utilize its impact to create more effective (and affective) products and services.

Chapter 2: Kansei Engineering

Overview

Kansei Engineering is a technology that combines Kansei with engineering fields in order to create products and services that match consumers' implicit needs and desires (Lokman, 2010). It enables the translation of implicit requirements for the affective quality of human interaction into explicit and aesthetic properties that can be designed into products (Oluwafemi & Yamanaka, 2014). This is achieved by identifying how the affective experience (such as pleasure, trust and engagement) of a product or service influences consumers' responses, and manipulating those specific properties or features of the product or service that determine the response.

Kansei Engineering was originated by Professor Mitsuo Nagamachi in Japan in the 1970s. The basic methodology of Kansei evaluation and analysis was established in the middle of the 1980s (Nagamachi & Lokman, 2010, 2015). Initially, Nagamachi used the terms "emotion" or "image technology" to represent Kansei in his methodology, but the term ‘Kansei Engineering’ was first used in 1986, after the basic methodology was established (Nagamachi, 1995). During the 1980s, many Japanese industries, such as the automotive and electric home appliances sectors, incorporated Kansei Engineering as an important development process.

Kansei Engineering encompasses the use of all methods that enable products or services to be designed to satisfy affective needs better. Researchers now use physiological measurements such as electroencephalography (Yoshida et al.,) and eye tracking (Tomico et al., 2008), analyse self-report questionnaires using item response theory (Camargo & Henson, 2015), and use advanced modelling techniques such as neural network analysis and sparse Bayesian learning (Tipping, 2001). Qualitative research techniques such as empathy mapping and phenomenology are also used. These enable designers to understand how different design solutions influence the affective responses of users.

The diversity of these techniques reflects the diversity of the backgrounds of the researchers, and Kansei in the West has therefore become richly interdisciplinary, overlapping with and complementing design, engineering, psychology, affective computing, human-computer interaction, user-centred design, cultural computing, marketing and business, service design, and neuroscience. This is reflected in the research community by the use of terms such as Kansei Design and Kansei Science. Beyond the Kansei community, others pursue what we would characterize as a Kansei-like approach, even if they do not necessarily recognize the term, such as industry-based consumer researchers (Lévy, & Yamanaka, 2006).

Engineers are often interested in people’s affective responses to products, and seek to create models relating perceptions to the physical properties of stimuli. Engineers are essential for understanding the physical properties of stimuli and the mechanics of human interactions with them (including the tribology of touch). However, some engineers seek linear relationships between perception and the stimuli’s properties where linear relationships are unlikely to exist. One of the significant aspects of KE methodologies is analyzing the non-linear nature of Kansei and physical properties such as colour, shape and surface finish.

Types of Kansei Engineering

Product emotion has become a critical factor in determining consumer satisfaction and product success in the market. Historically, Japan has been at the forefront of innovative product development, and their success has been greatly attributed to their sensitivity to the implicit emotions of consumers, known as Kansei, which has led to the emergence of Kansei Engineering. The implementation of Kansei Engineering involves several steps that utilize tools and methods adapted from different disciplines, such as marketing, psychology, and statistics. Kansei Engineering typically employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The literature contains numerous approaches for identifying Kansei for a target group and focus group, including self-reporting systems or ethnographic techniques, but the focus is always on the emotional aspect of the user's product experience.

In a 2010 study, Lokman provides a comprehensive overview of Kansei Engineering methodology, emphasizing the importance of emotional design and how Kansei Engineering can be utilized to create emotionally appealing products. Figure 2.1 illustrates the types of Kansei Engineering implementation utilized in the process of identifying Kansei factor certainty and determining the new design of Kansei products.

Figure 2.1: Types of Kansei Engineering (Lokman, 2010).

The implementation of Kansei Engineering has evolved over time and can be categorized into several types, as shown in Figure 2.1 and are more elaborated in Lokman (2010). These types include:

1. KE Type I, or Category Classification: This approach involves breaking down the core idea of a new product into its associated emotional and design elements. Qualitative research techniques like the KJ Method are used to analyze data. A famous example of this method in action is the development of the Mazda Miata sports car (compare: Nagamachi & Lokman , 2015)

2. KE Type II, or Computer-Aided KE System (KES): This system relies on databases and inference engines to create a computerized system that interprets consumer emotions and transforms them into design elements. Examples include systems used for house design and fashion image development (Nagamachi & Lokman 2009).

3. KE Type III, or KE Modelling: Here, mathematical modeling is the foundation for a computerized system that handles fuzzy logic and machine intelligence. An example of this type is word sound diagnostic systems (Nagamachi 1999).

4. KE Type IV, or Hybrid KE: This approach combines Forward KES and Backward KES to create a hybrid system. This type allows for iterative processes, from initial design elements to Kansei evaluation. It's evident in studies attributed to Nagamachi & Matsubara (1997).

5. KE Type V, or Virtual KE: This method integrates KE techniques into virtual reality, enabling consumers to explore Kansei-driven products in a virtual environment. For instance, Matsushita Electric Works used this approach in designing kitchen cabinets (Enomoto et al., 1993).

6. KE Type VI, or Collaborative KE: This approach involves designers and consumers from different locations working together using a shared Kansei database to develop new product designs. An example is the Internet Collaborative Design System (Ishihara et al., 2005)

7. KE Type VII, or Concurrent KE: In this approach, representatives from various company departments or experts in related fields collaborate to evaluate and analyze Kansei aspects. This method provides a holistic perspective on product design, as demonstrated in research on shampoo container design (Nagamachi, 2000)

8. KE Type VIII, or Rough Sets KE: This type is particularly useful for dealing with unclear and uncertain Kansei data. It relies on group meanings to establish decision rules independently and is commonly applied in studies involving beer can design (Nagamachi et al., 2006) .

Each of these approaches has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of approach depends on the specific needs and goals of the product development team. However, the ultimate goal of Kansei Engineering is to create emotionally appealing products that meet the needs and desires of users. The choice of KE type depends on the objectives and strategies of the organization, designers, or Kansei Engineers involved in the assessment of Kansei.

Chapter 3: Measuring the Kansei

Overview

Kansei measurement focuses on identifying and understanding users' emotional responses to products, services or situations. The use of both physiological and psychological measurements has the potential to improve the design of products or services by incorporating user emotional experiences into the design process. Figure 3.1 shows different ways to access peoples’ Kansei.

Figure 3.1: Kansei Channels (Lokman, 2010).

Several researchers have contributed to the development of Kansei Engineering, including Nagamachi, Lokman, Lévy, Schütte, Marco-Almagro and others. Nagamachi and Lokman have written a comprehensive guide to Kansei Engineering and its practical applications in product and service design (Nagamachi & Lokman, 2015). They discuss various techniques for measuring physiological and psychological responses Lévy's research has focused on developing a theoretical framework for understanding emotional responses to product designs based on cognitive and emotional psychology (Lévy, 2013).

Physiological vs Psychological Measurement

Kansei measurement is an essential process for incorporating emotion into design. Since Kansei is a subjective, vague, and unstructured concept, it cannot accurately be identified directly. Therefore, indirect assessment methods that utilize alternative expression approaches are necessary. Kansei measurements are typically divided into two categories: physiological and psychological measures. Depending on the task at hand however, the way to measure must be appropriate. While equipment and expertise for many of the physiological measurements used to be hard to come by and expensive, in recent years prices have been dropping and resources are now more readily available for future experiments. Price and availability are however just one reason for the lesser employment of physiological measurement methods. Another reason is the fact that emotions, feelings and impressions are complex and difficult to express using those methods. Hence, they are at least accompanied by psychological measurements which tend to be more sensitive to affective impressions, yet less objective. In most studies in affective product development, psychological measurements are dominant. This book reviews both types of measurement but uses psychological measurement for the practical examples.

Physiological Measurement

To accurately measure the Kansei of users, Kansei Engineering often utilizes physiological measurements that provide objective data on emotional and physical responses. One widely used method is Electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain to provide insight into users' emotional states such as excitement, frustration, or engagement. EEG has been used in various contexts, including product design, marketing and human-computer interaction (HCI), to measure users' emotional responses (Trapsilawati, 2019; Ding et al., 2010, Mitsukura, 2020).

Another physiological measurement that has proven useful for Kansei Engineering is Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). GSR measures the electrical conductivity of the skin and can be used to determine users' levels of emotional arousal and stress (Laparra-Hernández et al., 2009). Other physiological measurements that have been used in Kansei Engineering include Heart Rate Variability (HRV), which measures the variation in time intervals between successive heartbeats, Electromyography (EMG) muscle load measurements and Eye Tracking, which measures the eye movements and gaze behaviour of users (Köhler et al., 2015).

The goal of these physiological measurements is to identify user behaviour, response, and body language, all of which can help designers create products that better align with users' emotional needs and preferences. By incorporating these physiological measurements into the Kansei Engineering process, designers can gain a deeper understanding of users' emotional responses and create products that better meet their needs (Nagamachi, 2011).

Psychological Measurements

In contrast to physiological measurement methods, psychological measurement is related to the human mental state involving user behaviour, expressions, actions, and responses. In this case Kansei measurement employs tools for designing products based on the emotional responses and subjective feelings of users. Psychological measurement tools are crucial components of this approach, as they help designers to identify and understand the emotional responses that people have to different products or design features. This can be measured using self-reporting systems.

There are several different psychological measurement techniques used in Kansei Engineering, including semantic differential (SD) scale, different emotional scale (DES), paired comparison analysis, and free labelling system. These methods are used to capture the emotional responses of users and to identify the specific design elements that influence these responses.

Semantic differential scales (SD) are an important psychological measurement. The technique involves presenting participants with bipolar adjectives, such as "good" vs. "bad", "comfortable" vs. "uncomfortable" or "stylish" vs. "unstylish" and asking them to rate the concept or object on a scale between these opposing adjectives. By analysing the resulting data, researchers can gain insight into the participants' experiences and opinions towards the concept or object being studied. The SD technique has been used in various fields, including psychology, marketing and design, to understand how individuals perceive and respond to different stimuli (Snider & Osgood, 1969). Examples are given in Figure 3.2.

Paired comparison analysis is another well-established technique. In this approach, participants are presented with pairs of designs or products and asked to choose which they prefer based on their emotional response. This approach is useful for identifying specific design elements that are responsible for emotional responses (Ramanathan et al., 2023). Free association is another important technique used in Kansei Engineering. This approach involves asking participants to provide spontaneous responses to a product or design. These responses can then be analysed to identify underlying emotional associations and inform the design requirements (Nagamachi, 2011).

As elaborated above, some of these psychological and physiological interpretations are shown through eye, skin reactions, brain waves (EEG), electromyography (EMG), heart rate and other types of measurements. Kansei researchers need to think about which input is appropriate to reach the user’s Kansei and how to measure such interpretations. Kansei’s access channels are often not just one, but may be a combination of several.

Figure 3.2: Example of a Kansei-Checklist (Lokman, 2010) .

Quantitative Measurement of the Kansei

The Quantitative approach in Kansei engineering integrates various design elements and the target user into a single development strategy. It also involves identifying a specific set of Kansei Words (KW) that match the product domain, typically requiring a set of 30 to 40 adjectives or short sentences that can be used to translate emotions. To identify KWs, the following steps can be followed: first, the company's strategy is reviewed to understand their target audience and objectives for using Kansei engineering. Next, KWs related to the design domain are identified, for example, referencing vehicle magazines to select KWs that suit the purpose of the study for vehicles, or communicating with buyers or prospective buyers for clothing design.