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TOWARDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE INFLUENCE OF VISUAL REFERENCES ON CONSUMER AESTHETIC PERCEPTION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2023

Chukwuma M Asuzu  and
Alison Olechowski
Chukwuma M Asuzu*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Alison Olechowski
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
*
Asuzu, Chukwuma M, University of Toronto, Canada, chuma.asuzu@mail.utoronto.ca

Abstract

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When viewing a product for the first time, a consumer's aesthetic perception is based on their knowledge of other products, artefacts, and concepts. These mental images function as visual references for consumers and affect the processing fluency of the new product. Designers frequently use visual references as inspiration during the research stage of the design process. It has been documented, however, that there is a gap between designer intent and consumer response; Consumers do not always realize the intent of designers nor draw on the same visual references when perceiving a product, which can reduce their processing fluency of new products. Visual references differ from one consumer to the other which make them difficult to study. In this paper, we argue for a new way of studying visual references: by analyzing the cognitive process that occurs when consumers view a new product and recognize aspects of that product that are similar to visual references in their memory. We present a framework of three approaches for recognizing this similarity and implications for design practice.

Keywords

New product developmentDesign cognitionEmotional designAestheticsConsumer response
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 3: ICED23 , July 2023 , pp. 3571 - 3580
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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