Cognitive differences in product shape evaluation between real settings and virtual reality: case study of two-wheel electric vehicles

Abstract

Product shape evaluation is an important part of new product development. In the shape design stage, design schemes are often presented through visual images. The presentation of visual images causes evaluators to form different cognitive experiences and evaluation results. In recent years, virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in the field of industrial design, enriching the presentation forms of design scheme images. Although VR technology has shown the potential to improve evaluators’ perception and cognitive experiences in product shape design, research comparing it with traditional methods remains relatively scattered. This study used two-wheel electric vehicles as an example to examine the difference in evaluators’ cognition of product shape in VR and a real setting (RS). First, we established a semantic scale comprising seven pairs of opposite adjectives to evaluate the shape scheme. Second, we built VR and RS evaluation environments using head-mounted displays and paper renderings, respectively. The participants evaluated the vehicle shape design in alternating viewing and underwent semi-structured interviews on cognitive experience. We analyzed the experimental and interview results based on three aspects of product shape cognition. The results demonstrated that volume cognition was significantly more accurate in VR environments. Furthermore, graphic cognition, particularly regarding shape details, differed partially between environments. VR provided a better sense of immersion and more variable viewing angles than RS. Treatment cognition did not exhibit significant differences between environments, as it depended on human experience rather than visualization. These findings suggest that VR tools are more suited for shaping design evaluations early. Selecting suitable visual presentation tools based on evaluators’ cognitive characteristics at different evaluation nodes to display design schemes is a practical, economical, and efficient strategy.