Latent Semantic Engineering – A new conceptual user-centered design approach

Abstract

User-centered design (UCD) plays a vital role in the product development process. UCD approaches match designs to user needs. Matching designs to needs improves product quality, customer satisfaction, and product success. The goal of this study is to improve matching accuracy. To achieve the goal, this study introduces conceptual UCD and Latent Semantic Engineering (LSE), a new conceptual UCD approach, defines measures for model accuracy (MA), conceptual matching accuracy (CMA), user-centered design accuracy (UCDA), and conceptual design accuracy (CDA), and compares the LSE approach to other approaches. The LSE approach models conceptual design processes more accurately than other approaches. Functional approaches use subjective weights to match functional needs to physical designs. Emotional (aesthetic) approaches use statistical models to match physical designs to emotional needs. The LSE approach uses a LSE semantic space model to create complete conceptual (aspirational, emotional, functional, physical) designs from complete conceptual needs. The LSE approach improves model accuracy (MA) and matching accuracy (CMA, UCDA, and CDA), compared to other approaches. The LSE approach creates design descriptions more accurately than other approaches. The LSE approach matches designs to user choices, needs, and concepts more accurately than other approaches. This study uses the LSE approach to create customized cell phone designs for individual users. The approach can also be used to create other conceptual designs for either individual or multiple users. Study results can be used to improve product quality, customer satisfaction, product success, and the product development process.