Optimal balancing of multiple affective satisfaction dimensions: A case study on mobile phones

Abstract

Product designers need to consider a variety of consumers’ tastes and preferences to design a product that appeals to consumers. However, it is often difficult for designers to find optimal design settings because a number of design features could affect the tastes and preferences. This study proposes a method for optimally balancing various affective satisfaction dimensions based on the multiple response surfaces (MRS) methodology. Applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated through a case study on mobile phone designs. A set of design values which would optimally balance the levels of luxuriousness, attractiveness, and overall satisfaction are obtained. The resulting values of design features are verified based on a similarity test. In addition, they are compared with the optimal design values obtained using a single dimension optimization method in order to show the advantages of the MRS methodology. Relevance to industry This study proposes a new way of finding design settings, which would optimally balance various needs of consumers. The resulting design values can help designers improve the consumers’ affective satisfaction toward their designs.