Using a Kansei-driven Approach for New Concept Development Activities: What It Implies for Industrial Projects

Abstract

In this article, twenty-seven experience-centered industrial design projects leading to kansei representations were analyzed. Information was gathered from interviews with former project team members and from an analysis of the projects' final reports. All of the projects involved at least the Toyota Motor Europe - Kansei Design (TME-KD) division. Three types of projects were identified: exploratory concept, product lining strategy, and pre-development direction. For each project groups, the analysis detailed specificities in terms of context (purpose, design team members), design activities (information, generation, evaluation & decision, communication), and regarding the nature of their outputs (kansei representation) and the type of design information they conveyed. This led to a comparison of the different types of projects and a discussion about the kansei-related design information exchange in early design stages. A model of kansei-related design information based on these discussions is finally presented.