Exploring users' product constructs: how people think about different types of product

Abstract

A repertory grid-based study (n = 20) investigated the issues that people identify when considering different types of products. Participants were each presented with four sets of three stimuli, each representing a different product type. For each set of stimuli they were asked to pick an ‘odd-one-out’ and to describe why they had placed it apart from the other two in the set. Participants' responses differed markedly by product type. This suggests that approaches to affective design need to be seen in the context of the type of product under development. The outcomes of the study challenge some of the orthodoxies of human factors affective design. While, for some products, the key to positive affect might be a rich array of lifestyle associations and a positive user experience, for others it may simply be about styling or functionality.

Keywords:

• Repertory grid
• Affective design
• Products
• User experience
• Aesthetics
• Functionality