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THE AESTHETIC AND PERCEIVED ATTRIBUTES OF PRODUCTS
Johnson, KW, Lenau, T and Ashby, MF
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Abstract:
The performance of a product - technical, aesthetic or perceived - is
determined by its attributes. Technical attributes of a product, such
as its weight, power, scale, efficiency, cost and the chosen material
or manufacturing technologies can be measured or expressed in standard,
accepted, ways. The character of a product depends on more than this -
its technical attributes are a part, but so too are its aesthetic or perceived
attributes. The aesthetic attributes are those to which the senses respond:
touch, sight, sound, smell and even taste. Perceived attributes of a product
- its style and its symbolic associations - are subtler but no less important;
it is these that create its delight and give a product its personality,
so to speak. In some way, these attributes - of aesthetics and perception
- are related to materials but they are more easily spoken of in products.
Here we seek to establish whether a general vocabulary for discussing
aesthetics and perceptions in industrial design can be established and
then assigned to specific products or materials. We do this by surveying
design reviews, museum exhibitions and other commentaries on products,
searching for a common language; in conjunction with this survey, we measure
the responses of a test group to selected products with regard to this
language. The results indicate general agreement when assigning key aesthetic
and perceived attributes to products, but less so with materials. This
research suggests the possibility of including a more complete list of
attributes in a database of products or materials that could act as a
resource for designers.
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