Enjoyable Pressure Cooker: Redesigning Physical Form of Products Based on Product Emotions and Usability Criteria

Abstract

Physical form and appearance of products are essential and they serve as visceral stimuli for consumers in considering and making a decision to purchase the products. Attractive product design, therefore, is required to elicit positive emotional responses from the consumers. Usability is another critical factor that helps users to use a product easily, and thus enhances their satisfaction. This research focuses on redesigning the physical form of everyday products based on product emotions and usability criteria. Two electric pressure cookers with different brands, but had similar characteristics, were used as the object of study. Emotional responses from thirty participants to these products were measured using Product Emotions Measurement Instrument (PrEmo). Interviews were then conducted to clarify their responses. Following this, usability testing involving eight participants was conducted. Each participant was asked to perform eight predetermined tasks and to fill out a questionnaire for assessing usability aspects of the tested products. The procedures resulted in the scores of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, participants‟ concerns about the products, mean completion time of the given tasks, success rate of the tasks, and scores of usability aspects. These results were used as a basis for redesigning the pressure cookers through modifying their form, appearance, colors, layout of control panel and buttons, symbols on buttons, and information labels. Two new designs were represented in the form of rendered 3D images. Product emotions measurement and usability testing were reused to evaluate the redesigned pressure cookers. The redesigned products showed increased positive emotional responses and improved usability.