Shaping things

intended consumer response and the other determinants of product form

Journal article (2009)

Authors

Nathan Crilly University of Cambridge
James Moultrie University of Cambridge
P.J. Clarkson University of Cambridge
Affiliation
External organisation
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Published Date

2009-5

Language

English

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Affiliation

External organisation

Abstract

Based on a series of interviews with practicing industrial designers, a framework is developed that represents designers as holding distinct intentions for how product visual form should be interpreted by consumers (e.g. perceived qualities). These intentions are driven by various motivating factors (e.g. the brand) and constrained by other factors (e.g. production costs). Designers seek to resolve these competing factors by referring to a broad range of visual sources (e.g. existing products), and by constructing visual representations (e.g. sketches) that describe the planned form for the product. Despite designers' efforts to specify the product's form, the eventual form may be outside their control because still other factors (e.g. manufacturing tolerances) modify the design in unanticipated ways.