Investigating users' interaction with physical products applying qualitative and quantitative methods

Abstract

When using products, people are sometimes involved in activities other than the products' primary use. Some of these activities are peripheral, while others may reinforce people's experiences with the products. The latter is related to the focus of this research - user engagement. User engagement is defined as a situation in which a product provides one or more additional features related to its primary function, so the user engages more senses through the product experience. This research investigates how six product samples engage subjects. The result shows that the six product samples can engage users and therefore result in an interesting user-product relationship. Based on the subjects' reactions, user engagement can be categorized into at least three types: sensory, physical, and emotional engagement. In addition, products can enable user engagement because they possess particular properties that represent mimicking, inspiring, or staging a function. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.