Design and Consumer Research

Abstract

Product design is widely recognized as playing an important role in determining the success of products. In large part, this is due to design’s role as an important determinant of consumers’ preferences and choices. Even though design (inclusive of aesthetics) has been studied for centuries, there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty and ambiguity concerning design and peoples’ reactions to it. Despite the increased awareness concerning the importance of (industrial) design, surprisingly little in the way of design or aesthetic theory has been advanced that aids in our understanding of how people respond to design or how aesthetic responses are formed. Unfortunately, this encourages the perception that “good” design is a rather arbitrary affair (Finn 1990). As a result, there continues to be a great deal of unease in companies (especially among nondesign managers) when it comes to making decisions about product designs. A body of work in the field of consumer research has investigated design and aesthetic response with respect to its influence on consumer behavior. The work seeks to further our knowledge of how people react to design and the mechanism(s) by which responses to designs are formed. This paper discusses work done in the field of consumer research that relates to design, and it examines some of the implications of this body of work for design management and design management research.