Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics (CVPA) is a measurement that conveys the degree to which an individual considers visual aesthetics when evaluating a product. Previous studies on CVPA failed to show how CVPA levels affect the individual evaluation of product aesthetics. Accordingly, two studies were designed to examine a) if individuals with design background have higher CVPA than those that do not, and b) the differences between low CVPA vs. high CVPA individuals in their evaluation of visual product aesthetics. In the first study, a t-test revealed that individuals with design background have higher CVPA than those without (p<0.05). In the second study, a simple comparison showed that high-CVPA individuals consider “balance and symmetry” as the most important factor in visual product aesthetics, low-CVPA group rated “familiarity” as the most important aesthetic factor. The findings imply that designers and consumers may have discrepancy in understanding product visual aesthetics.