Emotional and smart Inspiration

Semiotic product analysis

Semiotic product analysis
author : A Opperud, Volvo Technological Development Corporation, Sweden
publication : in McDonagh, Hekkert, Van Erp, Gyi (eds.) (2004), Design and emotion: the experience of everyday things, London: Taylor & Francis.
conference : Design & Emotion 2002
theme : Evaluative Tools

This paper presents the SPA method, which is a semiotic method for analysing the impressions people receive via the design of a product. The focus is centred on the experiences a potential user gain from the specific shapes, colours or materials that she or he finds attractive or important when interacting with a product. The uniqueness with this method is that it connects the experiences of a product and the particular design elements that evoked the specific experience, by mapping the mental interpretation processes. It can be used as a constructive tool for analysing a prototype or a product in any product development process, and help to determine whether the design expose the preferable expression to the target customer. The method was developed in a master thesis work in psychology: Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder – a semiotic study of cellular phone design, and is today utilised at Volvo Technological Development Corporation.

posted by rebecca otero @ 9:31 AM