A statistical model of relationship between affective responses and product design attributes for capturing user needs

Customer's satisfaction is a critical factor to a product's success and identifying key affective response factors which customers mainly perceive is critical to satisfy customers. This study aims to identify the key affective response factor of satisfaction for passenger car interior material using statistical approach. Related variables of satisfaction consisting of 10 affective response variables associated with look-and-feel and touch feel of a surface material was systematically identified through literature survey, customer reviews, and expert opinions. Thirty participants evaluated 41 different crash pad samples using a questionnaire survey with 9-point semantic differential scale and 100-point scale. Based on the survey results, softness was identified as the key affective response factor of satisfaction for car crash pad. Then the relationship between softness and related engineering variables was identified. It is expected that the results could suggest the optimal combination and provide specific design guidelines quantitatively.