Abstract

GUERRERO VALENZUELA, Mauricio; HERNANDIS ORTUNO, Bernabé  and  AGUDO VICENTE, Begoña. AN APPROACH TO THE REPRESENTATION OF A PRODUCT'S FORM AND APPEARANCE: STUDY ON DESIGN ATTRIBUTES. Innovar [online]. 2018, vol.28, n.67, pp.25-39. ISSN 0121-5051.  https://doi.org/10.15446/innovar.v28n67.68611.

Design is an activity where products' formal aspects and appearance are defined. The appropriate specification for the definition of a product's attributes and their subsequent implementation are of paramount importance for business success. In line with the demands of the market and those who participate in the design process, this research focuses on the possibility of grouping attributes in the usual dimensions for the formal definition of a product. Following an exploratory research approach, this study identifies and classifies groups of attributes used during the initial design stage. A questionnaire was applied to Industrial Design and Product Engineering students in Spain, Chile and Mexico, based on a list of attributes proposed by specialists in the subject. A factor analysis is applied to reduce the variables of the study, identifying three main components related to the fundamental design attributes: utilitarian, appearance and perceptual. This research proves the use of a common language between the areas of design and engineering when determining the attributes for giving shape to the product, showing a clear approach in understanding the definition of the product in relation to the consumer which makes possible to achieve greater compliance of the business objectives proposed in the briefing.

Clasificación JEL: L11, L22, M31

Keywords : Product design; attributes; factor analysis.

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