Abstract
Proportion is one of the aesthetic elements in product design. It has been widely considered in aesthetic researches. However, no clear conclusion on proportion in product design has been suggested yet and the debate over the aesthetic pleasingness of the proportion is still ongoing. The aim of the present study is to clarify part of this ambiguity in product design through identifying characteristics and typology of product proportion through experimental design and consumer survey. For this, we constructed stimulus sets for one product category (e.g., a refrigerator) by distortion of its prototype design into various forms. Each design form was made into a product card. Then we collected consumer data by asking subjects with questionnaire to reply to questions related to product proportion. The results show that there exist various types of proportion such as stability proportion, usability proportion, functionality proportion, aesthetics proportion, conventionality proportion and harmony proportion and each product category has its own important types of proportion. Because each product category has its own important types of proportion, designers should know the important elements expressed by proportion first before they consider proportion in product design. This study gives a good answer about the matters of 'Is it possible for golden section to be applied to product design?', ‘What is proportion?’ and ‘How it should be applied?’. In addition, preferred proportion structure is different according to the consumer characteristics, successful design strategy such as niche market penetration could be performed if designers classify consumer characteristics systematically.
Citation
Lee, J., Hong, J., and Kim, J. (2002) Understanding characteristics and typology of proportion in product design, in Durling, D. and Shackleton, J. (eds.), Common Ground - DRS International Conference 2002, 5-7 September, London, United Kingdom. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2002/researchpapers/45
Understanding characteristics and typology of proportion in product design
Proportion is one of the aesthetic elements in product design. It has been widely considered in aesthetic researches. However, no clear conclusion on proportion in product design has been suggested yet and the debate over the aesthetic pleasingness of the proportion is still ongoing. The aim of the present study is to clarify part of this ambiguity in product design through identifying characteristics and typology of product proportion through experimental design and consumer survey. For this, we constructed stimulus sets for one product category (e.g., a refrigerator) by distortion of its prototype design into various forms. Each design form was made into a product card. Then we collected consumer data by asking subjects with questionnaire to reply to questions related to product proportion. The results show that there exist various types of proportion such as stability proportion, usability proportion, functionality proportion, aesthetics proportion, conventionality proportion and harmony proportion and each product category has its own important types of proportion. Because each product category has its own important types of proportion, designers should know the important elements expressed by proportion first before they consider proportion in product design. This study gives a good answer about the matters of 'Is it possible for golden section to be applied to product design?', ‘What is proportion?’ and ‘How it should be applied?’. In addition, preferred proportion structure is different according to the consumer characteristics, successful design strategy such as niche market penetration could be performed if designers classify consumer characteristics systematically.