title: Kansei engineering as a tool for the design of in-vehicle rubber keypads.
abstract: Manufacturers are currently adopting a consumer-centered philosophy which poses the challenge of developing differentiating products in a context of constant innovation and competitiveness. To merge both function and experience in a product, it is necessary to understand customers' experience when interacting with interfaces. This paper describes the use of Kansei methodology as a tool to evaluate the subjective perception of rubber keypads. Participants evaluated eleven rubber keys with different values of force, stroke and snap ratio, according to seven Kansei words ranging from "pleasantness" to "clickiness". Evaluation data was collected using the semantic differential technique and compared with data from the physical properties of the keys. Kansei proved to be a robust method to evaluate the qualitative traits of products, and a new physical parameter for the tactile feel of "clickiness" is suggested, having obtained better results than the commonly used Snap Ratio. It was possible to establish very strong relations between Kansei words and all physical properties. This approach will result in guidance to the industry for the design of in-vehicle rubber keypads with user-centered concerns.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Computação Gráfica, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address: joana.vieira@ccg.pt.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: University of Minho, Centro Algoritmi, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana Maria A
authors.initials: JMA
authors.lastname: Osório
authors.affiliation: Centro de Computação Gráfica, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mouta
authors.affiliation: BOSCH Car Multimedia, Rua Max Grundig, 35, Lomar, 4705-820, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: BOSCH Car Multimedia, Rua Max Grundig, 35, Lomar, 4705-820, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Aníbal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Portinha
authors.affiliation: University of Minho, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal.
authors.forename: José Filipe
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Meireles
authors.affiliation: Centro de Computação Gráfica, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal; University of Minho, Centro Algoritmi, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal; University of Minho, Department of Basic Psychology, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jorge Almeida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001336:Automobiles; D016287:Computer Peripherals; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D004738:Engineering; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D008875:Middle Aged; D012408:Rubber; D014110:Touch; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012408:Rubber
keywords: Automotive HMI; Kansei engineering; Rubber keypads; Snap ratio