Design for Better Comprehension: Investigating the Influence of Product Appearance on Consumers' Comprehension of Really New Products (RNP).

Peiyao Cheng (2018)

RNPs refer to product innovations that integrate advanced technology, which enables consumers to do things that they were previously unable to do. While most existing research focuses on the advertising strategies to facilitate consumers’ comprehension of RNPs, this research extends the discussion to investigate the influence of product appearance. Three influential factors of (a) visual complexity, (b) transparency and (c) product metaphor were identified and have been examined accordingly. This research first (1) investigates the influence of visual complexity on consumers’ comprehension of product innovations through a controlled experiment, whereby the design principle ‘complexity in simplicity’ was proposed. The study further (2) investigates the design intentions for adopting transparency in product innovations by conducting interviews with designers in practice. Based on an analogical learning process, (3) the potential and risks of product metaphors influencing consumers’ comprehension of RNPs are analysed. The results bridge the theoretical contributions and practical implications, which help designers and managers develop RNPs that are comprehensible for consumers and contribute to the overall success of RNPs.