Keywords

1 Products with a Beautiful Appearance Evoke Greater Emotional Responses

The dramatic increase in the population resulting from the baby boom has led to an continuously expanding aging population in the 21st, century; By 2025, Taiwan will be called as a super-aged society since the population of elderly will increase up to 20% (Lin and Huang 2015). The older population in many countries will also have a great impact on society and product markets, which means that marketing efforts of the future will undergo a great change to appeal to these consumers. As is well-known, a good product should offer not only functional satisfaction and an ergonomic fit, but also a beautiful appearance, from the user’s perspective. Moreover, a product must fit consumers’ tastes (Dhar and Wertenbroch 2000; Hoyer and Stokburger-Sauer 2012; Postrel 2003). Therefore, creating a product that suits the tastes of older consumers, particularly their aesthetic tastes, has become a critical issue in design.

A product with a beautiful appearance often enjoys added value (Blijlevens et al. 2009; Bloch et al. 2003; Hirschman and Holbrook 1982; Hoyer and Stokburger-Sauer 2012; McDonagh et al. 2002). Moreover, the product may increase consumers’ positive emotional responses when they use it. Thus, a good product for the older population should have smart functions, be user-friendly, and have a pleasant aesthetic quality; all of these can enhance the user’s experience and further increase positive emotions (Helander and Khalid 2006; Khalid 2001). A product’s aesthetic appeal can be very important for its first impression and for evoking consumers’ emotions. Despite the importance of product aesthetics on first impressions, there is little research focused on older consumers’ sense of aesthetics and emotions. This gap in the research has inspired this study.

2 Products with Symmetrical Forms and Cultural Elements May Enhance Aesthetic Qualities

Aesthetics involve complex characteristics that are affected by a variety of attributes and factors. External aesthetics include principles such as symmetry, unity, contrast, balance, and proportion (Coates 2003; Lauer 1979). These can be visualized and quantified during an experiment. Several past studies have shown that people prefer to observe forms that are symmetrical, compared to forms that are asymmetrical, because of their more stable and balanced look. In other aspects, some studies have shown that older consumers prefer classic decorations and retro style (Marchegiani and Phau 2011). When considering internal aesthetics, responses can be derived from the understanding of a cultural pattern’s meaning, which is often connected to the viewer’s memory and which can further evoke his or her emotions. For example, when older consumers observe a product made with a familiar and traditional pattern, it may prompt them to recall something meaningful in their past. This, in turn, can lead to the showing of strong responses to these classic patterns, due to the sense of nostalgia they evoke. When an item is associated with a part of someone’s memories of the past, it has the chance to resonate emotionally immediately (Holbrook and Schindler 2003). In sum, we can conclude that symmetrical forms and meaningful patterns can enhance a product’s aesthetics and evoke consumers’ emotions right away. Taking advantage of nostalgia, designers should try to create products specifically targeted at older consumers, in order to satisfy the future of the market. In this study, we focused on symmetry and asymmetry (i.e., an external effect) and cultural patterns (i.e., an internal effect) because of the ease with which we can control such visual elements. We hypothesized that products with a symmetrical shape and those with culturally related patterns would be able to evoke positive emotions strongly among older consumers. The purpose of this study is to test (1) whether older consumers have greater emotional responses to products that are symmetrical and (2) if older consumers have greater emotional responses to products that contain a cultural element.

3 Symmetry as an Aesthetic Factor

One of the principles that can enhance aesthetics most strongly is symmetry. Humans of all nationalities are capable of perceiving and judging symmetrical aesthetics precisely (Evans et al. 2000; Julesz 1971; Tyler 2002; Wagemans 1999; Wenderoth 1994). Washburn and Humphrey (2001) note that people naturally seem to prefer symmetrical objects, even without any professionally guided training. Coates (2003) believes that the characteristics of products’ aesthetics are associated with how their elements are assembled in the design process. During the form development process, the principle of symmetry is the simplest way to display objects with a balanced image (Lauer 1979). Symmetrical forms visually convey a sense of order and can relieve tension (Schmitt and Simonson 1997). Creusen et al. (2010) suggest that symmetry is associated with tidiness, uniformity in button shape of the clothes, and placement in space. Murdoch and Flurscheim (1983) have referred to symmetry as a state of order. Designers use the principle of symmetry to create beautiful shapes, so this is often an element of the product form development process. Designers assemble and rearrange visual elements until they are satisfied that they have constructed the most optimal product form. Conversely, asymmetrical forms may conjure up feelings of visual instability. Sometimes, this is done for a creative and/or amusing effect. To date, few studies have focused on aesthetic principles; more research has focused on the simplicity and meaninglessness of artificial nonsense stimuli.

Although older consumers may pay more attention than average to a product’s usability, functionality and stability, some studies have shown that ordinary users prefer products with highly consistent and symmetrical forms (Berlyne 1971; Hekkert et al. 1994; Lauer 1979; Lewalski 1988; Veryzer and Hutchinson 1998). Moreover, related research on symmetry has found that people prefer to observe faces that are symmetrical (Rhodes 2006). Generally speaking, prior studies have implied that the symmetry aesthetic is very important to older people’s aesthetic judgments, and specifically as they relate to product designs. Therefore, this is an important factor for increasing a product’s aesthetic appeal. In short, we hypothesized that products with symmetrical forms would be able to psychologically convey both visual balance and a stable visual perception. We thus assumed that older consumers have a similar preference when it comes to their visual perceptions of products.

As Giannouli (2013) stated, symmetrical arrangements can be classified into three types: translational, rotational, and mirror. In this study, we adopted translational and mirror symmetry when developing the stimuli, because of their popularity in product design. The common ground among facial, body art, and the decorative arts is the symmetry design principle. Surprisingly, facial symmetry studies conducted in a variety of cultures have demonstrated the same results: symmetry enhances physical attraction (Grammer and Thornhill 1994; Hume and Montgomerie 2001; Jones et al. 2001; Koehler et al. 2002; Little et al. 2001; Mealy et al. 1999; Penton-Voak et al. 2001; Perrett et al. 1999; Rhodes et al. 1998; Rhodes et al. 2001a; Rhodes et al. 2001b). In addition, one study on website layout design showed a similar result: that vertical symmetry is the most important factor when designing a website. By contrast, websites with asymmetrical layouts are considered less beautiful (Tuch et al. 2010). Overall, previous works have implied that designs marked by symmetry provide unique means of increasing attraction.

4 Method

This experiment examined the independent variables of symmetry and asymmetry and items with and without cultural elements. The dependent variables were related to subjective aesthetics, emotion, preference, and purchase intension.

4.1 Subjects

The subjects were 75 participants, 35 men and 40 women, between the ages of 55 and 75.

4.2 Stimuli

The stimuli were product pictures collected from websites and magazines depicting familiar objects in the participants’ daily lives. Such high involvement products have strong connections with the users’ daily lives, because they are used often and seem important to them. Based on this familiarity, participants can be expected to pay close attention during the experiment (Zaichkowsky 1985). Participants may observe the products’ information closely, and/or show strong attitude and high levels of purchase intention (Bart et al. 2014; Lutz et al. 1983). Items selected for use in the study included lamps with shades, two cabinets, a contemporary chair, a classic chair, a kettle, a computer monitor, and a radio. A total of 32 stimuli were created. These covered four classifications (two stimuli for each classification): (1) high symmetry + high culture pattern × 8, (2) high symmetry + low culture pattern × 8, (3) low symmetry + low culture pattern × 8, and (4) low symmetry + high culture pattern × 8. The stimuli pictures were edited and displayed with only line work, to bring the profile into a uniform level of quality. Photoshop software was used to edit the stimuli to make them consistently high quality images.

4.3 Questionnaire

The questionnaire contained three dimensions: aesthetic, emotional, and behavioral responses. The aesthetic items included both symmetry and asymmetry and cultural pattern variables, while valence and arousal items were used for assessing emotion; purchase intention or preference items accounted for behavior.

4.4 Experiment Processes

The experiment was conducted in a quiet room without any interruptions. Participants were invited to answer the questionnaire as volunteers. The researcher explained the definitions of the terminology used and the experiment processes before starting the experiment. Each participant received a $7 honorarium upon completion of the survey.

5 Results

One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the results. The statistical analysis demonstrated that there were no significant differences between the male and female participants in terms of aesthetic, preference, or emotional factors. However, the results did reveal that men and women had different perceptions (P < 029; see Table 1) of those products that included a cultural element, which affected their attitudes toward purchasing the products. Female participants (M = 4.4694; SD = 1.60929) had greater responses to those products with cultural elements than those without them (M = 4.3133; SD = 1.68065). This implies that the female participants are more sensitive to products with cultural elements. Moreover, female participants (M = 3.3624; SD = 1.64938) were also willing to purchase more of the products than their male counterparts were (M = 3.6094; SD = 1.68271) (see Table 2).

Table 1. ANOVA results of the influence of cultural factors on men and women
Full size table
Table 2. ANOVA results of men’s and women’s purchase intensions
Full size table

The results of the descriptive statistics show that the participants had significant responses related to asymmetry–symmetry and cultural–no cultural elements. First, we examined the participants’ responses to the symmetry–asymmetry of the products’ forms. The results showed that our participants tended to have higher aesthetic responses to products with symmetrical forms (M = 5.2116; SD = 1.43161), compared to those with asymmetrical forms (M = 4.2541; SD = 1.74078). Our participants also showed greater cultural responses when looking at products with symmetrical forms (M = 4.6374; SD = 1.55090) than when observing asymmetrical products (M = 4.2026; SD = 1.68489). When we asked participants how they felt about the items’ aesthetic qualities, they reported that products with symmetrical forms (M = 4.5091; SD = 1.47109) are more beautiful than products with asymmetrical forms (M = 4.1431; SD = 1.62815). Similarly, participants preferred products with symmetrical forms (M = 4.0248; SD = 1.49198), compared to products with asymmetrical forms (M = 3.6988; SD = 1.59673). This indicates that older consumers are likely to prefer products with symmetrical forms. Furthermore, they showed a greater willingness to purchase products with symmetrical forms (M = 3.6346; SD = 1.62803), compared to products with asymmetrical forms (M = 3.2477; SD = 1.67719). The participants consistently showed greater emotional responses (i.e., valence and arousal) when looking at products with symmetrical forms (M = 4.3607/4.1177; SD = 1.40423/1.50883) than when looking at products with asymmetrical forms (M = 4.0315/4.1177; SD = 1.55902/1.57853).

Next, we examined the participants’ responses to product with cultural elements. The results indicate that our participants had significant responses to those products with cultural elements. Overall, the participants reported greater levels of feeling regarding the products with cultural elements than products without such elements. The participants agreed that products with cultural elements (M = 4.8659; SD = 1.62832) were more beautiful than those without them (M = 4.5997; SD = 1.68878). The participants also had greater responses to products with cultural elements than to those products without cultural elements. In other words, a product with cultural meaning is more attractive than a product without cultural meaning. Subjectively, participants felt that products with cultural elements (M = 4.6192; SD = 1.56252) were more beautiful than the products without cultural elements (M = 4.0339; SD = 1.50635). Furthermore, they preferred products with cultural elements (M = 4.1020; SD = 1.58218) over products without cultural elements (M = 3.6228; SD = 1.48670). In short, our participants preferred products with cultural elements. Similarly, older consumers are more willing to purchase products with cultural elements (M = 3.6552; SD = 1.72045) than those without cultural elements (M = 3.2285; SD = 1.57754). Finally, the results indicated that products with cultural elements have a greater chance of evoking older consumers’ emotions (valence: M = 4.4183/4.1993; SD = 1.50337/1.56865), compared to products without cultural elements (arousal: M = 3.9743/3.7313; SD = 1.44845/1.49826).

6 Discussion

Products with aesthetic qualities can evoke users’ emotions affectively. This result is consistent with previous research (Bloch et al. 2003; Creusen et al. 2010). The results of the present study further confirm that both external aesthetics (i.e., symmetry) and internal aesthetics (i.e., cultural meaning) are capable of evoking older participants’ emotions. In this case, participants’ emotions were evoked by products whose appearances contained Chinese cultural patterns that made sense to them. Most of our Chinese participants obviously perceived the patterns in the stimuli, and somehow these patterns connected to their cognitive processes. It is also possible that these patterns were familiar to the participants. The population studied here had long been familiar with these patterns, as they appear on their furniture and are present in daily television shows.

We determined that older consumers prefer products that have a beautiful appearance, which increases their familiarity, visual adaptation, and satisfaction when observed and used in daily life. Designers should be aware that older consumers prefer both symmetrical forms and cultural elements, as both provide stable images and meaningful content.

In this experiment, we used very traditional patterns in the stimuli, and these were attractive to our participants, but are there any other patterns also associated with these cultural elements in older consumers’ minds? Do they have to be visual elements? Might they, instead, be familiar scents, for example? We believe that all aspects of the senses could be the elements to evoke users’ emotions, as long as they are capable of recalling users’ memories. With this in mind, products’ physical appearances should be designed with stable-looking forms, such as those rooted in symmetry. As designers, we should note that older users also prefer beautiful products that include both symmetry and culturally pleasant forms. These designed elements are capable of motivating them to purchase products that, in turn, have a greater chance of satisfying them and making them happy when using them.