User pleasure in product concept prospecting
Andre Cayol, Patrick Bonhoure · Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science · 2004
Differentiation has become a key industrial competitive advantage. Taking into account the notion of pleasure is considered one potential way of adding value to products, thereby introducing a source of differentiation. Researchers are currently exploring the notion of pleasure in product design; however, their focus is on user evaluations and using usability tools. This paper questions the validity of such approaches in product concept prospecting. Instead, it proposes combining trends and forecasts in the context of building realistic scenarios in order to create visions of the future. These scenarios are then explored by a multidisciplinary group of experts in the context of workshops. The results from these sessions are screened and reviewed in order to retain concepts that are associated with pleasure only.