Designing intangible product attributes

Dr Satoru Goto, Toyo Gakuen University

In recent years, providing services has become indispensable for manufactures to gain a competitive advantage. The integration of services and products is promoted by intangible attributes that communicate functional, aesthetic and symbolic characteristics of the products. However, traditional R&D has been rather keen to improve performance of products, and the scope on how and why users use them has been missing. Designers perspective that seeks for in-depth understanding and visualisation of the context of consumption may bring a new space to reconsider the R&D. We look forward to receiving ambitious papers that seek to explore the realm with diverse perspectives.