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Kansei design

Stephen Lillford is research consultant at Faraday Packaging Partnership's Design Perspectives , translated

packagingnews.co.uk, 03 April 2009

The Kansei

is making news. Nestlé recently announced that uses this technique to develop products and packaging with an emotional approach. What is the Kansei? Is it something new or just a flashy label? Kansei emerged in Japan in the 70's as a new technology that translates the excitement of consumers in products. The benefits of this technique was demonstrated earlier. Was used in the design of the Mazda MX5, which became the best selling car in its class and still remains a strong contender. How does

Kansei? It is not a magic box that provides solutions to any design problem. Nevertheless provides a way to measure how a design will be perceived by end users and why they invest in capital or human resources, or even the waste production in iterative cycles. Kansei measurements link the emotive language of marks and consumer needs. A complete design or its individual parts can be created using traditional methods, but by testing a set of designs with controlled differences between them is possible to identify what impacts the perception of consumers. As a result, the design brief can provide specifications for each Kansei measurement, rather than just guided by gut feelings. What does "luxury" to a chocolate? Nestlé clearly understood that this perception is not only due to the palate. Using Kansei, they designed their packaging using methods similar to those that could be used to the taste of chocolates: with an eye on the measurements.

"Kansei design needs? Well, some believe that Kansei is not suitable for design creativity by restricting structured processes, but may be losing sight of the ideas come from everywhere. Anyway, when Kansei is used in the design process to communicate and adjust ideas, works when other methods of product development is beginning to look more to beauty pageants.

have used in Faraday Kansei for many consumer goods with a high turnover (Fast Moving Consumer Goods FMCG) through the years and continue to develop the "Kansei

way" through association with the trademark owners.