AxisGroup International Inc.

Need and Want

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'Value' and Performance



Users attach a monetary value to their expectations.
Once appearance, size and 'feel' have been established,
the shopper is able to compare the actual cost to a
perception of value.
 
A user might conclude that one chair offers the best 'value'
for the price, but that another has more 'personal value'
because its colour matches an existing sofa. According to
some polls, users are prepared to spend up to 50% more to
meet their individual needs.
 
Value assessments of products are made without reference
to function. Users place a value on a chair without sitting in it.
The 'worth' of a product often exceeds its function as
a place to rest.
 
The final step in selecting a product is the simulation of the
task for which it was designed: sitting in the chair, listening
to stereo speakers, trying on a suit.
 
Performance tests, made in the controlled environment of a
store are usually too cursory to allow any fexperience of the
real features, and may be dependent on factors unrelated to
the performance in the real environment.

 

© 1993- 1995 Alexander Manu ©1995 Danish Design Centre "ToolToys - Tools with an Element of Play "
The author grants permission to make a digital or hard copy of part or all of this work for personal use provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit. The copyright notice and the title of the publication must appear on all printed copies.