| 1. |
- Braun, Alina, et al.
(författare)
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Cognitive Quality: An Unexplored Perceived Quality Dimension in the Automotive Industry
- 2020
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 91, s. 869-874
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Well known, perceived quality is a game-changer in consumers’ decision-making processes and is seen as one key predictor of a product’s and company’s success. Today, the automotive industry faces challenges not only to deliver superior manufacturing quality in order to excel in perceived quality, but also to induce a positive sensory and cognitive response from its customers. Previous research aimed to quantify and unpick consumers’ perception of quality in order to meet consumer expectations and requirements. Cognitive processes related to product design have been explored in a variety of disciplines, ranging from the design research, specifically in the field of aesthetics, to sociopsychology. In the engineering and manufacturing research field, however, there is a significant gap regarding ‘intangibles’ related to car design. In this conceptual paper, we extend our previous work by presenting the concept of Cognitive Quality as a new dimension of the Perceived Quality Framework (PQF). The PQF, in its turn, illustrates the sensory, attribute-centric engineering viewpoint on quality perception. Therefore, the new Cognitive Quality dimension significantly contributes to the theoretical foundation of perceived quality in engineering and manufacturing research, specifically in the automotive field.
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| 2. |
- Diels, Cyriel, et al.
(författare)
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Shaping Autonomous Vehicles: Towards a Taxonomy of Design Features Instilling a Sense of Safety
- 2022
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Ingår i: Communications in Computer and Information Science. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 1865-0937 .- 1865-0929. ; 1583 CCIS, s. 172-180
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled service robots. Whilst having the potential to enhance our transport systems and journey experiences, there are concerns that the public may be reluctant to adopt AVs, largely driven by doubts about their safety. In this study, we focussed on the role of the exterior vehicle design to instil a sense of safety on behalf of the passenger and bystander, i.e. pedestrians and cyclists. Senior automotive and transport designers were interviewed to identify key design features which revealed a common understanding of key features but also an apparent dichotomy or incompatibility in terms of design directions when considering passengers versus bystanders. Furthermore, designers’ understanding was largely based on their experience of conventional vehicles leading to uncertainty as to the validity in the context of future AVs. The results provide an initial set of design features that will be tested and evaluated with prospective AV users to explore the potential knowledge gap between designers’ intentions and customers’ expectation. This will provide design practitioners tangible, relatable anchors to direct activities towards critical design features whilst enabling design management to introduce more objectivity in their decision making.
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| 3. |
- Diels, Cyriel, et al.
(författare)
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Towards a Data-Informed-Design (D-I-D) Framework for Autonomous Vehicle Design
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement. - 2706-6150. ; , s. 170-179
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autonomous Vehicles (AV) have the potential to positively contribute towards a safer, greener, and more sustainable mobility. Yet, amongst the public, there is a general sense of distrust and apprehension with regards to autonomous technology that compromises AV acceptance and uptake. This paper introduces first steps towards the development of a DataInformed-Design (D-I-D) framework for AV design with the aim of providing design practitioners with tangible, relatable anchors to direct activities towards critical AV design features that help ensure prospective passengers’ needs and motivations, such as the need for safety and security, are met. A series of interviews were conducted with senior designers to identify key design features. The interviews revealed themes rather than individual design features, such as the need for ‘comfort’, which hint at the complex interactions between people’s needs and motivations and how design can and should respond to this complexity. The results are discussed in the context of the further development of the D-I-D framework and future research.
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| 4. |
- Hattinger, Monika, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Transforming Quality 4.0 towards Resilient Operator 5.0 needs
- 2023
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - 2212-8271. ; 120, s. 1600-1605
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Quality is one of the most important contributors to products' success in the market and essential input for design and manufacturing. Historically, quality definitions evolved over time but with significant domain-specific differences. One example of these emerging differences is the human-centric, subjective approach to quality. Current Quality 4.0 models, in most cases, are derivatives from the Total Quality Management (TQM) way, solely based on hopes for Data-Driven approaches to solving problems, with the lack of a human-centric operator approach. Industry 4.0 and its associated digital technologies promise to change this notion and make formerly subjective quality dimensions measurable on a scale as input for design and manufacturing. This leads to an opportunity to bridge the current gap and streamline the Quality and Operator in a holistic, data-informed, and digital technology-enabled way. This paper introduces a Quality 4.0 transformation as a vision for the future of Human - Machine symbiosis in the context of Operator 5.0 for intelligent manufacturing systems. We discuss what needs to be added to Quality 4.0 to achieve the requirements set for Operator 5.0 This work suggests how to enrich smart manufacturing systems from a human-centric perspective with Operator 5.0 making own, informed decisions based on data, experience, and tacit knowledge.
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| 5. |
- Quattelbaum, Bastian, et al.
(författare)
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Preliminary study on perceived comfort of car seats: A quantitative approach to visual cues
- 2021
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 104, s. 116-121
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The automotive industry is transitioning towards a more digital future - not just the digitalization of the product itself but also the process of customer interaction, such as during the product selection process. In the product selection process, companies are enabled to collect and analyze large amounts of customer and usage data but are also challenged to understand the gathered digital data. In designing physical components, analyzing, and understanding such data can provide a competitive advantage. In gaining deeper insight into the digital selection process of cars and for understanding customers preferences related to perceived comfort of car seats, we applied a visual appearance study by presenting digital information of physical components.
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| 6. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Addressing information asymmetry during design: Customer-centric approach to harmonization of car body split-lines
- 2021
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 104, s. 110-115
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the automotive manufacturers' strategic development plans. The development of models for objective assessment of perceived quality is a very important task, addressing information asymmetry between designers and customers. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes associated with the car body split lines. We applied best-worst scaling methodology (BWS) to understand the importance of different shape design forms from a customer perspective. This approach was tested on 125 respondents. Our results indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding complex product development solutions and their evaluation.
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| 7. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Data-informed design in the automotive industry: customer acceptance study in Sweden and China on radical car design
- 2024
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Design Society. - 2732-527X. ; 4, s. 805-814
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study explores the alignment between automotive design innovation and consumer acceptance, particularly in the context of two significant trends: electrification and digitalization. We probed the acceptance of replacing rear window with wide-angle camera We surveyed 1,546 potential customers from China and Sweden to assess their openness to such a radical design. Findings suggest a consensus on its futuristic appeal but diverge in adoption willingness. The study offers insights to bridge the design preference gap, positioning customer acceptance as key for car design strategy.
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| 8. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Design of the top tether component for the premium car market segment: Case study of Volvo Cars
- 2020
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 91, s. 146-151
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The positive correlation between successful car design and high perceived quality is indisputable. In the highly competitive premium car market segment, the implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the strategic development plans of car manufacturers. However, to correctly define the perceived quality requirements and address market opportunities, the car manufacturers need to capture diverse customer demands. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes that are associated with the perceived quality of the premium car market segment. During the study, we evaluated the next generation top tether design concepts for Volvo Cars sedan models S60 and S90. The top tether is the part of an ISOFIX system used to connect a forward-facing child seat in a car and is a critical safety component significantly reducing potential injuries. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of different perceived quality attributes from a customer perspective. In other words, we investigated the meaning of “premiumness” for the customers, applied to the specific car component. This approach was tested on 200 respondents representing the customer target group and was performed in collaboration with Volvo Cars technical experts. Our results verify the rationality of the applied method and indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding the evaluation of perceived quality.
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| 9. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived Comfort of Car Seats: A Research Methodology to Visual Cues Evaluation
- 2023
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Ingår i: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies. - 2190-3026 .- 2190-3018. ; 3, s. 243-256
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The automotive industry is transitioning toward a more digital future. Not just in the form of digitalization of the product itself but also in the process of customer interaction, e.g., during product selection. These trends facilitate advanced manufacturing processes as well as new product designs. The interaction with design also includes an online buying experience, where customers explore and purchase a car with a digital reference to a physical vehicle. Research on customers’ perception of car seat comfort is limited. To better understand customer preferences related to the perceived comfort of car seats, we applied a visual appearance study by presenting exclusively digital information for physical components. In this study, we reflect on the visual appearance of the driver seats for entry segment car market vehicles, such as Opel Corsa, Renault Clio, Toyota Aygo, Fiat 500, and Ford Fiesta. We used the Geely Haoyue driver seat as a control point because of its premium quality and execution. To fulfill the study’s objectives, we implemented a quantitative survey with 164 respondents from Germany and Sweden. According to our hypothesis, respondents should be able to understand car seat features related to comfort just by looking at them.
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| 10. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking Methodology in the Automotive Industry: A Case Study on Geometry Appearance Attributes at CEVT
- 2022
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 107, s. 1559-1564
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Implementation of methods for perceived quality evaluation is an integral part of the automotive manufacturers' strategic development plans. The correct definition of perceived quality requirements is one of the significant factors influencing customer's purchase intention. This study seeks to understand how customers perceive and prioritize attributes that are associated with the geometrical and materials quality of a premium car market segment. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of different perceived quality attributes form a customer perspective. Such an understanding can contribute to the effectiveness of the design processes in the early product development phases. This approach is tested on 144 respondents representing customer's target group and performed in collaboration with China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) technical experts. Our results verify the rationality and feasibility of the applied method and indicate the improvement of engineering practices regarding complex product development.
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| 11. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived Quality Evaluation with the Use of Extended Reality
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 2220-4334 .- 2220-4342. ; 1:1, s. 1993-2002
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- If designers want to communicate quality aspects of the product, there is a need to bring these characteristics into the measurable space of perceived quality (PQ) attributes. To illustrate the solution for designers' dilemma of the “best design choice” in this study we applied the PQ attributes importance ranking (PQAIR) method, with the example of a bread toaster. We choose for evaluation three PQ attributes which can significantly influence visual quality of a product: Gap, Flush and Parallelism. We performed the experiment measuring subjective preferences over the toaster designs of two respondent's groups - “Designers” and “Customers.” We used sequentially: (i) web-survey (still images); (ii) desktop system; and (iii) fully immersive head-mounted display system (Virtual Reality). Consequently, we conducted a post-experiment survey regarding subjective preferences, related to the PQ communication channels that have been implemented during the study. Our results indicate advantages and drawbacks for each PQ communication method that we applied in this experiment and encourage further research in the area of products' perceived quality assessment.
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| 12. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived quality framework in product generation engineering: an automotive industry example
- 2019
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Ingår i: Design Science. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 2053-4701 .- 2053-4701. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perceived quality refers to customers’ cognitive and emotional responses to a particular design, often also associated with craftsmanship and customer satisfaction. Previous research defined a taxonomy of perceived quality and provided understanding about how engineering design decisions impact customer satisfaction. Furthermore, development of new products is frequently based on carrying over attributes of existing products, either from the same producer or from competitors. Previous research offered a new product development methodology combining variations of subsystems to carry over from existing products. This brief presents how these two lines of research combined to design the central console of the Porsche Panamera automobile and discusses the opportunities and challenges posed in the practical implementation of this research.
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| 13. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978
(författare)
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Perceived Quality of Cars. A Novel Framework and Evaluation Methodology.
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The supremacy of the automotive manufacturers today is no longer driven by them achieving a superior manufacturing quality but increasingly depends on the customer’s quality perception. Average car consumers see a car’s quality as a fancy mixture of design, aesthetics, their own previous experiences and performance characteristics of the vehicle, unlike a combination of mechanical parts, software pieces, advanced materials, cutting-edge manufacturing processes, with technical knowledge, skills and high production volumes – all ingredients involved in the modern car creation. Perceived quality is one of the most critical aspects for product development that defines successful car design. Speaking of perceived quality, we are dealing with a complex, multifaceted adaptive system; a system where a human is the main agent. “Which product characteristics require the most attention for successful car design?” This is the question engineers and designers need to answer under the pressure of shrinking product development time, available technologies, and financial limitations, not to mention that the answer is expected to be given in numbers to sustain the fierce competition in today’s automotive industry. For this reason, the perceived quality must be understood and controlled during all stages of product development. The research presented in this thesis justifies the engineering viewpoint on perceived quality as an inevitable part of new product development. The core of this research is the Perceived Quality Framework (PQF), a taxonomy structure of perceived quality attributes and the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) method, a novel method for perceived quality evaluation that can be applied to a variety of products, including cars. The PQF communicates the attribute-centric engineering viewpoint on quality perception, developed through cumulative studies in the premium and luxury market segment of the automotive industry. The PQAIR method equips engineers with practical tools for perceived quality evaluation. The proposed method helps to reach the equilibrium of the product’s quality equation from the perspective of design effort, time, and costs estimations. Altogether this introduces a new paradigm of perceived quality as the inevitable element integrated into the process of engineering endeavor regarding product attributes that communicates quality to the customer.
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| 14. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived quality of products: a framework and attributes ranking method
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Engineering Design. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-1837 .- 0954-4828. ; 31:1, s. 37-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perceived quality is one of the most critical aspects of product development that defines the successful design. This paper presents a new approach to perceived quality assessment by examining its elements, decomposed into a structure with the bottom-up sensory approach from the level of basic (‘ground’) attributes, covering almost every aspect of quality perception from the engineering viewpoint. The paper proposes a novel method for perceived quality attributes relative importance ranking, resulting in the balanced perceived quality of the final product within the given conditions. The proposed method helps to reach the equilibrium of the product’s quality equation from the perspective of design effort, time, and costs estimations. The authors introduce the Perceived Quality Framework (PQF), which is the taxonomy system for perceived quality attributes and the core of the attributes importance ranking (PQAIR) method. The research outcomes are based on findings of the qualitative exploratory study, including European and North American premium and luxury automotive manufacturers. An empirical structural validity test was performed to assess the usability and rigour of the proposed method. The results indicate that perceived quality evaluation can be significantly improved during all stages of product development.
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| 15. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Transforming brand core values into perceived quality: A Volvo case study
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Product Development. - 1477-9056 .- 1741-8178. ; 24:1, s. 43-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Core values are an important part of Volvo Car Group’s and Volvo Trucks’ strategic development plans. These two companies share the same core values, quality, safety, and environmental care, but they approach these values in different ways. This study seeks to understand how industry professionals and customers perceive these core values and the attributes that are associated with them, using semi-structured interviews with industry professionals from both companies and quantitative survey methods with customers. The purposes of this study are to investigate how designers convey core values to customers through product attributes and how customers perceive those core values through the same attributes. Such an understanding reveals the commonalities and discrepancies between the perspectives of producers and customers, and can contribute to more effective design processes that communicate company values in the early product development phases.
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| 16. |
- Stylidis, Kostas, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding light. A study on the perceived quality of car exterior lighting and interior illumination
- 2020
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Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 93, s. 1340-1345
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Illumination, or lighting, is one of the complex product attributes that significantly influences the perception of any motor vehicle. Car manufacturers are aiming to create a meaningful experience induced by the vehicle’s lighting. This study seeks a deeper understanding of customer preferences regarding the perceived quality of illumination. We applied the Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) methodology to understand the importance of perceived quality attributes related to the lighting perception. The approach was tested on 79 respondents and was performed in collaboration with China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT). Our results contribute to the effectiveness of the design processes in the early product development phases.
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