A Kansei Evaluation Method for Surface Texture Considering with Prior Visual Expectation

A surface texture is an important factor that affects a product kansei quality. People perceive a quality of surface texture using different sensory modalities, e.g. vision and touch, and switches them through an interaction with a product, e.g., we see and then touch a product surface. Between such sensory modality transitions, we often expect subsequent modal perceptions using a prior modality, e.g. predicting tactile quality of a product from its appearance before touching. The authors assume that a disconfirmation between expectation using a modality and an experience using another modality affects a kansei quality as well as perceived experience through each modality. In this paper, we propose an evaluation method for a quality of surface texture with attention paid to the effects of a disconfirmation between prior visual expectation and posterior tactual experience. In the method, to find out the texture attributes contributing to such effect, we conducted a sensory evaluation experiment with combinations of visual and tactile texture samples that are synthesized using a half-mirror. We demonstrate the appropriateness of the method with analysis results using fourteen plastic texture samples having different textures, which are commonly used in a product design.