Gender differences in product form perception

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Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Industrial Design, Turkey

Approval Date: 2006

Thesis Language: English

Student: NERMİN YAVAŞ

Supervisor: Hakan Gürsu

Abstract:

Product form is the principal factor that affects the consumer response. It influences the consumer preferences in many ways and affects the success of the product in the market. The response is moderated by several influences including individual tastes and preferences, personal characteristics, cultural and social context and other situational factors. The purpose of this study is to find whether gender as a personal characteristics, has an influential effect on the perception of the product form. A survey was conducted with a sample set of mobile phones. To quantify the participants̕ perceptions, semantic differential method was used in which participants were asked to rate characteristics over a set of opposite adjective pairs. It is found out that, with respect to particular adjectives, responses to product form might be significantly different for males and females.