A Systematic Method for Selecting Critical Product Form Features Regarding Consumers' Image Perceptions

This study proposes a product form feature (PFF) selection method based on a numerical definition-based approach (NDA) and the consumers' image perceptions (CIPs). In the proposed approach, NDA is used to generate an explicit numerical definition of the product form design and the corresponding CIPs are determined by means of a semantic differential experiment. A CIP prediction model is constructed using support vector regression (SVR) techniques. Finally, the feature selection method, namely SVR with support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), is used to identify the critical form features. The validity of the feature selection method is demonstrated using a knife design for illustration purposes. The result shows that the proposed method provides product designers with a powerful tool for systematically selecting the critical form features and evaluating their respective effects on the consumers' image perceptions.