Title: Product interaction sounds influence product personality

Authors: Cristiano Porto Klanovicz; Charles Spence; Leandro Miletto Tonetto

Addresses: UniRitter – Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis, Rua Orfanotrófio, 555, Porto Alegre, 90840-440, Brazil ' Department of Experimental Psychology, Crossmodal Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Oxford, OX2 6BW, UK ' National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), St. de Habitações Individuais Sul Conjunto B – Lago Sul, Brasília, 71605-001, Brazil

Abstract: We report an experiment designed to test the hypothesis that the sonic interaction between the type of sole used in high-heeled shoes (polypropylene vs. leather) and the type of flooring (ceramic vs. carpet) influences the attribution of personality traits to the product sound. Forty-eight women walked down a 'virtual runway' while listening to the modified interaction sounds of shoe heels contacting the floor. After being exposed to each sound, the participants filled in a questionnaire to measure product sound personality traits and the valence associated with each sound. The results revealed that different personality traits were assigned to distinct product sounds with the floor material influencing the attribution of such characteristics. These results promote awareness of the relevance of designing the environments where users interact with products to shape product sound personality.

Keywords: auditory perception; sonic interaction; multisensory perception; user experience; consumer behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2022.127566

Journal of Design Research, 2022 Vol.20 No.2, pp.123 - 141

Accepted: 06 Aug 2021
Published online: 09 Dec 2022 *

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