Emotional Differences in Tactile and Visual Sensation of Wood between Customers in Sweden and Japan for Kansei Engineering Application

抄録

Wood usage and the characteristics of catalog images of wood specimens differ between Sweden and Japan, even though both of them are forest countries. Swedish Kansei, emotional feeling, and Japanese Kansei regarding wood were evaluated using semantic differential methods. Results showed that when assessing wood using tactile sensation, there were tendencies common to both Swedish and Japanese wood specimens. There were differences among wood specimens when assessed visually, and also different tendencies in the assessments of Swedish and Japanese participants resulting from differing opinions of wood grain. Swedish people prefer wood specimens with a grain or knot because these visual elements gave an impression of activity and harmony. Meanwhile, the Japanese prefer a homogeneous appearance. The characteristics of each country’s catalog images of wood specimens are different. For Swedish customers, it can help to choose wood with varying surface appearance; for Japan, it is better to choose wood with tactile sensation.