AN EVALUATION OF NEW BAMBOO FURNITURE : Through Examining the Relationship between Design and Value

抄録

This study contributes to design theory and research on evaluation methodology by examining the relationship between design and value. It also explores the critical design elements of new product development. The study comprises two stages: designing and manufacturing a set of prototypes of bamboo furniture, and evaluating them. The evaluation methodology used focus group method and factor analysis to develop the instrument, and a questionnaire survey to measure and evaluate the prototypes. The authors showed their prototypes at exhibitions island-wide in Taiwan and obtained responses from respondents who visited the exhibitions. Discriminant analysis, canonical correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed on the data collected from 278 valid questionnaires. The following results were obtained: 1) there were significant effects of two biographical variables: age, and location of residence, on the respondents' aesthetic perception of the prototypes of bamboo furniture; 2) there was a significant relationship between design and value; and 3) the design elements such as functions, components, style, comfort, modernity, production techniques, and texture, are the critical elements in designing bamboo furniture.