Abstract
Why do people want what they want? This question has fascinated researchers in design field, and continues to motivate them today. Preference has been addressed as an important theme in design whereas Preference Mechanism has not been well explained. This study shows the relationship between Preference Mechanism and product evaluation values using automotive images. This study investigates if reconciled-preference shows the same results in various Reality Sets (one product image, separated product image). Reconciled-preference images are prepared through item screening reflecting Subjective Preference (like-dislike). In this experiment, two types of stimuli are used as Reality Sets: (1) car-front images as Uninominal Reality Sets (2) car-front-side images as Binominal Reality Sets. Twenty university students participated in the experiment. The results show that while Uninominal Reality Sets shows a statistical significant difference not only between Subjective Preference and aesthetic, but also between Subjective Preference and pleasure; Binominal Reality Sets shows a statistical significant difference between Subjective Preference and preference. It is worth noticing that Reality Sets affect product evaluation. It gives a perspective to understand what makes people modify their preferences in product evaluation.
