The effect of the provision of “Neither-Good-Nor-Bad” (NGNB) information on the trustworthiness of agents has been reported. However, in this previous study, the size of the profits generated by the NGNB information was fixed at 50% of the maximum profit, even though this ratio can vary in practical situations. Furthermore, in this experiment, all the consequences were disclosed to the users, including those that they had not chosen. In practical situations, we are often unaware of consequences that we have not chosen. In this study, we focus on these two factors and investigate the effects of them on the trustworthiness of the agents. Experimental results reveal that the agent that reliably provides the NGNB information tends to gain a greater degree of users’ trust in a situation where it is harder to obtain large profits, and when consequences that they had not chosen were not disclosed to them.

This study examined the desk heights of flat/sloped writing desks with the hypothesis that tilted boards can adjust to height differences. We conducted two experiments: a pilot experiment investigating the effect of a tilted board on subjective usability and other measured responses, and another experiment analyzing the combination of a tilted angle with varying desk heights. As a result, we found that subjective usability of the tilted desk was significantly better than a flat desk. Additionally, it was suggested that a 10° tilted board can accommodate a wider range of Sashaku (height difference between desk and seat) than other conditions. Based on the results, we calculated quadratic curves with the acceptable percentages and Sashaku as the objective and explanatory variables, respectively, for each tilted angle to derive the recommended ranges of Sashaku. Finally, we proposed design values for the flat/sloped writing desk that can consider individual preferences of desk heights.

In this study, we targeted healthy elderly individuals living with family in urban areas in Japan and Taiwan and considered the structure of their attitude towards life by conducting a survey and analysis of “satisfaction with daily life” and three aspects of attitude towards life that could affect satisfaction, namely, “enjoyment in daily life,” “anxiety in daily life,” and “ikigai in daily life.” The results revealed that “enjoyment of daily life” had a large positive effect and “anxiety in daily life” had a negative effect on the prediction of “satisfaction with daily life.” From the results of a factor analysis of what affects the consciousness of these two aspects of daily life, we were able to derive guidelines for considering service design. In addition, the characteristics and issues of each attribute could be clarified from the relationship between the attributes and the extracted clusters.

YouTube video is one of the most popular social media channels used to attract people’s attention as it has its own “communication power” through the broadcasted videos. With the right approach to create an influential video that embeds emotional elements, YouTube video could be used as a medium to disseminate information that could influence people’s emotion. The study as reported in this paper attempted to understand people’s emotional responses towards videos posted on YouTube and how it could influence people’s unity. The study conducted an in-depth interview with 3 experts, to determine valid specimen for the investigation, and then elaborate the cause and effect of each specimen from their expert point of view. A Thematic Analysis (TA) was then performed to identify the concept of emotion and the video design elements that shaped the classification of emotion from the experts’ perspective. The study then performed a focus group study using the valid specimens with 6 viewers using the Evaluation Grid Method of Laddering (EGML) approach to discover the emotional concept and design elements in the videos from the viewers’ perspective. The results obtained from both sessions were synthesised to find agreements and finally conclude a taxonomy of Kansei Words (KWs) related to the concept of unity, and the video design elements that affect the concept. An in-depth interview with the experts has resulted in 17 valid videos reckoned to embed design elements that foster unity. The TA conducted then has identified 61 KWs and a total of 10 Items and 88 Categories of design elements. Meanwhile, EGML analysis has resulted in a total of 64-items of KWs and 14 Items and 76 Categories of design elements. The study then conducted a confirmatory analysis of both dataset and successfully synthesised 36 KWs, as well as 9 Items and 142 Categories of design elements. The final set of KWs and design elements are from the point of agreement/validation from both experts’ and viewers’ perspectives, and thus matches their implicit image of designs and the influential elements contributing to the implicit images. These become a sound clue and could be referred to as a reciprocal understanding of the concept of video design, which could lead to effective strategies to achieve people’s unity.

Kansei Engineering was used to research the relationship between design elements and their emotional impressions in the design of saffron packaging. A preliminary study was conducted to define the target market of saffron; to determine the most important design elements of the existing packaging of saffron on the Greek market; and to better define the product domain for a follow-up study of saffron packaging on the international market. The follow-up study examined products with a glass-jar as primary package shown in the preliminary study to be the consumers’ most preferable. The study determined the most important design elements of saffron products and evaluated them in accordance with the consumers’ emotional preferences. Design recommendations pertaining to such elements as label background color, type of closure, tamper-proof seal, and the presence of an eco label and expanded information about the product were formulated.

This study analyzes subconscious Kansei and desires by determining the behavior and feelings of customers (e.g., sensation, cognition, and emotion) to obtain an appropriate design methodology. This study aims to address gaps between product manufacturers and customers. This allows identification of the priority areas, and design approach to be followed to meet user expectations. A set of qualitative research methods was used to quantify potential sensibilities. In addition to observing human reactions to Kansei information processing, we identify market consumption behaviors to facilitate systematic prediction of potential customer demands. We propose a Kansei marketing model providing insights to release products and to explore product design possibilities. We discuss the use of this model in a real-world setting and the missing parts needed to make it practical. The importance of this study lies in its potential application to sustainable economic activities.

This study explores the differences in visual perception of footwear based on gender by conducting semantic differential evaluations and classification tasks. Cluster and factor analyses were performed to analyze the similarities and factors in footwear styles, respectively. The cluster analysis results indicated that leather shoes and sneakers were the major styles clearly distinguished by the participants. Fancy leather shoes, described as “fancy and exaggerated” by men, and as “elegant and refined” by women, was the consensus style. Women emphasized on fashion and were more likely to perceive footwear integral to their outfit, whereas men valued the functionality of footwear and treated it as a tool. The factor analysis on footwear styles extracted four male factors: evaluation, attention, feature, and protection; and four female factors for: evaluation, charm, volume, and coverage. Women were more sensitive to the volume and weight of footwear, and were also more likely to sense its coverage.

An individual’s acceptance of novelty depends on their emotions. We previously developed mathematical models of emotional dimensions associated with novelty, such as arousal (i.e., surprise) and valence (i.e., positivity and negativity). The models based on Bayesian theorem have three parameters: prediction error, uncertainty and external noise. Based on Berlyne’s arousal potential, we formulated valence as an inverse U shape function of arousal. We assume that the arousal level where the valence turns from positive to negative shows the range of novelty users would accept. In this study, we derive a corresponding prediction error and term this ‘acceptable novelty’. Our model predicts that the greater the uncertainty, the larger the acceptable novelty. Our experimental results using musical stimuli with novice participants supports the model prediction under assumption that uncertainty is greater than noise. By contrast, experts’ result is explained by the model prediction when uncertainty is as low as noise.

This current research presents the elements of expressing a sense of being alive of the artifacts based on the results of three experiments. In recent years, robots and AI have become necessary products in the world, and there are the considerations of designing artifacts to express a sense of being alive by making them similar to humans. However, the received data about making the artifacts have a sense of being alive are only related to the abstract concepts, which are difficult to apply. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors of the expression of a sense of being alive of the artifacts by performing comparisons between the expressing of a sense of being alive and the mechanical expression of the artifacts. Then, three experiment phases were conducted, which were a study on artificial expression via flashing lights, sounds, and changing forms. A set of questionnaires were distributed to the participants. The participants’ points of view were examined by employing multivariate analysis methods. The transition of the artificial expression in this research was turned into the figure of waveforms. Finally, four factors were selected as having the highest effect with expressing a sense of being alive from the human judgments, which were 1) the waveform with some fluctuations, 2) smooth waveforms, 3) an unexpected waveform, and 4) the waveform with unstable periods. This study’s results may further be applied to new products to allow them to express a sense of being alive.

The design of human-machine interfaces is crucial to support the transition to autonomous mobility, particularly in the context of shared experiences on public transport. We evaluated contrasting concepts developed in a previous study, a non-biomimetic Virtual Companion and an anthropomorphic Robot Companion representing must-have and ideal-to-have functions, in three future mobility scenarios in a mixed methods study (N = 62) using a slideshow-based narrative stimulus. Subject background data was collected to determine the influence of personality, comfort with technology and other demographics on emotional response and preferences. Results showed that subject background such as extraversion, neuroticism, gender, and comfort with technology significantly influenced user perceptions and emotional responses to the presented Companion concepts. Findings impact the design of interfaces for future mobility and other automated domains. Future work could investigate specific design characteristics to attribute emotions more precisely and determine how the design of human-machine interaction differs from human-human interaction.

Despite the great potential of data platforms to help solve societal issues, the actual usage of data platforms is still limited due to the lack of consideration of socio-technical aspects. To understand requirements from multiple actors on a vitality data platform, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of actors: representatives of organizations involved in vitality (N=8), government officials (N=10), and citizens (N=20). From these interviews, we got an understanding of the multidimensionality of vitality data and got an insight into the different expectations on the vitality data platform among those actors. Citizens strive to gain general information such as advice for healthy living. On the other hand, the two other groups of participants generally expect low-level data. Our findings suggest that data has to be presented in multiple formats and social discussion features are required to connect those different actors on data platforms.