We propose a methodology that can be usefully employed to generate creative new products satisfying the objective needs of customers by systematizing the product planning process and combining marketing and originally developed methods with QC methods. In particular, the “impact”found commonly in hit products is an important f eature. From this viewpoint, we introduced QC methods formulated to realize the ideal product planning system instead of the traditional QC approach. Furthermore, we have revised “Seven Tools for New product Planning”consisting of an interview survey, questionnaire survey, positioning analysis, conceptualization (idea generation), evaluation and selection analysis, conjoint analysis and quality tables. This article argues the verification of “Seven T ools for New product Planning”.

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To evaluate human meal Kansei methods of paired comparisons are considered to be used. This paper concerns a method to classify menus on home dining tables by using the method of paired comparisons. There are many methods of paired comparisons proposing and among those methods the method proposed by Thurstone is used for this study because the burden of the subjects in the experiment to obtain the data on humanKansei is comparatively light. In Case V of Thurstone's method of paired comparisons a model is assumed that human sensations are normally distributed with equal standard deviations, and the scales are obtained so that the units of them are the standard deviations of the standard normal distribution hence the scales are useful to compare Kansei among many stimuli. It is however necessary for the use of Case V to test goodness of fit to the model Thurstone has assumed. An experiment by paired comparisons to obtained data on human meal Kansei was conducted using 200 menus on home dining tables and goodness of fit to the model was tested. For the results it was concluded that meal Kansei for 151 menus among 200 menus does not fit the model assumed in Case V of Thurstone's method. It is therefore decided that the scales obtained for human meal Kansei are not effective hence a method is considered to classify menus on home dining tables into several groups according to human meal Kansei based upon the scales obtained by the method of paired comparisons. Here it is described how to classify menus on home dining tables according to human meal Kansei and some of the results of classification are shown.

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In order to plan for a new men's lotion product, this study used “Seven Tools for New Product Planning”to clarify thedirection for planning a new men's lotion and optimize the concept. The Evaluation Grid Method was used to investigate hypotheses for a lotion for men. To verify the validity of those hypoth eses obtained from an Interview Survey, a Questionnaire Survey was conducted. More over, in order to appraise the situation of the men's lotion market, Positioning Analysis was conducted by using the data obtained from the Questionnaire Survey, and the planning direction for a new lotion for men was clarified. In accordance with this planning direction, 146 original ideas were generated, then in order to select the more promising ones, the Idea Screening Method was used. Finally, the product concept was optimized using Conjoint Analysis

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A psychoacoustical experiment was conducted to examine the basic characteristics of auditory presence as the first step to obtain a full understanding of the multi-modal sensation of presence. Twenty-three sounds were binaurally recorded using a dummy head and reproduced to four subjects by headphones. The experiment was carried out using Scheffé's paired comparison method modified by Ura using a scale of five categories. Analysis of variance revealed that the auditory presence as the main effect was highly significant. As a result of scaling, the sounds of moving sound sources were evaluated as having a higher presence than the sounds of stationary sound sources. As for the latter, sounds with larger sound images were rated as having a relatively higher presence. The effects other than the main effect and the interactions between them, however, were also significant. In the interactions, the individual differences for the main effect tended to be explained as the difference in weights of the subjects on the psychological factors involved in the auditory presence.

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Comfortable human interfaces are required for advanced systems. This paper aims at developing a Kansei product design system to support designing keyboard switches based on Kansei. We investigate how each reaction force of switches effects the touch feeling of switches via Kansei evaluation experiments. Each feeling described by each evaluation word is directly evaluated by reaction force or vice versa on dual scales. The dual scale for reaction forces and degree of feeling can be directly used for designing comfortable switch. Finally, we trained artificial netural network using Kansei data obtained by Kansei evaluation experiments. When we input Kansei data expressed dual scale value, the neural network can output reaction forces to give feeling the inputted Kansei.

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The Scheffé method (including the modified methods) is a method peculiar to the sensory evaluation method and typical statistical sensory evaluation method. The experiment and method of analysis of the cyclic paired comparisons those improve on the Scheffé method for paired comparisons in cases where the experiment and data are the minimum requirement. The proposed method by cyclic paired comparisons requires the same times of paired comparisons as the number of samples and is able to order all the samples and calculate the analysis of variance. When the cyclic paired comparisons are applied, the complete paired comparisons can be divided into the same times as the number of samples. Moreover, the number of panelists and psychological and physical stress of panelists are less then those of the Scheffé method (including the modified methods).

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This paper provides a fresh look at the central data collection technique in Kansei engineering, the questionnaire or survey. The focus is the construction of the survey interface. We detail the construction of an original method of evaluation for computer-based surveys that is less fatiguing, has fewer acclimation problems, and requires less time than other methods, such as paired comparison. This method, Small Multiple Ordered Evaluation (SMOE) has been used in several Kansei-related projects. We compare SMOE with a common relative, paired comparison, from the viewpoint of human-computer interface evaluation models. Time trials and subject interviews show that SMOE, which is more complex by these methods of measurement, is quicker and less fatiguing than paired comparison. This analysis leads to further discussion of the survey interface in general, including interactive color balance experiments and common Kansei methods such as semantic differential. The main object of the paper is to discuss human-computer interaction concepts as they relate to questionnaires the field of Kansei, which depends so heavily on these types of surveys.

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