Kansei Engineering methods are difficult to implement into the design process due to a lack of specialized tools in the public domain. Surveys are costly to conduct, and the use and analysis of data through simplified models may not explore the deeper meaning of how Kansei relates to complex artifacts. EvokeDB, a Kansei database system for automated surveys, was created to address these issues. It implements a new model of Kansei, where realms and senses are considered important entities, into a flexible and usable web-application based on the Ruby on Rails framework. A database structure is presented, along with a description of how tables are mapped to programming objects in order to create a rich set of relationships that can be used to explore Kansei. The systems' opensource components, and the data flow between them, are explained A simulated project exemplifies the steps needed to set-up and launch an un-supervised, on-line survey to multiple, remote users.

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The aim of this research is to determine a design methodology for operational improvement of a restaurant by identifying the specific factors of concern to consumers that influence customer satisfaction (“Kansei factors”), quantify the level of influence of these factors and use these to construct a suitable logical model using the “QSCmix”concept, and also to verify the effectiveness of this logical model. Specifically, the logical model is constructed from a multi-variable analysis model as used in psychology and other fields. The effectiveness of the model was verified by using secondary data to identify the three elements of QSC and verify their formulation as a quantitative model, and by verifying the operational effectiveness at an actual restaurant in Japan over a fourteen month period. The results of the analysis showed that, by identifying and categorizing the factors of concern to consumers that influence customer satisfaction (satisfaction influence factor group, referred to as “Bf factors”), the factors were able to be systematized and divided into five categories by characterizing the attractiveness factors that are also “QSCmix”factors. Also, the composite equation for establishing the groupings and level of influence for the combinations of “Bf factors”for each of these influential categories (referred to as “Bfp factors”) was calculated using a satisfaction evaluation formula based on the each of the grouping “Bfp factors”for each examinee, and this established three groups of identification categories together with their levels of influence. The order of new categories that influence satisfaction (desirable “Bf factor”combinations) was determined to be, 1 st: guest service, 2nd: portion volume, 3rd: cleanliness, 4th: price affordability, 5th: taste, 6th: food presentation, 7th: ambience, 8th: membership privileges, and 9th: menu variety. A successful result in the form of an improving trend for patrons to make repeat visits and increasing monthly turnover was achieved in the restaurant for verification used to trial the “QSCmix”concept design process based on the satisfaction structure obtained from the “QSCmix”concept design identified by this research. These results demonstrate that the proposed logical model is effective as a quantitative model for the analysis of satisfaction factors and that it can be applied to “QSCmix”concept design.

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From the foodservice point of view, each consumer's Kansei as influenced by the senses, dining experiences, personality, preference, feeling and so on, will be bonded into real eating at various types of restaurants. In this paper, we regard the real eating as foodservice demand, and study it through quantitative methods in a variety of commercial environments. In our approach, we extend the framework for foodservice demand analysis, extracted as a rule of thumb by an experienced US consulting firm, leading to the required purchasing/eating number of food (meals), based on required seat number, type of restaurant and eating occasion/time. Based on the logical modeling for foodservice demand structure, our proposed methodology is characterized by taking into account 2 major types of commercial environments, namely “Demand Source”and “Patron Pool, ”and to apply quantitatively 3 major factors, namely “Ratio of effective foodservice demand”, “Ratio of distribution by eating occasion”and “Ratio of distribution by business type”. This is done to estimate the feasible scale of business, as calculated in required seat number for each of three proposed major categories of restaurant business types. In order to evaluate the validity of our proposed logical modeling, we have applied it to real data collected from a comparative study on an existing local Shopping Center, as gathered from actual POS data.

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This report describes the construction and proposal of a support system for developing food products, particularly pickles that uses a database to provide quantitative and quick assessments of a new product. The system is intended to replace the conventional development approach, which relies on the developer's experience and intuition. Data about high-selling and popular pickle products are input into this system, which then provides predictions of the sales. It can contribute to the creation of products that will satisfy consumers' changing tastes.

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The purpose of this study is to produce an effective sample model for evaluation in the selection process of cosmetics puffs. Hardness and cell size were adopted as physical-properties data which replaces sensuous data. We made the evaluationmodel using real samples in a matrix using two properties on vertical and horizontal axis. In order to examine the interval of the physical-properties value of the puff used for each sample, sensory evaluation of the differential limen to the hardness of puff was carried out. In order to set up the median of a model sample, actual cosmetics products in the market were investigated and average value was deduced. Effect evaluation was performed for the usefulness of the model sample by two methods. One method is from the viewpoint of usagein business practice. Another method is from a viewpoint of discernment for evaluating feeling. From a viewpoint of discernment, it was tested to find whether it was possible to determine sensory evaluation of human touch numerically when the sample model was used. From a viewpoint in the use on business, the subject was examined to determine whether they can choose a suitable puff by using the conventional selection method or by simply choosing using a model sample. In this study, the differential limen of the hardness of a puff was found. In the judgment of roughness by visual inspection, it was found that a person could determine a more exact numeric value when the subject used the model sample. The sample model was also useful in the selection process of the puff in practical business.

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This paper aims at clarifying icon-specific universal functions that are different from those of general map symbols by focusing on the subjective environmental expression of an act of environmental mapmaking. It is the question about the relationship between symbol's universality and individual places and tries to draw a focus on the value of symbols in environmental diversity.
The paper first sheds light on the origin of ‘Global Icons’ established by ‘Green Map’ as a method of analysis. Secondly, how those icons have been applied and expressed in specific areas is analyzed with the use of Green Maps throughout the world. Further, the method of icon application derived from this is verified through a case study of Green Mapmaking by elementary-school pupils in Hiroshima city.
In general, printed environmental maps are more explicit and exposed to the general public than a map posted on a website. Therefore it is believed that the content requires more objectivity. However, the global icons of the Green Map System are not necessarily quantitative.Quite a few icons are related to the character of places other than institutions. Some of such particular kinds of icons are being used rather frequently, which leads to interregional differences in icon application. This flexibility in the use of icons is connected to the natural environment of each region and the identity of its historical environment. Therefore, it can be considered that the versatility of icons depends not on the objectivity of the content but on the possibility of a different interpretation. Or more specifically, as is clear in children's icon application, it can be said that the latitude that allows the creation of a physical sense of appropriateness for the place is a prerequisite for a versatile use in icon application. After all, a sense of fitness which means our attachment towards certain places (KANSEI with historical body) is expressed through icons.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between an attractive smile and eye shape. Seven images of attractive eyes and seven images of unattractive eyes were selected from 120 smile eye images as experimental samples. Panel traced outlines of eyes in images, and the number of characteristics in the optic fissure surrounded were calculated. The characteristics associated with attractive eyes and unattractive eyes in smiles were then compared. As a result, significant differences (p<0.01) were confirmed in the area, circle degree, vertically length, maximum segment vertically intersected with the maximum length, surrounding length and needle shape degree. Common characteristics of optic fissure that were considered to be attractive were smaller area, smaller circle degree, shorter vertical length, shorter surrounding length, and larger needle shape degree. We discovered that eyes with a narrow optic fissure were considered to be the most attractive.

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The effect of bathing on recovery of muscle fatigue in the trapezius was examined in 6 healthy male adults. The subjects performed four sets of 25-min typewriting tasks and then rested on a chair for one hour. The development and recovery of muscle fatigue in the upper trapezius was periodically monitored with an electromyogram (EMG) in parallel with subjective muscle fatigue, surface and core temperatures, and near-infrared spectroscopy tests. The surface EMG was recorded during a 15-sec contraction at 30% maximum voluntary contraction to evaluate the muscle fatigue. During typewriting, muscle fiber conduction velocity and median frequency significantly decreased in parallel with an increase in subjective muscle fatigue (P<0.0001, P<0.0001). Bathing did not affect the recovery of physiological muscle fatigue, while the recovery of subjective muscle fatigue was accelerated markedly by 10-min hot water bathing. These findings suggest that utilizing hot water bathing could primarily contribute to the recovery of subjective muscle fatigue. The recovery of physiological muscle fatigue needs more time than the recovery of subjective fatigue feeling.

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The Kansei-based image retrieval (KBIR) aims to index images based on user's emotion and sensation. In this paper, we construct a KBIR system using scenery images as retrieval objects, which consists of three parts: visual features extraction, Kansei perception inference, and retrieval adjustment by relevance feedback. In the first part, low-level visual features such as color, texture, and shape features are extracted from perceptual viewpoints for all images. In addition, 5 pairs of Kansei keywords are selected to represent human Kansei perceptions from 5 different angles. In the second part, the multidimensional scaling technique is applied to discover the general relationship between image visual features and human Kansei perceptions, based on which we build a Bayesian decision model to characterize each image with 5 Kansei scores. The deduced Kansei evaluation represents the general impression or feeling engendered by an image and is used for the initial retrieval. In order to refine the retrieval results to make them agree with user's personal preference furthermore, we introduce the relevance feedback mechanism in our KBIR system and complete it with another Bayesian decision model. A prototype image retrieval system has been developed, the experimental results of which showed that the Bayesian decision models are promising for such kind of ambiguous retrieval.

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The emotional responses to colors were examined in two experiments in order to discover the effect of stimulus contexts. In Experiment I, the emotional responses to 36 color stimuli were profiled in terms of valence (Cronbach's a=0.793), arousal (a=0.880), and dominance (a=0.904) dimensions of emotion using the Self-Assessment-Manikin (SAM) scale (N=46). From the 36 color stimuli, 17 were selected in Experiment II, where subjects were shown not only 17 colors, but also other types of visual stimuli, such as eight pictures, nine film-clips, and nine adjectives (N=45). Between the two experiments, a Preliminary Test was conveyed in order to collect film-clips. Based on the SAM ratings, the emotional profiles of visual stimuli were characterized by dimensions of emotion, and the context effect was investigated by comparison to prior results: SAM ratings of the 17 identical colors from both experiments were compared. Judgmental shifts of the 17 colors were found out to be less arousing as color stimuli were shown in a stimulus context of Experiment II than in that of Experiment I (p<05, two-tailed).

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This paper has studied and observed the consumer behavior by collecting all kinds of actions of consumers and applying the ubiquitous environment which are RFID and camera sensors to gathering log data. The consumer's behavior was automatically saved as a log file and analyzed by using artificial neural network. From neural network model allows us to categorize theconsumers into 3 groups which are: A) the consumers who were certain in buying a product, B) the consumers who intended to buy a product but could not decide what to buy, and C) the consumers who did not intend to buy but stop by to view the product.

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The impressions of odors is known as a source of explicit subjective and have individual differences. In this study, the impressions of odors were investigated by a covariance structure analysis. Forty-six subjects (men in their twenties) recorded their reactions to ten odorants by grading them on a seven-point scale in terms of twelve adjective pairs. Their reactions were visually evaluated by using a factor analysis and a covariance structure analysis. The factors were extracted as “preference”, “arousal”and “persistency”. We classified the subjects into three groups according to the similarity in the preference pattern for odors, because the preference patterns of the subjects for odors significantly vary between individuals. Each group had different a causal relationship and a different impression structure for the odors. It was suggested that the subjective impression of odor could be evaluated using the covariance structure analysis.

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