International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105

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International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ergon

Kansei assessment of the constituent elements and the overall

interrelations in car steering wheel design*
Yu-Ming Chang a, Chun-Wei Chen b, *
a
Department of Creative Product Design, Southern Taiwan University, No. 1, Nantai St., Yongkang City, Tainan County 710, Taiwan, ROC
b
Department of Industrial Design, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Dasyue Rd., East District, Tainan City 701, Taiwan, ROC

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In most studies on Kansei, the product form analysis model is based on the external features or elements
Received 16 January 2015 of the product components. However, such an approach cannot completely convert consumer emotional
Received in revised form perceptions into design elements. Therefore, this study combined the ergonomic technology used in
18 July 2016
Kansei engineering with the unique cognitive ability of humans to identify patterns and establish an
Accepted 24 September 2016
emotional perception model that can integrate the overall interrelations of the constituent elements.
Steering wheel design was used as the object of examination. Three types of adjectives were applied to
describe the constituent elements. The first type was esthetic factors and involve external esthetics. The
Keywords:
Constituent factor
second type comprised two pairs of adjectives, sturdy/delicate and lightweight/heavy, called operational
Overall interrelation strength factors because they relate to form and strength. The third type comprised simplistic/changeful
Kansei engineering and artificial/spontaneous, called modernity factors because they pertain to the modern sense of beauty
Design assessment of the parts. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to construct a Kansei engineering model and
Car steering wheel compare the performance of individual elements and the product as a whole. The results show that the
R2 values in the overall model were greater than those in the element-oriented model, indicating that the
integrated model outperformed the element-oriented model in variance explanation. The differences
between the numerical values of the adjective pairs classic/fashionable (esthetic factors), sturdy/delicate
(operational strength factors), and simplistic/changeful and artificial/spontaneous (modernity factors)
were significant, demonstrating that the overall model is useful in predicting how consumers make
assessments according to emotional perceptions. The R2 increase of the modernity factors was the most
obvious, indicating that the overall model assesses modernity more accurately. Comparing results and
verifying test samples demonstrated that the overall model is more useful in predicting consumer ap-
praisals that are based on emotional perception.
Relevance to industry: This study determined that esthetics, operational strength, and modernity are the
three most crucial factors in the emotional perceptions and preferences of consumer regarding steering
wheel design. The results demonstrate that a model that integrates constituent elements can evaluate
consumer behavior and assist product designers in understanding consumers.
© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
1.1. Background and study motivation
The car part that a driver interacts with most directly and
*
This study combined the ergonomic technology used in Kansei engineering
with the unique cognitive ability of humans to identify patterns and establish an
emotional perception model that can integrate the overall interrelations of the
constituent elements. Steering wheel design was used as the object of examination.
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: willis.ccw@gmail.com (C.-W. Chen).
frequently is neither the appearance nor power system of the car,
but rather its interior design, of which the steering wheel is the
most fundamental component. In addition to the shape of the
steering wheel, the gripping experience and the convenience dur-
ing operation are also crucial. In an era of emotional consumption,
the sense of satisfaction with a product that a consumer derives and
that leads to a purchase decision is no longer merely a consider-
ation regarding function or practical use. Sense perception is
applied to comprehensively and perceptually assess before a pur-
chase decision is made (Chang et al., 2005). When a consumer
wants to buy something, he/she will have a kind of feeling and
image (Kansei in Japanese) in his/her mind. If the consumer's

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2016.09.010
0169-8141/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
98 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105
feeling could be implemented in the new product, he/she would be
more satisfied with the product (Nagamachi, 2002). Affective
design has received much attention from both academia and in-
dustries. It aims at incorporating customers' affective needs into
design elements that deliver customers' affective satisfaction. The
main challenge for affective design originates from difficulties in
mapping customers' subjective impressions, namely Kansei, to
perceptual design elements (Jiao et al., 2006). In today's competi-
tive environment, satisfying customer needs has become a great
concern of almost every company (Cross, 2000). While there are
various customer needs, the functional and affective needs have
been recognized to be of primary importance for customer satis-
faction (Khalid, 2001). Following the progress achieved in the auto
industry in recent years, consumer demand for quality in various
aspects of automobiles has increased. The control panel in new cars
often features an LCD screen that can integrate DVDs, stereos, GPS
devices, digital TVs, and smartphones. In some high-end models,
the steering wheel is equipped with a dial control featuring
consolidated functions. Further examples such as LCD screens in
headrests and constant air conditioning control suggest that the
trend of installing entertainment devices in cars is irreversible.
However, car design is complex and changing, involving consider-
ations of interactions among the driver, the vehicle, and the envi-
ronment. Within Taiwan and abroad, the comfortability of seats and
driving is of particular interest. However, one other crucial factor
has often been neglected: the geometric elements of the driver
(human) and the design of the steering wheel (object). The turn and
angle design for the geometric structure of the steering wheel af-
fects driver comfort. Drivers hold the steering wheel until the
journey ends; An understanding of the pressure patterns that are
appropriate for the human body (that is, the patterns that reduce
discomfort or improve what is called comfort) can make product
design and usage very satisfying and fulfilling (Goonetilleke, 2000).
Car owners look beyond functionality to consider emotional design
features, car designers may need to learn how to include emotional
design features as a design procedure (Helander et al., 2013).
Therefore, control devices built into the steering wheel have drawn
the attention of drivers.
Most drivers, particularly those who drive for work, such as taxi
drivers, often experience neck, shoulder, lower back, or waist pain
after driving a long distance or for a long period (Chien, 2006).
Hence, in addition to appropriate operating environments and
comfortable seats, drivers require a well-designed steering wheel.
Worldwide vehicle sales surpassed 80 million in 2013, and the
market continued to grow in 2014, which led to a positive outlook
for profitability in the global automotive industry. The two major
automotive markets of China and the United States are expected to
continue growing. Furthermore, as automobile companies continue
to innovate, they will attract more drivers to purchase their prod-
ucts. Thus, more attention will be paid to how these automobile
companies innovate and make safer vehicles catering to the needs
and interests of drivers. Quantitative data on the relationship be-
tween design elements and user evaluations is useful to product
designers and managers in formulating design strategies (Hsu et al.,
2000). Therefore, this study identified the effects of steering wheel
devices on driver perception to design a comfortable entertainment
system with quality steering wheel interfaces.
1.2. Study objectives
The software and hardware installed in automobiles, such as
GPS and mobile phone hands-free devices, are increasingly diverse,
increasingly complicating driving. In a speech at the World Auto-
motive Technology Conference and the U.S. Automaker Seminar in
1986, former Mazda Motor Cooperation president, Kenichi
Yamamoto, emphasized the “contribution of automobiles to cul-
tural creativity” and explained his theory of car-driving culture. He
proposed applying Kansei engineering in designing automobile
interiors to satisfy the needs and emotional demands of car users
and to increase the comfort of automobiles. Through Kansei engi-
neering, designers can access objective data and more compre-
hensively understand consumer preferences and perception
(Chuang and Chen, 2004). During exploration of product appear-
ance and consumer impressions, Kansei engineering is a crucial
cut-in point. Developing product design and theory according to
consumer feelings and perceptions (psychological impressions) is
now common (Chang et al., 2005). Through engineering ap-
proaches, human emotional perceptions are quantified to establish
a functional relationship between the quantity of the emotional
perception and the physical quantity (form) of the stimulus that
triggers the emotional perception; this relationship is the founda-
tion of design development (Zheng, 1993). In other words, Kansei
engineering is being used to convert customer demands and feel-
ings into product design elements and realize the ideas in the
minds of consumers (Nagamachi, 1995a) (Nagamachi, 1995b) (Jindo
et al., 1994). In most studies on Kansei, the external design and
features of products have formed the core of analysis. Therefore,
Kansei engineering can be defined as a technology that quantifies
and presents the feelings that people have toward objects (prod-
ucts) and that explores design elements that match certain emo-
tions that people have. The word “Kansei” can be interpreted as
people's feelings toward or impressions of an object, representing
their psychological expectations and perceptions. Businesses in
Japan have widely applied Kansei engineering in various fields,
such as in the design of cars, office chairs (Jindo et al., 1995), interior
design of cars (Jindo and Hirasago, 1997), vehicle interior image
(Tanoue et al., 1997), and color planning for product appearance
(Fukushima et al., 1995). However, from the perspective of cognitive
psychology, further analysis suggests that ambiguity, uniqueness
and dominance are three important aspects to consider when
designing and developing icons.(Goonetilleke et al., 2001). Exam-
ining consumer recognition and perception of a product by iden-
tifying only the features of the object cannot explain human
cognitive behavior completely. The overall interrelations between
components are also critical. Thus, this study developed a Kansei
engineering model to analyze and determine the interrelations of
constituent elements. The three main objectives were to (1)
investigate consumer design preferences, (2) identify the types of
emotional perceptions toward product form, and (3) understand
the viability and capacity of the two emotional perception analysis
systems regarding the constituent elements and their overall
interrelations.
2. Methods of study and implementation
In this study, two Kansei engineering systems were developed
to analyze the design of car steering wheels according to the overall
interrelations of constituent elements. The results were interpreted
and predictive capacities were compared. The steps of the devel-
opment are as follows:
2.1. Stimulation test sample selection
In the development of products, methods enabling the designer
to create an appropriate image for a product so that it may
communicate with the user are always critical issues (Chuang and
Ma, 2001). Pictures of steering wheels of different designs were
obtained from books, magazines, and almanacs for use as the
stimulation test samples. Because the chief objective of this study
was to examine the correlations among the constituent elements,
 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105 99

Fig. 1. 114 Test samples initially collected.
Fig. 2. Final representative test samples.
participants, the researcher first removed all brand logos from the
samples and converted the images into 30 cm
30 cm black-and-
white prints. A focus group research method was then used to
select representative samples. The focus team (product design
specialists) comprised six graduate students from the Graduate
Institute of Industrial Design at National Cheng Kung University.
Four students were male, two were female, all were industrial
design majors in undergraduate and graduate programs, and three
had more than two years of practical design experience. To avoid
discrepancy regarding form vs content, the focus team, through
direct visual perception, classified the test samples according to the
visual characteristics of the images. To classify the 114 test samples
by form contrast, the KJ method was adopted. This method is used
for qualitative analysis based on intuition and for innovating
through teamwork. Because this method is used for analyzing how
participants perceive the images, it enables the characteristics of
images to be more clearly understood (Yang, 2003) The team
members classified the samples with similar appearances into
groups and to select 45 representative samples for the emotional
perception survey. The team members discussed and divided the
samples into 12 groups. The representative samples were then
chosen (Fig. 2). Despite the logo removal, interference from pre-
conceptional impressions remained in the overall assessment and
interpretation. Consequently, the representative samples were
traced to produce linear sketches (Fig. 3) that were used as the final
representative test samples.

2.2. Vocabulary selection

Eighty contrasting pairs of adjectives suitable for describing

Fig. 3. Linear sketches of final representative test samples.
structural relations, and quantity of emotional perception toward
the product, color was considered. As shown in Fig. 1, 114 samples
were collected. To prevent brand names from influencing
product impressions were selected from related professional pub-
lications, magazines, and research papers for the emotional
perception vocabulary (Table 1). The focus team discussed the
qualities of the steering wheel samples to be tested, and applied the
Delphi method to the adjective pairs that had received more than
half of the votes. The Delphi method is a structured technique for
decision-making. During the process of collecting messages, this
method is used to obtain relatively objective messages, opinions, or
insights from specialists who make independent, repeated, and
subjective judgements. Eliminated unsuitable pairs of adjectives,
and retained the 20 most appropriate pairs (Table 2). Ten partici-
pants (five men and five women; all graduate students at the
Graduate Institute of Industrial Design at National Cheng Kung

Table 1
Eighty adjectives.

Smooth Sophisticated Natural Conventional Noble Technological Delicate Low-key

Simple Harmonious Heavy Modern Innovative Simplistic Artificial Contemporary
Quiet Ordinary High-class Comfortable Round Neutral Futuristic Novel
Warm Male Fashionable Young Casual Exclusive Professional Pleasurable
Classy Formal Avant-garde Trendy Plain Dynamic Tasteful Luxurious
Sturdy Intricate Magnificent Bright Thin Passionate Dazzling Tough
Sensible Generous Elegant Lightweight Introverted Rich Valuable Loud
Attractive Safe Classic Soft Rational Steady Intimate Friendly
Unique Changeful Expensive Sexy Monotonous Embellished Common Reserved
Geometric Organic Lively Dull Complex Minimal Cold Rugged

Table 2
Twenty contrasting pairs of adjectives.

SophisticatedeSmooth IntrovertedeMagnificent SimplisticeChangeful ArtificialeNatural

ExclusiveeCommon CasualeFormal EmbellishedePlain SteadyeLightweight
ComplexeMinimal SofteTough LivelyeDull ReservedeAvant-garde
ClassiceFashionable IntricateeRugged ColdeWarm ThineHeavy
FuturisticeConventional QuieteLoud High-classeOrdinary GeometriceOrganic
100 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105

Table 3 such as the texture, position, hub, and number of spokes of a

Cluster analysis of the 20 contrasting pairs of adjectives. steering wheel. In emotional perception research and application,
Ward's linkage method Agglomeration schedule product form deconstruction and analysis are often based on such a
Stage Cluster combined Coefficients Stage cluster Next stage
morphological approach. Through a systematic analysis, this
first appears approach analyzes all possible product form. To solve problems in
product design, relevant independent factors (items) are listed
Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 1 Cluster 2
according to the functions or features of the product. Thus, on the
1 15 20 25.000 0 0 10
basis of each independent factor, all possible solutions (category)
2 11 17 50.000 0 0 7
3 12 13 76.000 0 0 9 are listed. This study, however, also considers the overall in-
4 7 19 102.500 0 0 5 terrelations between the components. The focus team discussed
5 7 14 136.000 4 0 7 the two aspects of the constituent elements (the form and style of
6 1 5 174.000 0 0 11 each component) and their overall interrelations (the correspond-
7 7 11 215.400 5 2 14
8 2 3 258.900 0 0 13
ing position, connection, and ratio of the components) and to
9 12 18 304.233 3 0 13 deconstruct the features of the 45 test samples to form a new
10 4 15 349.900 0 1 16 design. After ample discussion and analysis, the focus team iden-
11 1 9 404.567 6 0 14 tified the steering wheel morphological features and constituent
12 10 16 468.567 0 0 15
relations that influenced emotional perception assessment
13 2 12 540.533 8 9 19
14 1 7 613.717 11 7 17 (Table 5).
15 6 10 691.717 0 12 17
16 4 8 778.300 10 0 18
17 1 6 972.232 14 15 18
18 1 4 1188.933 17 16 19
19 1 2 1748.000 18 13 0
2.4. Emotional perception assessment of appearance data

University) applied the 20 pairs of adjectives to the 45 steering
wheel samples, and a preliminary SD test was conducted. Ward's
hierarchical clustering method was used to analyze the results
(Table 3). From the cluster dendrogram (Fig. 4), 10 final represen-
tative pairs of adjectives were chosen (Table 4) to alleviate the
burden of the participants in the official SD test.
2.3. Product form deconstruction and description
The form of a product is the aggregate result of the components,
To confirm the relations between the appearance of steering
wheels and the emotional perception vocabulary, an SD survey was
administered to 30 junior year students from the Department of
Multimedia and Entertainment Science at Southern Taiwan Uni-
versity of Technology. The 30 participants all had a driving license,
were students enrolled in continuing education programs, and
were aged 22e28 years. The 10 pairs of adjectives listed in Table 2
were used as a measure and a 9-point Likert scale (1e9 points from
left to right) was used to evaluate the 45 steering wheel test
samples.

Fig. 4. Dendrogram for cluster analysis of the 20 contrasting pairs of adjectives.

 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105 101

Table 4
Adjective pairs used in SD test.

Simplistic -Changeful Artificial - Spontaneous Unique - Common Casual - formal Embellished - plain
Sturdy - Delicate Classic - Fashionable Lightweight - Heavy Futuristic - Conventional Classy - Ordinary

Table 5
Morphological analysis.

Item Category

Morphological Number of Spokes A1. 3 spokes A2. 4 spokes

Feature

Touch of spokes B1. Uneven surface design B2. No decorative

uneven surface design

Positioning of spokes C1.90/180 C2.90/145 C3.90/130

Wheel rim material D1. Leather cover D2. Walnut veneer cover D3. Composite
cover
Hub surface E1. Unibody E2. Jointed

Hub shape F1. Water drop- shaped F2. Pyramidal F3. Trapezoidal

F4. Semi- circular F5. Diamond shaped F6. Round

Overall Interrelation Spoke-rim joint G1. Gapless joint G2. Gapped joint

Visible areas of center, H1. Approximate visible areas H2. Unequal visible areas
spokes and rim

Switch positions in I1. Symmetrical on I2. Surrounding the center

relation to the hub both sides of the hub

3. Results and discussion
3.1. Emotional perception assessment results
Initially, the average numbers of times the 30 participants
applied the adjectives were established and factor analysis was
conducted. Table 6 shows that the correlation coefficient from
the KMO and Bartlett's test achieved a significance level of 0.714
(sig ¼ 0.000). According to principal component analysis,
three elements with an eigenvalue exceeding 1 were extracted.
Table 7 shows that the three types of factors together
explained 76.043% of the total variance. To ensure that the sta-
tistical data acquired using the questionnaire in this study
exhibited satisfactory reliability, a reliability analysis of the data
was conducted to determine the Cronbach's a value to be 0.711
(Table 8), and the overall statistics of the items were examined
(Table 9). According to DeVellis' (1991) suggestion that a
Table 6
KMO and Bartlett's test.
KMO and Bartlett's test
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy
Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square
df
Sig
Cronbach's a of between 0.65 and 0.70 indicates moderate reli-
ability, and that a Cronbach's a of between 0.70 and 0.80 entails
high reliability, the questionnaire results of the present study
exhibited high reliability. Through varimax orthogonal rotation,
the loadings of the three element factors were obtained, as
shown in Table 10.
The variances in relation to the esthetic, operational strength,
and modernity factors were 44.62%, 19.52%, and 11.90%; the accu-
mulated total variance was 76.043%. According to the meanings of
the adjectives, the factors can be categorized into esthetic factors:
six pairs of adjectives with qualities relevant to comparing external
esthetics, namely, embellished/plain, futuristic/conventional,
classy/ordinary, unique/common, classic/fashionable, and casual/
formal; operational strength factors: two pairs of adjectives with
qualities used for comparing form and power, namely, sturdy/
delicate and lightweight/heavy; and modernity factors: two pairs of
adjectives with qualities used for assessing the level of modernity
and esthetics, namely, simplistic/changeful and artificial/
spontaneous.
3.2. Emotional perception assessment mode of element-oriented
and overall models: construction and comparison
0.714
173.729 To contrast the results of the two Kansei engineering models
45 from the form analysis of the element-oriented model and the
0.000
overall model, multiple linear regression analysis was used,
102 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105

Table 7
Total variance explained.

Total variance explained

Component Initial eigen values Extraction sums of squared loadings Rotation

Total % Of Variance Cumulative % Total % Of Variance Cumulative % Total

1 4.462 44.622 44.622 4.462 44.622 44.622 4.224

2 1.952 19.517 64.139 1.952 19.517 64.139 2.092
3 1.190 11.903 76.043 1.190 11.903 76.043 2.108
4 0.875 8.752 84.795
5 0.526 5.259 90.054
6 0.309 3.096 93.147
7 0.273 2.728 95.875
8 0.195 1.945 97.820
9 0.123 1.227 99.047
10 0.095 0.953 100.000

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

a When components are correlated, sims of squared loadings cannot be added to obtain a total variance.

Table 8
Statistics of reliability.
Cronbach's alpha Number of items
0.711 10
establishing the relations between the car steering wheel form
factors and the emotional perception vocabulary. The design factors
obtained from the form analysis of the 45 test samples were
defined as independent variables, and the averages of the
emotional perception evaluations of the 10 adjective pairs were set
as the dependent variables. Backward regression was then used to
conduct multiple regression analysis of each pair of adjectives,
locating the form factors that significantly influenced the emotional
perception vocabulary. Simultaneously, the design factors were
listed according to a nominal scale, and dummy variables were used
in the multiple regression analysis. Zero and 1 represented
nonquantifiable characteristics and attributes. In the element-
oriented form analysis model, the design factors were mainly
element characteristics, whereas in the overall model, the design
factors were combinations of element characteristics and the
overall interrelations of the elements. Table 11 show the results of
the regression analysis of the two models.
In Table 11, the blank spaces (such as B3: No decorative, uneven
surface design) signify that the influence of the element did not
achieve the significance level of 0.05. A higher standardized coef-
ficient indicates that the participants considered the impression of
the second adjective in the pair to be more useful in design
development. A negative standardized coefficient means that the
participants believed that the first adjective of the pair exerted a
stronger influence on impression creation.

Table 9
Overall statistics of the items.

Scale mean obtained Scale variance obtained when Revised total Cronbach's alpha obtained
when the item was excluded the item was excluded item correlation when the item was excluded

Simplistic e Changeful 28.7556 41.553 0.326 0.698

Artificial e Spontaneous 29.5556 44.934 0.377 0.693
Unique - Common 29.0667 37.882 0.563 0.653
Casual e Formal 28.7333 40.973 0.391 0.686
Embellished e Plain 29.1778 38.195 0.630 0.645
Sturdy e Delicate 28.8444 47.225 0.068 0.734
Classic e Fashionable 28.4222 48.340 -0.036 0.761
Lightweight e Heavy 28.2222 39.677 0.502 0.667
Futuristic e Conventional 29.0444 38.316 0.585 0.651
Classy e Ordinary 28.5778 40.113 0.446 0.676

Table 10
Post-rotation factor loadings.

Adjective Factor type 1 esthetic factor Factor type 2 operational Strength factor Factor type 3 Modernity factor

Embellished e Plain 0.931 0.303 0.314

Futuristic e Conventional 0.894 0.213 0.330
Classy e Ordinary 0.882 0.146 0.040
Unique - Common 0.837 0.143 0.397
Classic e Fashionable 0.697 0.300 0.522
Casual e Formal 0.549 0.544 0.062
Sturdy e Delicate 0.048 0.907 0.168
Lightweight e Heavy 0.245 0.832 0.094
Simplistic e Changeful 0.465 0.110 0.851
Artificial e Spontaneous 0.111 0.027 0.839
Eigenvalue 4.224 2.092 2.108
Variance Explained 44.62% 19.52% 11.90%
Accumulated Variance Explained 44.62% 64.139% 76.043%
Table 11
Regression analysis of the element-oriented and overall models.

Attribute Embellished Futuristic e Classy e Unique e Classic e Casual e Sturdy e Lightweight e Simplistic e Artificial e
e Plain Conventional Ordinary Common Fashionable Formal Delicate Heavy Changeful Spontaneous

Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105
Item Category Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized Standardized
Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient

A. Number of Spokes 3 spokes 0.212 0.124 0.063 0.235 0.454 0.221 0.542 0.467
4 spokes 0.121 0.349 0.432 0.332 0.453 0.112 0.323 0.431 0.543 0.060
B. Touch of Spokes Uneven surface 0.322 0.322 0.212 0.434 0.225 0.065 0.064 0.098 0.654
design
No decorative uneven 0.165 0.187 0.132 0.062 0.065 0.061 0.325 0.343 0.232
surface design
C. Positioning of Spokes 90/180 0.437 0.118 0.212 0.238 0.121 0.154 0.098 0.267 0.132
90/145 0.276 0.211 0.163 0.112 0.320 0.221 0.268 0.332 0.211
90/130 0.254 0.132 0.217 0.245 0.364 0.221 0.165 0.249
D. Wheel Rim Material Leather cover 0.215 0.176 0.098 0.321 0.134 0.264 0.299 0.121 0.255 0.332
Walnut veneer cover 0.211 0.187 0.199 0.087 0.232 0.132 0.119 0.146 0.113 0.216
Composite cover 0.331 0.232 0.215 0.443 0.243 0.226 0.063 0.199 0.345 0.435
E. Crossbar Unibody 0.196 0.276 0.142 0.209 0.176 0.213 0.165 0.324 0.237
Jointed 0.174 0.182 0.091 0.183 0.146 0.108 0.137 0.153 0.157
F. Hub Shape Water drop-shaped 0.082 0.098 0.139 0.099 0.162 0.114 0.012 0.138 0.215 0.189
Pyramidal 0.197 0.212 0.124 0.224 0.112 0.143 0.097 0.210 0.171
Trapezoidal 0.214 0.223 0.187 0.326 0.119 0.269 0.243 0.223 0.165 0.061
Semi-circular 0.061 0.083 0.087 0.102 0.132 0.143 0.112 0.089 0.124
Diamond-shaped 0.135 0.207 0.208 0.321 0.232 0.061 0.079 0.112 0.321 0.216
Round 0.062 0.121 0.101 0.112 0.061 0.154 0.095 0.142 0.231 0.211
G.Spoke-rim joint Gapless joint 0.072 0.063 0.202 0.133 0.021 0.154 0.156 0.124 0.211
Gapped joint 0.176 0.113 0.094 0.087 0.097 0.133 0.053 0.132 0.143
H.Visible areas of Approximate visible areas 0.178 0.111 0.099 0.093 0.112 0.102 0.091 0.115 0.156 0.154
hub, spokes and rim Unequal visible areas 0.021 0.078 0.087 0.043 0.065 0.098 0.067 0.091
I.Switch positions Symmetrical on both 0.097 0.054 0.067 0.102 0.064 0.127 0.132 0.065 0.124 0.095
in relation to the hub sides of the hub
Surrounding the hub 0.115 0.165 0.102 0.234 0.202 0.202 0.156 0.093 0.111 0.211
Constant 4.234 3.884 4.225 4.255 3.755 5.064 4.004 3.575 5.445 3.132
Significance 0.012 0.008 0.011 0.002 0.001 0.020 0.030 0.021 0.022 0.013
R and R2 values R ¼ 0.884 R ¼ 0.888 R ¼ 0.781 R ¼ 0.906 R ¼ 0.924 R ¼ 0.775 R ¼ 0.785 R ¼ 0.784 R ¼ 0.770 R ¼ 0.911
R2 ¼ 0.781 R2 ¼ 0.789 R2 ¼ 0.610 R2 ¼ 0.821 R2 ¼ 0.854 R2 ¼ 0.601 R2 ¼ 0.616 R2 ¼ 0.615 R2 ¼ 0.593 R2 ¼ 0.830

103
104 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105

Table 12
Comparison of the R2 values of the element-oriented model and the overall model.

Element Attribute Esthetics Operational strength Modernity

Adjective pair Embellished Futuristic Classy Unique Classic Casual Sturdy Lightweight Simplistic Artificial
e Plain e Conventional e Ordinary - Common e Fashionable e Formal e Delicate - heavy - Changeful - Spontaneous

R2 value in feature- 0.774 0.783 0.605 0.817 0.828 0.593 0.581 0.598 0.601 0.819
oriented model
R2 value in integrated 0.781 0.789 0.610 0.821 0.854 0.601 0.616 0.615 0.593 0.830
model
R2 gain value 0.007 0.006 0.005 0.004 0.026 0.008 0.035 0.017 0.008 0.011
Adjusted R2 value in 0.552 0.575 0.412 0.675 0.689 0.374 0.368 0.376 0.397 0.679
feature-oriented
model
Adjusted R2 value in 0.568 0.580 0.425 0.687 0.702 0.397 0.430 0.427 0.374 0.699
integrated model
Adjusted R2 gain value 0.016 0.005 0.013 0.012 0.013 0.023 0.062 0.051 0.023 0.020

Table 13
Relations between emotional perception vocabulary and design factors.

Emotional Individual element features Overall interrelations

impression

Casual Number of spokes: 3 Spokes (0.454), Touch of spokes: no uneven surface design (0.065), Spoke-rim joint: Gapped joint (0.097),
Positioning of spokes: 90/130 (0.364), Wheel rim material: Leather cover (0.264), Visible areas of hub, spokes and rim:
Hub surface: Jointed (0.108), Hub shape: round (0.154) Unequal visible areas (0.043),
Switch positions in relation to the
hub: Surrounding the hub (0.202)
Formal Number of spokes: 4 Spokes (0.112), Positioning of spokes: 90/180 (0.321), Wheel rim Spoke-rim joint: Gapless joint (0.021),
material: Walnut veneer cover (0.132), Hub surface: Unibody (0.176), Visible areas of hub, spokes and
Hub shape: trapezoidal (0.269) rim: Approximate visible areas (0.102),
Switch positions in relation to the hub:
Symmetrical on both sides (0.127)

Because of the magnitude of the standardized coefficient, the 4. Conclusions

correlation between the design factors and the emotional percep-
tion evaluation of the participants can be deduced to establish
references for future designs. For example, regarding the analysis
result for the casual/formal adjective pair, the 0.154 score for “H6
round hub shape” compared with the 0.114 score for “H1 water
drop hub shape” indicates that the participants perceived the shape
to be more “casual.” Similarly, the 0.454 score for “A1: three
spokes” demonstrates that “casual” was the prevailing impression,
whereas the 0.269 score for “H3: trapezoidal hub shape” indicates
that “formal” was the prevailing impression.
To compare the differences between the element-oriented
model and the overall model, the values of the coefficient of
determination (R2) for the 10 pairs of adjectives were arranged as
shown in Table 12. The R2 values in the overall model were larger
than those in the element-oriented model, indicating that the
integrated model was more effective than the element-oriented
model was in explaining variance. The R2 values in Table 12
reveal that the numerical value differences between classic/fash-
ionable (esthetic factors) sturdy/delicate (operational strength
factors), and simplistic/changeful and artificial/spontaneous
(modernity factors) were more apparent, indicating that the
overall model was more effective in predicting consumer assess-
ment that was based on emotional perception. The increase in the
R2 of the modernity factors was the most significant change;
therefore, the overall model performed more efficiently in
modernity assessment. To identify the modernity difference be-
tween products, the overall interrelations between the external
features became critical, as the analysis results suggest. The in-
crease of the R2 values for the esthetic and operational strength
factors in the overall model were less significant, probably because
consumers relied more on morphological features when evalu-
ating a product.
This study designed a Kansei engineering model that integrates
the interrelations of constituent elements to determine consumer
emotional perception and preferences in a case regarding steering
wheel design.
1. Through factor analysis extraction, three types of factors
affecting consumer emotional perception toward car steering
wheels were identified: esthetic factors, which have qualities
relevant to external esthetics; operational strength factors,
which are used for comparing form and power; and modernity
factors, which relate to modernity and esthetics.
2. From the results of multiple regression analysis, the correlations
between design (appearance) factors and the emotional
perception evaluation of participants can be ascertained to
establish design principles based on specific impressions. These
principles can guide design in the future. For example, regarding
the casual/formal pair, suggestions regarding appearance can be
made depending on the intended impression. When the stan-
dardized coefficient is positive, the item should be designed to
give a more “formal” impression; the larger the value, the
stronger the impression should be. However, when the stan-
dardized coefficient is negative, a “casual” impression should be
emphasized; the smaller the negative value, the stronger the
impression should be, as shown in Table 13.
3. To build models for Kansei engineering in the future, a
comprehensive product design analysis should be conducted to
consider the relationship between a product's form features and
feature composition. Chuang and Chen (2004) proposed a
design analysis model for considering both form features and
feature composition. By using the design of a teapot as an
example, Chuang and Chen indicated that a model that
 Y.-M. Chang, C.-W. Chen / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 56 (2016) 97e105
considers both form features and feature composition can more
accurately predict consumers' Kansei evaluations. In the current
study, the test samples were only near life-size images of
steering wheels, which is a limitation of the study. Using real
samples from automobile companies may enable a more
comprehensive discussion. Future research may apply this
Kansei evaluation model to other types of products to more
thoroughly examine the effectiveness of the model. Further-
more, with the model proposed in this study as a basis, a fuzzy
analytic hierarchy process can be adopted to determine drivers'
steering wheel needs. Thus, drivers' considerations regarding
operating steering wheels can be analyzed and the importance
of these considerations can be studied. For example, intelligent
vehicles are equipped with many functions and features, but
drivers do not typically feel less burdened when operating such
a vehicle. Therefore, further research can examine integrating
four key functions into the steering wheel interface, namely
telephone communications, multimedia player, GPS navigation,
and gear shift paddles. In this regard, a superior telematics
system can be created to provide convenient services for drivers,
and the usability of the interface can be improved. Thus, this
study lays the groundwork for further research that can serve as
a crucial reference point for designing the interior products and
designs of vehicles.
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