1. Emotion and Touch in Product Design:
examining ethnicity
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop
Bertina Lee, Ph.D., Candidate
University of Waterloo
November 13, 2010

2. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Ethnicity in design and touch
Ethnicity impacts:
– Response to visual and audio stimuli
– Tactual?
Significance?
– Visceral experience of touch
– If there is a difference, where
does it occur?
p.211th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop
http://www.suzannema.com/category/travels/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diatonic_scale_on_C.png

3. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Ethnicity in emotional response to touch
EmotionResp(touch) = f (factor 1, factor 2, …)
p.311th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop
Surface properties
(e.g., roughness)
Context (e.g.,
product group)
Ethnicity?

4. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Study 1:
Design
• Roughness (levels[1-3])
• Fidelity (real or virtual)
• Affordance (touchable or non-touchable)
• Not varying context
Measures
• Emotional Valence
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.4

5. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Study 1 - results
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.5
F=7.2491, P<=0.008952F=6.994, P<=0.01018

6. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Study 2:
Design
– Roughness (levels[1-8])
– Fidelity (both on screen)
Measures
– Emotional Valence
– Emotional Intensity
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.6

7. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Study 2 - results
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.7

8. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Demographics results
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.8
R = 0.3721R = 0.2771

9. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Summary and Conclusions
• Data suggests a difference between Asians and
Caucasians in reported emotional response to
changes in roughness
• Asians seem to report higher emotional valence
• Possible explanation: Asians report being less
tactually sensitive  more tolerant of unexpected
tactual stimuli
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.9

10. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Future work
• Determine at what stage Asians (Perceptual?
Cognitive? Report?) are “less sensitive” to tactual
information than Caucasians
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.10

11. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Acknowledgements
• NSERC
• Dr. Carolyn MacGregor
• John Kulinski (Use-IT Lab Coop student)
Questions?
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.11

12. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.12

13. Bertina Lee: b9lee@uwaterloo.ca
Study 2:
Design
– Roughness (levels[1-8])
– Affordance (Pick up, no pick up)
11th Annual Human Factors Engineering Inter-University Workshop p.13