User-Centered Design for Smart Kitchen: Understanding Expectations & Preferences

1. The ERES Conference June 24, 2010, Milano, ItalyAsset, Property & Facility Management & Environmental Policies The feedback for user- centered design from consumer’s perception of the smart kitchen Shu-Mei Chen Shwuhuey Wang Tzai-Zang Lee and Peng-Hui Lee 1

2. Introduction • Preface • The paper derived from a sub-project of an integrated project, a design and practice for Smart Kitchen. • The designer will develop diversified functions for smart kitchen. • This study research the users’ demand for them. 2

3. Research Motivation • The kitchen space in a family home plays a rather important role. • Consumers have been expecting high-tech development to bring more user-friendly and convenient applications and services. • The ubiquitous concept extends to smart kitchen.

4. Research background • The kitchen is a relatively hazardous place in home for the senior, juvenile, or handicapped members. • A safe, energy saving, comfortable, convenient and healthy kitchen environment is a top priority in design. • Women are the principal users of the kitchen equipments and spaces. 4

5. Research Background • Focus on female user centered design • In the past, women have been regarded ill-fitted to science and information technology as an inborn or social trait. • The trend has changed: a huge increase in female uses of technology products, and the gap is closing significantly. • More and more women enjoy using technology to make their lives more interesting and convenient.

6. The Purpose of This Study • Analysis of the kitchen users' expectation and knowledge regarding the Smart Kitchen, its functions and equipments. • Analysis of perceptions of importance and necessity of the Smart Kitchen equipments and functions among users. • Dividing the users into groups, and analyzing the differences in their priorities for applications to meet the essence of market segmentation. 6

7. The selective literature review • User’s demand and acceptance • Demand is a want or a preference, the stated preference. • Maslow's theory of needs hierarchy (Abraham H. Maslow, 1954) can be utilized to explain the various needs of users of products. 7

8. The selective literature review • Assessing the needs of users • "User-Centered Design" (UCD) emphasizes meeting the users' expectation, and produce products of their hearts' desire. • User's demand and interactive design • Oviatt(1997) : multi-modal interaction that the four principles of interactive designs are: transparent, flexible, efficient, and expressive powerfully. 8

9. The selective literature review 4. Importance-Performance Analysis • The Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) framework was introduced by Martilla and James(1977). • plotted on a two dimensional grid with importance on the y-axis and performance on the x-axis. • Importance-Demand Analysis • Applied from IPA 9

10. Research Design • Subjects • we set the targets to people meeting the following conditions: (1) the main users of the kitchen at home; (2) his/her home should have IT equipments (computer and network); (3) he/she lives in metropolitan regions in Taiwan. 10

11. Research Design 1 1. Focus group interview • The members were from different families. • Two stages interviews; 14 people are invited. • To understand the following three topics: • the interviewees’ expectation toward the Smart Kitchen in terms of different family styles; • the usage and suggestions of kitchen space provided by the interviewees; • the suggestions about the Smart Kitchen. 11

12. Findings of the focus group interview Housewives hoped that kitchen could be the space for family to interact and cultivate affection. Career women hoped that kitchen should be equipped with simple, clean and effective appliances. Male users hoped that the circulation of the kitchen could be well designed, it’s easy to get utensils and the kitchen should be with the function of entertainment. In Taiwan, the smart home electronic appliances are still hard to be delighted by the consumers.

13. Research Design 2 2. Design of Questionnaire • We designed a total of 36 questions to measure the subjects' view of the importance and demand. • We devoted 8 questions to test the subjects' acceptance to technology products.

14. Research Design • The sampling • Random sampling • The sampling is under 95% of confidence level and 3% of sampling error. • Total of 1,445 paper copies and 213 web questionnaire, and 1185 were sent back to us. • This yields the response rate of 72.79% 14

15. Descriptive Statistical analysis Analysis of personal background information 15

16. Descriptive Statistical analysis • Analysis of personal background information

17. Descriptive Statistical analysis Analysis of personal background information

18. Descriptive Statistical analysis Analysis of personal background information 18

19. Importance-Demand Analysis • Safety Function: 19

20. Importance-Demand Analysis Health Function: 20

21. Importance-Demand Analysis Energy-saving Function: 21

22. Importance-Demand Analysis Convenience Function: 22

23. Importance-Demand Analysis Comfort Function: 23

24. Discussion • Independent sample T statistical test

25. Discussion • Independent sample T statistical test

26. Conclusion • Family members need time and space to interact, and kitchen is therefore the place for dining and parent-kid’s interaction and communication. • safety remains the most urgent needs 26

27. Conclusion • Dwelling (house) is transformed to be “home” for the sake of people. • The function of kitchen : • cooking • daily dinning • family member’s affection connection • health concerning • enjoyment • The Smart Kitchen • Wisdom • Green

28. Thank you for yourpatient listening Dr. Shu-Mei ChenKun Shan Universitymayc2110@mail.ksu.edu.tw 28