Including “Pleasurable” as a Dimension of Product Quality

Abstract

The concept of user-centered design has been growing in importance throughout the twenty-first century. This concept holds that a product designer should employ a design process that involves users and pays attention to their physical and psychological needs, so that they achieve the most benefit from the product, and that it gives them pleasure. Designing for pleasure has become a requirement for many reasons, especially since competing with other products by improving technical quality and reducing cost is no longer sufficient. Nowadays, users seek products that provide joy and evoke delight while they are using them. This study explores the concept of “Designing for Pleasure” and offers an explanation as to why “pleasurable” should be one of the dimensions of product quality. This paper proposes that the concept of being pleasurable to the user should be seen as an indicator of product quality, and one that considerably enhances a company’s image.