Mohd Faiz bin Yahaya

Visual aesthetics are an important component of consumer packaging evaluation. Drawing on the Unified Model of Aesthetics (UMA), this study examines the associations between six aesthetic attributes (unity, variety, typicality, novelty, connectedness and autonomy) and consumer aesthetic preference and compares their explanatory value across perceptual, cognitive and social levels. A total of 177 Chinese adult consumers evaluated six experimentally controlled orange juice packaging stimuli based on their visual appearance. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used as the primary analysis to compare the perceptual, cognitive, social and integrated UMA models while accounting for repeated evaluations across the six stimuli. Participant‐level aggregated regressions were used as a secondary analysis. All six aesthetic attributes were positively associated with aesthetic preference, with novelty showing the largest positive coefficient in the integrated GEE model. Among the three single‐level GEE models, the cognitive‐only model showed the best relative fit, while the integrated six‐attribute model showed the best overall fit. These findings clarify the relative and integrated explanatory value of the established UMA levels in a controlled packaging context and provide confirmatory, methodological and contextual evidence for their application to packaging aesthetics. The study also provides a structured basis for evaluating comparable packaging concepts across perceptual, cognitive and social aesthetic attributes.

Both typicality and novelty shape aesthetic preference—typicality as conformity to a product’s prototype, and novelty as perceived difference and originality. While prior research has highlighted the tension and balance between these two factors, few studies have examined how product category structure moderates their effects. This study aims to investigate the roles of typicality and novelty in shaping consumer preferences, as well as whether product type (poor vs. rich categories) influences the relative impact of these factors. To achieve this, we conducted a within-subjects experiment using 20 ceramic product stimuli: 10 ceramic vases(poor categories) and 10 ceramic lighting items (rich categories). A total of 200 Chinese participants evaluated the typicality, novelty, and liking of each product using 7-point Likert scales. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, partial correlation, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and hierarchical regression. Findings revealed that typicality was more predictive in poor categories, while novelty played a greater role in rich categories. Moreover, product category structure significantly moderated these effects, confirming and refining the boundary conditions of the MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) principle. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that typicality and novelty together explained 21.8% of the variance in aesthetic preference for ceramic vases and 20.3% for ceramic lighting items. This research deepens theoretical understanding of aesthetic judgment by highlighting the contextual role of category structure. It also provides practical design guidance, emphasizing typical features in poor categories and prioritizing novelty in rich categories to optimize consumer appeal.

Background Aesthetic design significantly influences user perception and purchasing decisions, increasingly shaping market competitiveness. However, most studies on aesthetic preference focus on decorative, open-category products and analyze isolated variables. Research remains scarce on closed-category technological products, such as laptops, where structural constraints demand a nuanced balance between function and aesthetics. This study addresses this gap by examining how multidimensional aesthetic principles interact in laptop design and by introducing a category-sensitive framework to refine current aesthetic theory. M ethods We recruited 234 non-design background Chinese participants to evaluate ten laptop designs representing variations across six aesthetic dimensions. Stimuli included real and conceptually designed models, standardized in grayscale without branding to ensure unbiased visual assessment. Participants rated each design on unity, variety, typicality, novelty, connectedness, autonomy, and overall aesthetic pleasure using 7-point Likert scales. Data were analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVA , Generalized Estimating Equations(GEE) and linear mixed-effects modeling to estimate the relative influence of each variable on aesthetic preference. Results Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant differences in aesthetic ratings across laptop designs. Typicality showed the strongest effect on preference, followed by connectedness and unity, indicating that familiarity, social attachment, and visual coherence drive aesthetic appeal in closed-category products. Novelty, autonomy and variety had weaker impacts, while gender and age no significant effect. The results of GEE confirm the UMA's view that aesthetic pleasure comes from balancing opposing forces. Linear mixed modeling confirmed that social factors, particularly connectedness, were the most powerful predictors of aesthetic pleasure, highlighting the dominance of safety-oriented aesthetics in laptop design. Conclusion T hese findings confirm that category structure modulates the weight of aesthetic variables, advancing theoretical understanding of design aesthetics. Practically, designers should prioritize coherence, recognizability, and social alignment to enhance appeal in constrained product domains. Future research should test this integrated framework across cultures, sensory modalities, and other closed-category products. Keywords: aesthetic pleasure, unified model of aesthetics, categorical-motivation model, product design, laptop

Consumer psychology has been proven to have an essential influence on aesthetic preferences. Previous research on aesthetics focused on long-lasting product categories and was conducted at a single level. However, aesthetics is multidimensional, which has been overlooked. Our research is based on the unified model of aesthetics (UMA), which aims to investigate the unique contributions of the perceptual (unity, variety), cognitive (typicality, novelty), and social (connectedness, autonomy) levels to aesthetic preferences for packaging designs. The studies used soft drink packaging from the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category as stimuli, and Chinese participants evaluated the packaging on a 7-point Likert scale. Study 1 shows that people gravitate toward safety over accomplishment and that connectedness, typicality, and unity are the main determinants of aesthetic pleasure. Study 2 added two scenarios: for “going to a very formal meeting,” stimuli with unity, typicality, and connectedness could best induce aesthetic pleasure. For “going to a good friend’s rave party,” the novelty, autonomy, and variety of designs were the most pleasing. Furthermore, two studies showed that for the overall stimulus, unity consistently evoked more positive aesthetic preferences than variety. Overall, this research provides new insights into aesthetic influences at the perceptual, cognitive, and social levels in soft drink packaging and offers new perspectives on aesthetic preferences for new product development.

Human attempts to understand the factors involved in aesthetic preferences have a long history, extending from pure art to product aesthetics. Adopting the Unified Model of Aesthetics (UMA), this study simultaneously investigates the effects of opposing factors on stimulus aesthetic preferences from three levels: perceptual, cognitive, and social. The study used smartwatches as stimuli and was conducted on a 7-point Likert scale with 203 participants from China. The results are precise: the higher the contributions of unity at the perceptual level, typicality at the cognitive level, and connectedness at the social level, the higher the aesthetic preference. On the other hand, when the UMA model simultaneously measures the influence intensity of opposing factors, the cognitive level has the most significant influence, followed by the perceptual level, and the social level has the lowest impact. This research will provide product designers with theoretical guidance and design directions for future wearable devices.

Amid accelerating globalization and resource scarcity, rapid urbanization and population mobility have made sustainable development a critical issue for cities. Frequent relocations pose furniture disposal challenges for many young migrants, with high transportation costs and furniture wear increasing their economic burden and resource waste. Origami design effectively addresses these needs with its portability, easy storage, simplified manufacturing, and reduced failure rates. However, most furniture designers lack origami expertise, limiting their ability to leverage these benefits. This study integrates the existing literature and presents a sustainable furniture design method combining Rhinoceros 3D, Grasshopper, and Crane, enabling designers to incorporate origami principles with limited prior knowledge. The results show that this method not only enhances the economic feasibility of furniture but also balances user needs, commercial interests, and environmental sustainability, offering new insights for urban sustainable development.

The evolution of design systems has undergone a transformative shift towards entity-based frameworks. These systems represent a paradigmatic departure from traditional design approaches by structuring design elements around modular, reusable components known as entities. This study examines the elements that affect entity-based design system effectiveness and its effects on computer-related sectors. The study examines how creative product design, cognitive ergonomics, and big data-driven interfaces affect system efficacy. The study also examines how information processing efficiency mediates and technology infrastructure moderates the relationship between design elements and system results. Data was collected from 254 Chinese design system specialists and practitioners using quantitative methods. Participants' design, technology, and system efficacy perceptions were assessed using a standardized questionnaire. AMOS was used for mediation and moderation analyses to evaluate study hypotheses and examine variable correlations. This study found strong correlations between design elements, technology capabilities, and entity-based design system efficacy. Innovative product design, cognitive ergonomics, and big data-driven interfaces had an impact on system results, both individually and together. Information processing efficiency was a key mediator, while technology infrastructure moderated system efficacy. This study adds to the literature by revealing the complex elements that affect entity-based design systems in computer-related sectors. The study improves our theoretical understanding of design systems by investigating the relationship between design factors, technology capabilities, and system results. It also offers practical advice for organizations looking to improve their design processes and user experiences.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.