تاثير فرهنگ بر طراحي محصول مطالعه موردي دستگاه دست خشك كن خودكار

The Influence of Culture on Product Design: A Case Study of Hand Dryers

This study is concerned with the cultural aspects of design, which can influence propensity or reluctance of using a device. Hand dryer was chosen as the subject for this case study, the aim of which was to explore the reasons, which led to the scarcity of using hand dryers in Iranian public restrooms and to develop new concepts for persuading people to use this device more eagerly. The hypothesis was that "culture has a great influence on usersʹ behavior and their way of use", Therefore, the study was focused on cultural aspects and investigated the users from this point of view. In order to investigate the reasons for reluctance of using hand dryers in public restrooms, an observation study was carried out. Besides, the users were interviewed. Thirty five users were chosen randomly from among the people who used restrooms and agreed to be interviewed. According to them, hand dryers are not reliable, safe, hygienic, beautiful and fashionable enough. They are bulky and unattractive in form and color with an unpleasant noise. Therefore, in spite of the important role of hygiene in Iranian culture, the ignorance of aesthetic elements has led to the limited use of this kind of dryers. Based on the voice of costumer, two concepts for the form of hand dryers were developed. The most important difference between these two concepts is the position of hands during drying process. In Concept A hands are placed inside a compartment to get dry, but in Concept B hands are placed under the device. As the position of hands is different, the height of installing them on the wall should also be different. Therefore, Concept A was placed on lower height, and Concept B was placed on higher height. In order to evaluate the new concepts a study was carried out. Two concepts were studied in comparison with each other. Fifty samples, 25 men and 25 women between 20-40 years of age, were selected randomly from among the restroom users who agreed to be interviewed. The usersʹ behavior was closely observed. In addition, they were asked to explain their feelings regarding the attractiveness of the product with regard to its color and comfort of use, especially the position of the hands and the height of the device installation. The result showed that about 90% of people who were studied agreed that the form and color of these new concepts are more pleasant than the current dryers which were installed in restrooms and can persuade them to use these new hand dryers, Among 50 people who were studied, 29 (19 male and 10 female) preferred Concept B over Concept A. Ninety-two percent of women preferred the installation height of Concept A. Therefore, it seems that there is a relation between the height of the device and the preference of Concept A by women. Finally it was concluded that altogether Concept B is the preference of the users, but there is a need to install the device in a lower height for ladies.