Form, colour and light are the basic elements of visual perception. This perception helps the user to select, reject and compare a visual.

The project is about exploring the form of a product based on perception of form, and preferences based on age and gender. This exploration to generate various forms uses the ‘theory of product expression’ evolved by prof A.G Rao. The objective of the project has been to combine this theory of product expression, user perception based on age and gender and psychographic inputs to evolve a methodology to generate expressive product forms. The effort has been to explore in an academic manner, the visual elements in a product form which can be manipulated to generate definite and tangible results in terms of product expression based on its visual elements.

A set of ten expressions have been studied in the project viz. Warm and cold, strong and fragile, Hard and soft, rugged and delicate, and Gross and precise. Concept explorations were done for a generic product, an emergency lamp, with the above set of expressions. The concepts incorporated the visual elements preferred by a wide age spectrum, segmented into five age group, the male and female included. Viz. 13-17 teenager group, 18-25 young-adult group, 30 - 35 adult group, 45-50 mid-aged group, 60 above group.

Using the product related to each age bracket persona, elements of design table was developed and suitable expressions were worked out accordingly. This offered itself for further for the set of 10 emergency lamp concepts. With evaluation and refinement at various stages, a final set of 10 emergency lamps is proposed as a family range, suited to the persona of the selected age group.

The project outcome has been encouraging and opens up a new methodology based approach to form generation of specific products, passed on age, gender and psychographic preferences.

Case Study Download:
• Form Exploration of a Portable Lamp - Pdf