Products are often valued for what they mean to people. The theoretical dimension that describes the meaning of products is referred to as symbolism. Symbolism plays an important role in product evaluations in pre-use conditions. This paper suggests a framework for the analysis of this dimension in product evaluations. Symbolism comprises varying mixtures of pragmatic, product, and user symbolism. Pragmatic symbolism, which includes the product's instrumental benefits, affects product symbolism, or the overall impression of the product. Product symbolism, in turn, affects user symbolism, which refers to the self-image of the product's user. Our findings, based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, suggest that while symbolic value formation often occurs in a bottom-up process, from pragmatic considerations upon which the product's image is built that transfer to the user, it can also be in a top-down process for specific types of products whose design elements directly affect the user's self-image.RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSSymbolism is not a unified dimension, but comprises three sub-dimensions.Perceived usefulness and functional affordance positively affect the symbolic value of products.For most product types, the image of the product positively affects the image of its user.For most product types, the effect of product usefulness on user image is mediated by product image.While symbolism is usually formed in a bottom-up process, it can also be formed in a top-down process.

Abstract Simplicity achieved by minimizing the number of controls is a major guideline for designing usable products. Still, restricting the number of controls in interfaces to achieve simplicity may not be a wise strategy for communicating usability. Our model suggests that although the number of objects in designs helps determine visual simplicity, design elements influence the perceived simplicity of products. Design elements that enhance orientation and structure enable many otherwise-described complex objects to be perceived as simple. To test the effect of simplicity on usability, both visual and perceived simplicity are analyzed. We report a qualitative pilot study and a subsequent experimental study that helped test our model. While the number of objects helped determine the level of simplicity, adding design elements moderated the perceived complexity of control-laden designs. Designs with either a medium or a large number of both objects and design elements were judged as highest for perceived usability.

Abstract Novel product evaluations are challenging in that they occur under pre-use conditions in which users cannot rely on their past experiences with the product to determine its quality. The reported study explores the effects of innovation type and design simplicity level on novel interactive product evaluations. The results show that the type of innovation interacts with the visual simplicity level and affects one’s judgment about a product’s instrumental attributes, namely, its ease of use and functionality. While technology-based novel products are judged to be more innovative and more creative compared to design-based novel products when the designs are relatively simple, this trend shifts for complex designs where there is no significant difference between judgments of the two types of products. Finally, while innovativeness is a salient predictor for preference variance regardless of innovation type and design visual simplicity level, creativity is a predictor for preference variance of design-based innovation, when the design is relatively simple.