JP2004342119A - Evaluation method for merchandise design - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for merchandise design capable of designing probable good sale merchandises. <P>SOLUTION: An arbitrary design, to be evaluated in terms of design quality, is imaged so as to be outputted by an image output device 1, and the brain waves of an arbitrary test subject A are measured, while the image is shown to the test subject A by the video output device 1; and the design to be evaluated is evaluated, based on the brain wave reactions. The process from reviewing through the evaluation of the design is repeated until a satisfactory evaluation result is obtained. Thus, a final design of merchandise can determined, based on the highly reliable result of evaluation unaffected addition of subjective decisions from knowledge or the experience of the test subject A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a product design evaluation method for obtaining an evaluation regarding the quality of a product design when manufacturing various products such as automobiles.

  In general, the design of an industrial product or the like is one of the important factors that influence the sales of a product in addition to the essential performance of the product. In particular, since the design related to the appearance of an automobile varies in a variety of ways depending on consumer preferences, fashion, and the like, a thorough study is required to determine the design at the development stage before design and manufacture. Therefore, conventionally, the design of the product is represented by a picture drawing, and the final design is determined based on the evaluation reported by the evaluator verbally or in writing, who has seen the design image.

  However, the evaluation of the design does not always match the intuitive impression because the subjective impression based on the evaluator's personal knowledge and experience is added to the impression received through the visual sense, and is highly reliable for the developer. It was not data.

  In addition, when a consumer actually purchases a product, he or she can see the actual photograph of the product displayed in advertisements, catalogs, etc., or contact the actual product displayed at the store, It is common to have a willingness to purchase. However, in the development stage in which the actual product does not exist, only the evaluation of the design image is obtained, and the impression received through the visual sense often differs between the design image and the actual product.

  Therefore, in any case, at the development stage, it cannot be convinced that a good sales can be obtained by the design, and in actual sales, a result that the sales as expected at the time of design decision may not be obtained may occur. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a product design method capable of designing a product having a high possibility of obtaining good sales.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a product design evaluation method capable of designing a product having a high possibility of obtaining good sales.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a product design evaluation method for determining a product design before moving to a product design / manufacturing stage. The design of the object to be evaluated is output as a video composed of a plurality of still images projected in a moving image or sequentially while being shown to any subject by a predetermined video output unit, and the brain waves of the subject who sees the video of the video output unit sequentially appear in the video. By measuring by the electroencephalogram measurement means for each of a plurality of predetermined scenes, and by comparing the pattern of the spatial distribution state of the electroencephalogram potential on the scalp of the subject with a plurality of types of reference patterns stored in advance in the predetermined storage means The reference pattern that is most similar to the pattern of the electroencephalogram potential of the subject is determined by predetermined determination means, and And to output the predetermined output means the determined reference pattern for each surface as the evaluation result of the design.

  As a result, since the design of the evaluation object is evaluated based on the electroencephalographic response of the subject who saw the video, an intuitive evaluation result without adding subjective judgment based on the knowledge and experience of the subject can be obtained. At the same time, it is determined which of a plurality of types of preset reference patterns the distribution pattern of the subject's brain wave potential is most similar to. At this time, since the determination is made for each of a plurality of predetermined scenes of the video, it is possible to measure, for example, any scene where an important reaction in the evaluation is predicted.

  According to the product design evaluation method of the present invention, it is possible to determine the final design of the product based on a highly reliable evaluation result without adding subjective judgment based on the knowledge and experience of the test subject. It is possible to manufacture a product that is highly likely to be sold, and it is possible to reliably contribute to the improvement of profits of the product seller. In this case, any design that does not exist is virtually represented by computer graphics, so that it is possible to create a video that is effective in evaluating the design, and at the development stage where there is no real product. The decision can be made accurately. In addition, since it is possible to measure an arbitrary scene where an important reaction in the evaluation is predicted, a more effective evaluation result can be obtained.

  1 to 6 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a design evaluation device used in a product design method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system thereof, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the head showing the distribution of the upper potential, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing changes in brain waves at arbitrary electrode positions, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the arithmetic and control unit, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of FIG.

  The design evaluation device shown in FIG. 1 includes a video output device 1 that outputs a predetermined video B, an electroencephalogram detector 2 that detects an electroencephalogram of a subject A who looks at the video output device 1, and a detection signal of the electroencephalogram detector 2. An electroencephalogram measurement unit 3 that measures the potential signal of the electroencephalogram in time series, an arithmetic control unit 4 that analyzes the electroencephalogram data based on the measurement result of the electroencephalogram measurement unit 3 and controls an image output device, and a reference to compare the measurement data. It comprises a storage device 5 for storing data and an output device 6 for outputting an evaluation result.

  The video output device 1 has a function of reproducing a video recorded on, for example, a magnetic tape or the like, and records, for example, a video B representing a design of an automobile. In this case, the data of the image B is not directly photographed of the real thing, but is virtually created using computer graphics or the like.

  The electroencephalogram detector 2 is composed of a well-known device used for medical purposes, for example, and has a large number of electrodes 2 a fixed to the scalp of the subject A. Each electrode 2a of the electroencephalogram detector 2 is attached so as to be scattered at many places on the scalp, and is connected to the electroencephalogram measurement unit 3 via the amplifier 2b.

  The electroencephalogram measurement unit 3 is a well-known device that digitizes the detection signal of the electroencephalogram detector 2 and is connected to the arithmetic and control unit 4. In this case, the electroencephalogram measurement section 3 simultaneously measures the potential above the scalp at the position of each electrode 2a of the electroencephalogram detector 2.

  The arithmetic control unit 4 is configured by a microcomputer, and is connected to the video output device 1, the storage device 5, and the output device 6, respectively. That is, the arithmetic and control unit 4 quantifies the feature amounts corresponding to the respective patterns from the correlation pattern of the electroencephalogram and the potential distribution on the scalp measured by the electroencephalogram measurement unit 3 and stores the reference data stored in the storage device 5 in advance. Is to be compared with.

  The storage device 5 stores various reference data to be compared with the correlation pattern of the electroencephalogram-supra-scalp potential distribution, and each reference data can be arbitrarily rewritten.

  The output device 6 includes, for example, a display or a printer of a personal computer, and outputs a list of evaluation results and the like.

  Here, an electroencephalogram analysis used in the design evaluation method of the present embodiment will be described. Generally, the human brain responds to a given stimulus, and the electroencephalogram changes accordingly. However, it is said that there is a localization of function in the brain, and depending on the state of sensation such as anger, joy, sadness, etc., a part involved and a part not involved (for example, different places L1, L2 on the scalp shown in FIG. 3) It has been shown in the literature that a characteristic potential distribution is formed by L2, L3). Therefore, in the present invention, by measuring a spatial distribution state (pattern) generated by an electroencephalogram on the scalp, a plurality of types of sensibilities (anger, joy, sadness, etc.) determined in advance by experiments and studies are measured. By comparing the measured data with the reference pattern of the target, it is determined which of the characteristics of the reference pattern is similar to the reference pattern. I do.

  Next, the operation of the arithmetic control unit 4 in the design evaluation method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the measurement of the brain wave of the subject A who observes the video output device 1 is started (S1), the predetermined video B is output to the video output device 1 (S2), and the time measurement is started (S3). In this case, the image B may be one that continuously displays an evaluation object (for example, a car design) by a moving image or one that sequentially switches still images. In the image B, a plurality of scenes (E1, E2,..., En) for which the brain wave response of the subject A is to be measured are set in chronological order as shown in FIG. , Tn, respectively, when a predetermined time (T1, T2,..., Tn) has elapsed. As each scene, for example, when the object to be evaluated is a car, a scene in which the car is projected from different angles such as a front or side, a scene in which a dynamic change such as a running state of the car or an operation state of a movable part occurs, a city area, Only objects to be evaluated, such as scenes with different backgrounds such as mountainous areas, daytime, nighttime, each weather, etc., scenes in which automobiles and other items such as equipment and loads, and persons such as drivers and passengers are represented, etc. Not only scenes that represent the scenes or scenes that represent only one aspect thereof, but also various scenes in which important reactions in the evaluation are predicted. Next, after setting the variable n of the scene to 0 (S4), 1 is added to n (S5). If the time Tn elapses (S6), the spatial distribution of the EEG on the scalp at that time is obtained. The state (hereinafter referred to as an electroencephalogram potential pattern) is compared with each reference pattern (a plurality of types of sensations such as anger, joy, sadness, etc.) in the storage device (S7), and the most similar reference pattern is recorded as a comparison result Pn (S8). ). For example, if the electroencephalogram potential pattern is most similar to the reference pattern corresponding to the sensation of "joy" in a scene in which the automobile is viewed from the front, the reference pattern of "joy" is recorded for that scene. Next, if the variable n has not reached the variable N of the last scene (S9), the operations of steps S5 to S8 are repeated to evaluate each scene (E1, E2,..., En). If the variable n reaches the variable N of the last scene in S9, the evaluation result of each scene (E1, E2,..., En) is output by the output device 6 (S10), and the program ends.

  According to the evaluation results obtained as described above, for example, when the subject A shows a reaction that causes the sensation of “joy” in a scene in which the car is projected from the front, the front design of the car has a good impression on the subject A. Can be determined to have been received. In addition, for example, when a car runs in a city area and shows a reaction that produces a feeling of "anger" or "sadness", it can be determined that the design of the car does not suit the city area.

  Next, a product design method using the design evaluation method will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, after the product planning stage (S11), the initial design of the product is specifically examined (S12), and the design is visualized so as to be output by the video output device 1. (S13). Next, the quality of the design is evaluated by the design evaluation method (S14), and if the evaluation result is good (S15), the process proceeds to the product design / manufacturing stage based on the design (S16), and the product is manufactured. The sold product is sold (S17). If the design evaluation result is not good in step S14, the steps S12 to S15 are repeated until a good evaluation result is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, an arbitrary design to be evaluated regarding the quality of the design is visualized so as to be output by the video output device 1, and the video is displayed to any subject A by the video output device 1. The brain wave of the subject A was measured, and the design of the evaluation target was evaluated based on the electroencephalogram response. The process from design examination to evaluation was repeated until a good evaluation result was obtained. Can determine the final design of a product based on reliable evaluation results without subjectivity or subjective judgment from experience, and can manufacture products that are likely to be sold well . In this case, if the evaluation measurement is performed on a plurality of subjects, the reliability of the design evaluation can be further improved.

  In addition, since the image B of the design of the evaluation object is virtually created using computer graphics or the like, even in the development stage where the actual product does not exist, the design can be determined without creating a three-dimensional model or the like. Can be performed accurately.

  Furthermore, since the evaluation of the design based on the electroencephalographic response of the subject A is determined for each of a plurality of predetermined scenes of the image B, it is possible to measure, for example, an arbitrary scene where an important response in the evaluation is predicted, which is more effective. A good evaluation result.

  Also, since the pattern of the distribution state of the electroencephalogram potential corresponding to a plurality of types of human sensibility is compared with the pattern of the electroencephalogram potential of the subject as a reference pattern, for example, anger, joy, sadness, etc. A good design can be determined, and a more reliable evaluation result can be obtained.

  Furthermore, since an image including a scene in which the evaluation target is viewed from different angles is used, for example, when the evaluation target is a car, a scene in which the vehicle is projected from a different angle such as the front or side of the vehicle is displayed. The evaluation based on various responses of the subject can be performed as compared with the evaluation based on the video showing only one aspect of the evaluation target.

  In addition, since an image including a scene representing a dynamic change of the evaluation target is used, for example, when the evaluation target is a car, a scene in which a dynamic change such as a running state of the car or an operation state of a movable unit occurs. And the like can be expressed by a video, and an evaluation based on various responses of the subject can be performed as compared with an evaluation by a video representing only the evaluation target.

  Further, since an image including a scene in which the evaluation object is displayed together with a predetermined background is used, for example, when the evaluation object is a car, a scene having a different background such as an urban area, a mountainous area, daytime, nighttime, each weather, etc. Can be represented by a video, and an evaluation based on various responses of the subject can be performed as compared with an evaluation by a video representing only the evaluation object.

  In addition, since an image including a scene in which the object to be evaluated is represented together with other articles or persons is used, for example, when the object to be evaluated is a car, other articles such as fixtures and loads of the car, a driver, A scene in which a person such as a passenger is represented can be represented by a video, and an evaluation based on various responses of the subject can be performed as compared with an evaluation using a video showing only the evaluation target.

  Further, since the design of an arbitrary vehicle is set as an evaluation target, it is possible to evaluate a design of a vehicle in which an appearance design is important, for example, an automobile or a motorcycle, and to develop and manufacture and sell such a product. Very advantageous.

  The design evaluation method according to the embodiment is not limited to vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles. For example, aircraft, ships, or other industrial products such as various home appliances, as well as clothing, toys or crafts, may be used. It can be used for design evaluation in all fields such as design.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a design evaluation device showing an embodiment of the present invention. Block diagram showing control system Schematic plan view of the head showing the potential distribution above the scalp Diagram showing changes in electroencephalogram at arbitrary electrode positions Flow chart showing the operation of the arithmetic control unit Flow chart showing steps from product planning to design and manufacturing stage

Explanation of reference numerals

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Video output device, 2 ... EEG detector, 3 ... EEG measurement part, 4 ... Operation control part, A ... Subject, B ... Video.

Claims (7)

Product design evaluation method for determining product design before moving to product design manufacturing stage,
The design of any evaluation object without the real thing visualized using computer graphics is output while showing to any subject by a predetermined video output means as a video composed of a plurality of still images projected in a moving image or sequentially,
The brain wave of the subject who sees the image of the image output means is measured by the electroencephalogram measuring means for each of a plurality of predetermined scenes sequentially appearing in the image,
By comparing the spatial distribution pattern of the electroencephalogram potential on the subject's scalp with a plurality of types of reference patterns stored in a predetermined storage means in advance, a reference pattern most similar to the subject's electroencephalogram potential pattern is determined. Is determined by the determination means of
A product design evaluation method, wherein a reference pattern determined for each scene is output by a predetermined output unit as a design evaluation result. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein a pattern of a distribution state of an electroencephalogram potential corresponding to a plurality of types of human sensibility is compared with a pattern of an electroencephalogram potential of a subject as the reference pattern. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein a video including a scene in which the evaluation target is viewed from different angles is used. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein a video including a scene representing a dynamic change of the evaluation object is used. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein a video including a scene in which the evaluation object is displayed together with a predetermined background is used. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein a video including a scene in which the evaluation target is represented together with another article or a person is used. The product design evaluation method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein an arbitrary vehicle design is used as an evaluation object.

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