User Profiles Based On Soft Usability Problems In Consumer Electronic Products

Abstract

Consumer electronic industries are increasingly confronted with consumer complaints although products function well according to their technical specifications. It is assumed that the gap between actual product usability by users and intended product usability by manufacturer lead to the problems. This new class of consumer complaints in the consumer electronic industry is defined as “soft usability problems”. Product usability is described by attributes that address the physical, cognitive, personal needs of intended users, and cultural background, which refer to user characteristics. Therefore, this paper explores the relationships between soft usability problems and user characteristics. With the aim, two studies were conducted in the Netherlands and South Korea. The overall results suggest that soft usability problems vary along specific dimensions of user characteristics. With these findings the study leads to the definition of specific user profiles related to each soft usability problem.