Utilizing Metaphor Interaction for Fun: A Case of Floor Lamp

Abstract

This study explores how the emotional experience of fun can be designed into tangible products through metaphor interaction. Previous research on product emotions has primarily focused on discrete emotions such as joy, pleasure, or satisfaction. However, emotional experiences, which leads by emotions, remain limited in knowledge despite their positive influences. Fun is selected as the target emotional experience, and the concept of acceptable incongruity is adapted to define it. Ultimately, this research defines fun as an emotional state that arises when users experience surprise within a comprehensible and pleasurable boundary, then transform the initial surprise into joy. Then, this study proposes metaphor interaction as a design method to bring positive surprise by mapping physical interactions between two products that share event similarity. This approach was applied to design a lamp whose light intensity is controlled by pulling a string, inspired by the interaction of a window blind. User evaluations with 25 participants were conducted to compare the user experiences of the proposed pulling-type interaction with conventional rotating and pushing types. The results showed that the pulling-type lamp elicited significantly higher levels of surprise and fun, with a strong positive correlation between the two (R² = 0.6893). Participants also recognized the intended metaphor of a window blind, demonstrating intuitive understanding and engagement. This research contributes to design theory by identifying fun as a composite emotional experience emerging from acceptable incongruity and provides a practical framework for designing emotionally engaging products that bridge emotion and functionality through physical interaction.