THE ROLE OF THE INNER CHILD IN PROCESS OF DECISION MAKING FOR PRODUCT SELECTION
Year: 2015
Editor: Christian Weber, Stephan Husung, Gaetano Cascini, Marco CantaMESsa, Dorian Marjanovic, Monica Bordegoni
Author: Sepahpour, Ghazaleh
Series: ICED
Institution: Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran
Section: User-Centred Design, Design of Socio-Technical Systems
Page(s): 301-310
ISBN: 978-1-904670-72-8
ISSN: 2220-4334
Abstract
This study explores characteristics and role of the inner child in choosing a product to get some product design specifications desirable for inner child and lead to choose the product. Child ego state or inner child is a state of personality that would like to act like a normal child. It is related to memories saved on brain from childhood. In many cases, desired chosen product among products with similar function is the one which responses well to people's feelings by attracting their inner child. In this case study, 30 people 18 years and older, randomly were asked to answer a questionnaire about cell phone selection criteria. Defining each of ego states role rate in choosing a product indicated that inner child has noticeable role in choosing a product. Considering inner child characteristics and issues of emotions and child's first experiences, whatever is remembrance of good experiences from childhood like plays and pleasure, stories and fantasies, and childhood sense of security can serve as design specifications to attract ones inner child to a product in order to select it among the other products.
Keywords: Ego States, Decision Making, Product, Industrial Design, Emotional Design