Instrument development and evaluation for measuring USA apparel product design attributes

Purpose – The research goal is to develop, analyze, and evaluate an instrument measuring perceptions and preferences of garment design characteristics, and to evaluate interpretability of results for ease of use by scientists and industry practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – This study focused on female garment attributes that were culturally inspired by Indonesia. A sample of 115 US college‐age females was targeted to test 18 garments varying in attributes of three styles, three fabric prints, and two fabric colorways. Attributes were used as stimuli in generating evaluations of garment similarities and acceptance. Findings – Stimuli and questions performed well in collecting data, and convergence validity for the instrument was demonstrated through hierarchical cluster analyses and multidimensional scaling analysis. Findings from this initial testing determined that consumers can differentiate similarity and evaluate levels of acceptance for garment style, fabric print, and color. Research limitations/implications – The small segment of US consumers involved in this initial exploration and the need for further study is acknowledged. Research‐generated analytic information summarizing targeted consumers' responses can be used in industry and in future product development research. Practical implications – Findings, generated from consumer input, provide diagnostic information for the product development process including market positioning strategy decisions for enhanced product adoption. Understanding which product attributes should remain similar to existing or competing products and which attributes can uniquely deviate from those currently accepted in the consumer culture is also clarified. Originality/value – Research instruments are needed that advance measurement of consumer responses in evaluating apparel design characteristics for national or international product development and market positioning.