Kansei /affective engineering design : A methodology for profound affection and attractive quality creation

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present and discuss the Kansei engineering (KE) methodology, and to reflect on the future development of KE. The paper presents a model of the KE methodology and illustrates how this model was applied on a simple example which all may understand – design of a new chocolate bar. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology is a combination of desk research (literature analysis), data collection, data analysis, reflections and model building. Findings – The paper suggests a structural model as a possible expanded framework for future Kansei /affective engineering research studies. According to the model profound affection is a result of the following six enabler factors: sensing experience; emotional experiences ( Kansei ); behavioural experiences/action; social experiences/interactions and relations; spiritual experiences/moral, ethics; intellectual experiences/cognition. Originality/value – The paper defines “Profound affection” as a very comprehensive state, which is a result of a combination of sensing, intellectual/cognitive, emotional, social, behavioural and spiritual experiences. “Profound affection” is not only a result of sensing or emotional experiences.