Design & SimulationJuly 15, 2022

Why great product design matters for market appeal

Once you’ve factored in cost, function and availability, a product’s market appeal is generally determined by perceived quality and value. In a world of almost limitless choice, that boils down to the overall look and feel of the product.
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Avatar Rebecca Lambert
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Prototype of Honda Life Creation Center’s lawnmower of the future, designed with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

What makes consumers want to buy a particular product over another? Once you’ve factored in cost, function and availability, a product’s market appeal is generally determined by perceived quality and value. In a world of almost limitless choice, that boils down to the overall look and feel of the product.

As authors Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Rick Robinson noted in their book, The Art of Seeing: An Interpretation of the Aesthetic Encounter, product design and consumer response go hand in hand:

“Throughout history and in every known culture, people have found pleasure and meaning in the use of their eyes,” Csikszentmihalyi and Robinson wrote. “They have consciously attempted to produce objects of beauty and have delighted in them.”

Understanding this consumer behavior, leading companies use product design to influence purchase decisions. Creative businesses and designers are utilizing industry-leading 3D modeling technologies from Dassault Systèmes to bring new ideas to life:

  • In Japan, Honda Life Creation Center designers use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform including CATIA to improve the aesthetic appeal of products. They take advantage of 3D modelling, virtual reality and collaborative applications to improve the way they share ideas and, ultimately, create better products that improve consumers’ lifestyles.
  • Italian fashion accessories supplier AMF works with the world’s most iconic fashion brands to enrich their products. It uses the 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud platform as a central environment for collaborative innovation, empowering designers to do live sketches and renderings on tablets, and work on new concepts in close partnership with clients.
  • For French porcelain manufacturer Bernardaud, the 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud platform enables it to create products that simply weren’t possible before. The company uses 3D design to create intricate geometrical designs and embraces modern manufacturing techniques to launch original new tableware.

As the market continues to move in the direction of innovative and sustainable design, here’s a glimpse into how these three companies are making their mark in their respective industries:

Honda Life Creation Center

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Digital modeling on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform has changed the way Honda Life Creation Center’s designers and engineers approach product design. Over the years, the company has shifted its focus from agricultural equipment engines to consumer power products such as lawnmowers and snow blowers. With that shift has come a renewed emphasis on product design.

“The evolution of the consumer buying psychology means we need to put more emphasis on product design, which would motivate people to take action just by looking at our products,” said Toshinobu Minami, senior chief engineer at Honda Life Creation Center.

Now that designers can express their ideas in highly detailed 3D models using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, as opposed to 2D sketches, they can easily visualize and share new product concepts that combine form and functionality.

Read the full customer story.

AMF

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From its design office in Paris, AMF has created an environment that allows designers to work as closely as possible with the company’s high-fashion clients. The Italian maker of accessories for garments, shoes and leather goods is constantly pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation and takes advantage of the latest technologies to facilitate the creative process.

Using the 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud platform, designers can meet up with fashion brand clients, collaborate on new ideas, quickly sketch concepts and visualize a realistic impression of the final product in 3D. The technology is not only streamlining the creative process but delivering transparency across the product lifecycle as the company continues to make its own production processes more environmentally friendly.

“We’re breaking down the barriers that limit creativity and helping to influence and shape each other’s futures,” said Andrea Vittadini, COO of AMF. “The fashion houses are changing their approach to work better with us. Our innovations have a real impact.”

Read the full customer story.

Bernardaud

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This French luxury porcelain manufacturer may be over 150-years old, but it remains at the forefront of innovation. Bernardaud constantly embraces new technologies and manufacturing processes to create tableware and home décor that keeps up with the latest style trends.

The Twist dinnerware collection and Jeff Koons collaboration are perfect examples. Brought to life using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Bernardaud has been able to reimagine porcelain with delicate geometric patterns and complex shapes.

“In our collaboration with the artist Jeff Koons, for example, we are producing porcelain pieces that wouldn’t have been possible five years ago,” Charles Bernardaud, director of development at Bernardaud told Compass. “Meeting the artist’s precise demands requires extreme precision that can only be achieved with technology.”

For more information, read the Compass article and watch the customer video.

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