Product design for women - How can product appearance match to the diversity of women and their preferences

As the impression of products becomes more and more important, it is time to investigate the underexposed aspect of gender in product design. Research shows that differences in opinion and experience differ per gender. Marketing for women is already increasing. However, gender should not be seen as men versus women, as different types of masculinity and femininity can be found in both females and males. History shows that design for a specific sex is often based on wrong stereotypes. And designers and engineers (largely male) often design from an I-methodology. This paper explains that large groups of customers (largely women) are now being overlooked and how research should focus on this target group. In a case study, using two products specifically designed for women, significant differences could be found, using age groups as segmentation variable.