Implicit Methods for Testing Product Preference: Exploratory Studies with the Affective Simon Task

Design researchers often use interviews and questionnaires to measure consumer response to products. This practice is despite the inherent limitations of these “explicit” self-report methods. In psychology, “implicit” tests have been developed in an attempt to overcome self-report biases and to obtain a more automatic measure of attitudes. This paper investigates the adaptation of implicit methods to measure product preferences. Two exploratory studies were conducted to (i) establish an acceptable methodology for implicit tests using product images, and (ii) determine whether response to products can produce significant effects in affective Simon experiments. Results indicate that (i) the affective Simon task can be modified to assess product stimuli, and (ii) significant differences in consumer response can be measured within product categories. With further work, implicit tests may become a helpful tool for designers and researchers investigating how users respond to product design variations.