Form follows function follows form: a generative structuralist perspective on consumer aesthetic evaluation as mediated by cultural capital

Abstract

The following research presents a study into consumer aesthetic evaluations of product designs in the New Zealand context. The aim of the study was to investigate how aesthetics contribute to the meaning that consumers get from product designs and the role that aesthetics play in consumer choice. The current research employed the generative structuralist theoretical perspective. It investigated how the moderating variable, cultural capital, influences both aesthetic preferences, as well as how aesthetic evaluations are expressed as a function of this moderating variable. These phenomena were examined through engaging the study participants in a quasiexperimental design which involved the trialling of a series of products within a category (lemon squeezers), and then requiring them to complete an open-ended written interview. The study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from the participants, which were coded and analysed to assess the relationship between the moderating variable and a number of criterion including: design preferences, response length and expressed conceptual and linguistic complexity. During the data analysis phase, a number of other interesting phenomena emerged. Generally, findings confirmed the theoretical proposition that cultural capital does have a moderating influence on the nature and expression of consumer aesthetic evaluation in the New Zealand context. While the results of this study are somewhat limited, they do have implications for both the fields of marketing and product design management. These implications also extend to other elements in the marketing mix.