This study discusses product form perception within the context of communication. The emphasis is on meanings attributed to product visual form, and more specifically the correspondence between messages designers intend users to receive and the messages that users actually receive. Four groupings of appearance-based product attributes are identified / 1) social values and positions / 2) usability and interaction / 3) visual qualities / and 4) personality characteristics. The study was driven by the main research question / &lsquo / do users perceive the same meaning from product appearance as designers intended, or is there a level of mismatch?&rsquo / . An empirical study was conducted using newly-designed Turkish seating furniture to investigate the relationship between designers&rsquo / and users&rsquo / ascription of meanings to products based on appearance, as a means to validate or refute opposing answers to the main research question. The results of the study reveal that there exist some considerable differences between designers&rsquo / intended messages and users&rsquo / perceived messages decoded from product visual form. The study suggests that designers perform less well at communicating product meanings related to two of the four groupings: usability and interaction, and personality characteristics. Accordingly, these are identified as priority areas for improved message transmission.

Product form is the principal factor that affects the consumer response. It influences the consumer preferences in many ways and affects the success of the product in the market. The response is moderated by several influences including individual tastes and preferences, personal characteristics, cultural and social context and other situational factors. The purpose of this study is to find whether gender as a personal characteristics, has an influential effect on the perception of the product form. A survey was conducted with a sample set of mobile phones. To quantify the participants&amp / #8217 / perceptions, semantic differential method was used in which participants were asked to rate characteristics over a set of opposite adjective pairs. It is found out that, with respect to particular adjectives, responses to product form might be significantly different for males and females.

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