Context : The Effects of Environment on Product Design and Evaluation

Context: The Effects of Environment on Product Design and Evaluation addresses the environment, or context, in which we consume products and the impact of context on choice and acceptability. The book explores what context is, how it influences design by specialists, and acceptance by consumers. Chapters discuss the basics of context, food and drink in context, testing a range of other products, and other contextual variables. Historically, research on context has been done in the laboratory and various natural locations, but rapid growth in other methods to study context, including evoked contexts, immersive contexts, virtual reality contexts, and more have widened research possibilities.

Appealing to the professional, academic and commercial markets, this book will be of interest to those who conduct research in product development and product testing, to those who study what controls product usage, including eating from the health perspective, and to those who make decisions about product and space development.

• Explores information on how context works and how to assess its influence on product decisions
• Discusses the basics of context, food and drink in context, and testing other products in context, including personal care products and home and workspace design
• Identifies variables that contribute to the contextual experience

Dr. Herbert L. Meiselman is an internationally known expert in sensory and consumer research, product development, and food service. He received his training in Psychology and Biology at the University of Chicago, University of Massachusetts, and Cornell University. He retired as Senior Research Scientist at Natick Laboratories where he was the highest-ranking Research Psychologist in the U.S. government. His accomplishments were recognized with a 2005 Award from the President of the United States. He has served in Editorial roles for Food Quality and Preference, Journal of Foodservice, and Appetite. Dr. Meiselman was Co-Chairman of the 2003 Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium; he serves on the Executive Committee of the Pangborn Symposia. His current research interests include context/environment, emotion, wellness, and psychographics.