A group nonadditive multiattribute consumer-oriented Kansei evaluation model with an application to traditional crafts

The aesthetic aspects of products have become crucial factors in achieving higher consumer satisfaction. This study deals with evaluation of commercial products according to the Kansei, which is an individual subjective impression reflecting the aesthetic appeal of products. To do so, we have proposed a three-phase group nonadditive multiattribute Kansei evaluation model. Particularly, a novel approach is first proposed to generate Kansei profiles involving fuzzy uncertainty as well as semantic overlapping of Kansei data. Second, a target-oriented Kansei evaluation function is proposed to induce Kansei satisfaction utility according to a consumer’s personal Kansei preference, which provides a good description of the consumer’s preference. Third, after formulating a general multiattribute target-oriented (MATO) Kansei evaluation function, a nonadditive MATO Kansei evaluation function is proposed based on an analogy between the general MATO Kansei evaluation function and the Choquet integral, in which an entropy-based method is utilized to estimate the fuzzy measure on a subset of Kansei attributes. The main advantages of our model are its abilities to deal with semantic overlapping of Kansei data, different types of personalized Kansei preferences, as well as mutual dependence among multiple Kansei preferences. An application to Kansei evaluation for hand-painted Kutani cups, one of the traditional craft items in Japan, is conducted to illustrate how our model works as well as its effectiveness and advantages.