Noisy Products: Does Appearance Matter?

Noisiness is an important experience in the product domain, because everyday products may contribute to noise pollution. Some products, such as a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine, make harsh and unpleasant sounds. Other products may be less noisy, but working together may be quite distracting and annoying for their users. In a broad context, noise refers to irrelevant or superfluous information or activity, especially that which distracts from what is important (Simpson & Weiner, 1989). Perceived noisiness is not restricted to the auditory properties of products; bright colors and cluttered visual patterns can also be considered noisy and annoying, especially in situations that require focus and concentration. For these reasons, there are architectural regulations and business dress codes that restrict the use of bright colors in an effort to reduce visual noisiness in social environments.