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This research investigates differences in visual form perception of products in individualist and collectivist societies to help designers and market analysts design products according to their users' formal preferences. This study was conducted in two phases. First, five visual form types were selected out of 500 samples by design expertise for the test: geometric, organic, complex, simple, and symbolic forms. Second, three groups of American (highly individualist), German (individualist), and Iranian (collectivist) were selected based on their cultural dimensions. We developed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with the emotions to focus solely on limiting emotions. Since the emotions were in two opposite spectrums, four emotions were considered as positive and the next four emotions as negative. ANOVA was conducted for normally distributed data and Kruskal–Wallis test for non-normal data. The results of this research showed that people with different cultural dimensions have different reactions, feelings, and preferences to products with different formal features. While individualists embrace geometric, simple, and symbolic forms, collectivists prefer organic forms most. The complex form is rejected by all three groups. This research extends our knowledge about cultural differences and provides a very critical tool for designers to design their products according to their users' emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementing our previous publications, this paper presents the information schema constructs (ISCs) that underpin the programming of specific system manifestation feature (SMF) orientated information management and composing system models. First, we briefly present (1) the general process of pre-embodiment design with SMFs, (2) the procedures of creating genotypes and phenotypes of SMFs, (3) the specific procedure of instantiation of phenotypes of SMFs, and (4) the procedure of system model management and processing. Then, the chunks of information needed for instantiation of phenotypes of SMFs are discussed, and the ISCs designed for instantiation presented. Afterwards, the information management aspects of system modeling are addressed. Methodologically, system modeling involves (1) placement of phenotypes of SMF in the modeling space, (2) combining them towards the desired architecture and operation, (3) assigning values to the parameters and checking the satisfaction of constraints, and (4) storing the system model in the SMFs-based warehouse database. The final objective of the reported research is to develop an SMFs-based toolbox to support modeling of cyber-physical systems (CPSs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main assumption is that complicated systems, such as cyber-physical systems (CPSs), can be modelled by specific compositions of system manifestation features (SMFs). SMFs are regarded as architectural domains of a system having significance from an operational viewpoint. As system modelling entities, SMFs represent both physical and computing transformations of domains. Based on mereo-operandi theory (MOT), a computational framework for using SMFs in pre-embodiment design of CPSs is proposed. MOT offers a theoretical platform for concurrent modelling of architectural elements and their operations. The traditional ‘application feature technology’ has been generalised in order to provide a methodological basis. The computational formalisation captures state transitions and input/output streams, in addition to spatiotemporal, physical and/or computational attributes of domains. Domain transformations are represented by flows of operation (FoOs) that consist of time-sequenced and logically constrained sets of units of operations (UoOs), and processed by various computational methods as procedures. The domains of SMFs are aggregated into a feasible architecture, and their UoOs are combined into FoOs. An application case is used to explain the concepts and to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach. Further research will focus on implementation of an SMFs-based pre-embodiment design system and testing its feasibility and usability with designers of CPSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]