Perceived Design Cues and the Valorization of Innovative Product Forms[Signes perçus et valorisations des formes innovantes du design produit]

The central issue addressed in this paper concerns the perception of visible product design cues and, more specifically, how innovation is conveyed through product form. Some products display strong visual signals that allow them to be categorized as innovative. What are the meaningful forms of these signals, and how are they interpreted by consumers? To better understand the perceptual processes at work—and to explore how strong innovation cues embedded in design can be strategically managed—this exploratory research relies on a 2.5-hour qualitative roundtable conducted with ten consumers from diverse backgrounds. The verbatim data will be analyzed using textual data analysis software in order to identify the key marketing dimensions underlying "design innovation." The contributions of this research focus on: Identifying strong and visually salient product design cues that communicate product innovativeness; Confronting the findings with Bloch's (1995) model of design perception and with aesthetic experience processes as interpretive frameworks; Proposing avenues for translating innovation through brand design, involving consumers in design-driven innovation processes, and developing new applications in digital marketing and digital design.