Abstract

With the progress of society and the evolution of lifestyles, parents have increased requirements for products of infant care. As an emerging infant feeding aid, smart bottles for infants are required to meet functional requirements in design, with the user's emotional experiences taken into account. A hierarchical structure model was constructed in this study for the purpose of conducting an investigation and quantitative evaluation regarding the key criteria of design such as function, appearance, and material of smart bottles for infants. The importance of each design criterion was compared and weighed with the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology. With the combination of the theory and perceptual engineering, an in-depth discussion was held in regard to the appearance, color, and material selection of infant bottles. With users' questionnaires and focused group discussions, their preferences and feedback on different design options were collected. Finally, results of AHP analysis were combined with what had been acquired in the research of perceptual engineering in an effort to provide a scientific basis for the future design of smart baby bottles for babies. This research will help boost its competitiveness in the market of smart bottles for infants and meet complex needs of modern parents, strengthening user's recognition and goodwill towards the product.