An Analysis Method of Anticipated UX Evoked by Packaging Design Using the Evaluation Grid Method: A Case of the Analysis of Packages of Boxed Flour Confections and Sunscreen

When considering the chronological order of product use, package design is mainly related to forming the anticipated UX, which predicts and imagines the experience gained from interacting with the product. However, in previous research, no method has been established for specifically evaluating the anticipated UX, and there is little knowledge about the relationship between packaging design and anticipated UX. This research aimed to examine a method to investigate the anticipated UX that users gain from packaging design in an exploratory and qualitative manner. We adopted the evaluation grid method, an interview and analysis technique that can clarify the evaluation structure that people have for the target of evaluation, and examined the structure of the design elements of the packaging and the appeal and sense of expectation that can be gained from them. We selected 20 products from each of two product groups for evaluation as examples: boxed flour confections and sunscreen. Ten people participated in the grid evaluation method survey for each product, and an evaluation structure diagram was created to summarize the results for each group of products. For flour confections packaging, the focus was on whether people could imagine what the taste would be like, and for sunscreen packaging, the focus was on concepts related to the performance and effectiveness of the sunscreen. These results show that it is possible to grasp the anticipated UX based on the user’s words using the evaluation grid method. The results of this research will contribute to establishing a method for examining anticipated UX and will be useful for achieving packaging design that enhances UX. In addition, the findings of the analysis cases presented in this research can be used to improve UX in the packaging of sweets and sunscreen.