Investigating the User Experience Design of Home Ventilators Through the Lens of Kansei Engineering

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a disease characterized by respiratory disorders, and its prevalence rate is on the rise worldwide. Home ventilator can replace or enhance the respiratory function of human body and alleviate the symptoms of OSAHS, and has become an important treatment, rehabilitation, and nursing equipment for patients. However, the existing products lack humanistic care in emotional level, which leads to negative emotions in the process of human–computer interaction. This study seeks to enhance the user experience of home ventilators by applying the principles of Kansei Engineering (KE). Through a principal component analysis of nine pairs of Kansei image adjectives associated with home ventilators, we concluded that users prefer home ventilators that are “friendly,” “technological,” “pleasant ,” “orderly ,” and “easy to understand.” These findings were utilized in the Kansei design of home ventilators. The effectiveness of these conclusions in improving the user experience of ventilators was subsequently validated using the PrEmo method.