Hybrid PAD-Fuzzy GRA method enhances emotional color scheme evaluation

Why It Matters

This approach offers designers a robust framework to move beyond subjective color choices and quantitatively understand how specific color palettes evoke desired emotional responses in users. By grounding color selection in user experience data, it leads to more effective and resonant product designs.

Key Finding

A new method combining emotional models (PAD) and data analysis techniques (fuzzy GRA) accurately assesses how users feel about different color schemes, aligning well with how they visually engage with products.

Key Findings

• The PAD-fuzzy GRA approach yields more stable and discriminative evaluation outcomes for intermediate color schemes compared to traditional methods.
• The resulting color scheme rankings show higher consistency with independent eye-tracking measurements, indicating better alignment with users' actual visual attention and emotional perception.
• The proposed methodology effectively captures users' emotional responses to specific color schemes without requiring overly complex calculations.

Research Evidence

Aim: To develop and validate a hybrid methodology that integrates the PAD model and fuzzy GRA for evaluating and optimizing product color schemes based on user emotional experiences.

Method: Mixed-methods research, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative user feedback.

Procedure: Developed forward and reverse Kansei Engineering models, collected user emotional responses via questionnaires, applied PAD and fuzzy GRA to analyze the data, and optimized color schemes using a hair dryer case study. Results were cross-validated with eye-tracking measurements.

Sample Size: 216 participants

Context: Product design, specifically color scheme development for consumer electronics.

Design Principle

User emotional responses to color can be systematically captured and optimized through integrated psychological and analytical frameworks.

How to Apply

Use the PAD model to define target emotional states and then employ fuzzy GRA to analyze user feedback on various color options to identify the best-performing schemes.

Limitations

The effectiveness of the method may vary depending on the cultural background of the participants and the specific product category being analyzed. The complexity of fuzzy GRA might still pose a learning curve for some designers.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: This study shows that by combining a way to measure feelings (PAD) with a smart math tool (fuzzy GRA), designers can pick colors for products that people will like better and that grab their attention more effectively.

Why This Matters: Understanding how users emotionally connect with design elements like color is crucial for creating successful products. This research provides a method to quantify and optimize that connection.

Critical Thinking: How might the cultural context of participants influence their emotional responses to specific colors, and how could this be accounted for in the PAD-fuzzy GRA framework?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research by Wu et al. (2026) presents a hybrid approach integrating the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (PAD) model with fuzzy Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) to enhance the evaluation of color schemes based on user emotional experiences. The study found that this combined methodology provides more stable and discriminative outcomes, aligning closely with user visual attention, offering a robust framework for designers aiming to optimize the emotional impact of color in their projects.

Project Tips

• When researching user emotions, consider using established models like PAD to categorize responses.
• Explore data analysis techniques like fuzzy GRA if your research involves complex or vague user data.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the importance of user emotional response in design and when proposing methods for evaluating design elements like color.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how to move from subjective user feedback to objective design decisions, particularly concerning emotional impact.

Independent Variable: ["Color schemes","Emotional responses (PAD scores)"]

Dependent Variable: ["Stability and discriminative power of evaluation outcomes","Consistency with eye-tracking measurements"]

Controlled Variables: ["Product type (hair dryer)","Questionnaire design","Eye-tracking methodology"]

Strengths

• Integration of multiple theoretical models (PAD, KE) and analytical techniques (fuzzy GRA).
• Validation of findings through a case study and cross-validation with objective measurements (eye-tracking).

Critical Questions

• To what extent can the PAD-fuzzy GRA framework be generalized to other design domains beyond consumer electronics?
• What are the practical implications of implementing fuzzy GRA for designers with limited statistical expertise?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the emotional impact of different material textures or forms using a similar hybrid approach, combining user perception models with advanced data analysis.

Source

A hybrid color emotional experience approach: Integrating the pleasure-arousal-dominance model with fuzzy grey relational analysis. · PLoS ONE · 2026 · 10.1371/journal.pone.0341895