Research Design Connections

Culture and Preferences (12-28-16)


Evaluating Servicescapes (12-27-16)

Sheng and colleagues completed a comprehensive evaluation of servicescapes, the physical locations where services are provided.  They found “two . . . multidimensional servicescape satisfaction constructs—labeled perceived nestscape and surroundscape satisfaction. . . . Both perceived servicescape satisfaction constructs positively affected loyalty intentions. The direction of effects . . . was found to emanate from satisfaction with the larger surroundscape to satisfaction with the smaller nestscape rather than the opposite direction. . . .

Color and Willingness to Pay (12-23-16)

Lee and colleagues investigated the psychological implications of presenting images in full color or in black-and-white.  As they state, “participants’ visualization of the distant (vs. near) future is increasingly less colorful (i.e., more black and white). . . . marketing messages about distant (vs. near) future events lead to greater willingness to pay when presented alongside black-and-white (vs. color) images.”

Temperature and Taking Risks (12-22-16)

Syndicus, Wiese, and van Treeck studied how temperature influences decision making, finding that at warmer temperatures people seem to take more risks.  The team reports that when “two groups . . . completed the aforementioned tasks either in a warm (≥ 30°C) or neutral (≤ 25°C) ambient temperature condition. Participants made significantly riskier decisions in the warm ambient temperature condition. . . Especially elevated ambient temperatures should, therefore, be monitored in office environments to prevent impairments of decision making.”

Culture, Symbolism, and Design (12-21-16)

Blending cultural symbols in a single space or object can cause tension.  Yang and his team wondered “When and why do local communities display negative or exclusionary responses to mixing and blending of local and foreign cultural symbols in the same space or percept [whatever is being perceived]?” They found after working with study participants that were either America or Chinese that “the local community reacted most negatively to culture mixing when both objects were perceived to be icons or symbols of their culture of origin . . .

Young Children, Adults, and Responses to Music (12-20-16)

Franco, Chew, and Swaine report that young children and adults have similar emotional responses to music.  They state that as part of their study “novel child-directed music was presented in three conditions: instrumental, vocal-only, and song (instrumental plus vocals) to 3- to 6-year-olds.”  Music presented was categorized by the researchers as  “’happy’ (major mode/fast tempo) and ‘sad’ (minor mode/slow tempo) tracks.” Research with adults has tied feeling happy to hearing music in a major key with a fast tempo and feeling sad to hearing slow music in minor keys.  Also,  “Nonsense syllab

Neighborhood Conditions and Youth Health (12-19-16)

Voisin and Kim linked neighborhood conditions to the mental health and behaviors of African American youth.  They learned by analyzing data collected from “683 African American youth from low-income communities. . . . that participants who reported poorer neighborhood conditions [i.e. broken windows index] compared to those who lived in better living conditions were more likely to report higher rates of mental health problems, delinquency, substance use, and unsafe sexual behaviors.”

Store Design for Millennials (12-16-16)



Research Conversations


The images that people see as they work, heal, study, and, in general, live their lives, have a significant effect on how they think and behave.   

Casual office seating

It’s difficult to design a workplace where employees perform to their full potential over an extended period of time. Using Maslow to guide design decisions increases the likelihood that design-based objectives are achieved and employees have positive at-work experiences.  

Rustic bedroom

In much of the developed world, people seem to be struggling to get enough “good” sleep.  Design can make it easier for us to drift gently off into healthy sleep—and  to stay asleep—whether we’re at home, visiting a hotel, in a hospital bed, or trying to take a nap break at work.

‘Tis the time of the tiny homes.  What does cognitive science have to say about the experience of living in them?

News Briefs

Glass art

Curvier or more angular makes a difference

Dome view

Feeling awed leads us to think in different ways

Perceptions trump reality and moods matter

Psychiatric nurses have clear opinions about what is best

Noise has multiple roles in mental health facilities

A useful new way to quantify responses

 Changing spaces, changing experiences

Research-based recommendations

Book Reviews

Dream Cities Cover

Provides useful context for the development of in-city spaces

Design at Work


The design of Purina’s PawsWay center in Toronto boosts the mood—and wellbeing—of all of its users, regardless of species.