How car designs grab you

By Bill McLauchlan

Car design proven to be on a par with the most basic of human emotions.

Have you ever wondered why we prefer some car designs and not others? Why men and women have different automotive styling tastes? Can car design trigger a response within 
us that’s on a par with our most basic human emotions?

Volvo's new Concept Coupe stirs emotions

Well, the first scientific experiment of its kind has just shown that beautiful car design can tangibly evoke a powerful range of feelings similar to those we experience deep down in our psyche. The experiment, conducted by Swedish automaker Volvo, in collaboration with EEG specialists Myndplay, tested respondents to analyze how the brain reacts emotionally to car design and how design aesthetics actually make us feel.

We’re all familiar with EEGs, the recording of electrical activity along the scalp and measuring voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain. The experiment proved that humans react emotionally to the shape of a car, with men in particular seeming almost genetically programmed to like sleek design with beautiful lines. Hardly an earth-shaking revelation, but there you are. Now there's scientific proof to explain why you can stare raptly at a voluptuously shaped fender or a sensual body shape. Jaguar's original XK-E roadster quickly comes to mind on that score, as does the way light plays on the various curves and sheet metal shapes of a Porsche 944 Turbo.
  

The recent experiment was conducted to coincide with the launch of Volvo’s new Concept Coupe, the first expressive interpretation of the car maker’s new design strategy aimed at building a more emotive connection with the brand.

Participants were asked to rate a series of images while wearing a dry sensor EEG headset (below) that measured brainwave activity in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. The images included the new Concept Coupe alongside perceived ‘bad’ and ‘out-dated’ car design, visuals of happy/crying babies as well as men and women considered to be ‘beautiful’.

Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, said: “This survey finally proves what we’ve always suspected. Beautiful car design can elicit strong emotional responses ranging from a positive frame of mind to a sense of empowerment.”
Here’s what the experiment discovered:

• Men experienced more emotion while looking at images of beautiful car design than they did looking at an image of a crying child.

• Women displayed an emotional intensity to the picture of a crying baby that was almost double that of male participants.

• 74% of men claimed that good design made them feel positive.

• Only 33% of women rated images of car design higher than an image of an attractive man.

• 60% of men claimed that driving a beautiful car makes them feel confident and empowered.

Heatmap, male

Heatmap, female

A parallel survey conducted by OnePoll revealed that 43% of men said they found the car shape and design to be the most appealing aspect, over the interior, gadgets, wheels and engine. The front of the car was the most attractive feature for men, in contrast to the reaction from women where the rear of the car scored the most highly.

The only image where both men and women shared the same reaction was that of a crying baby. They both expressed the highest emotional intensity and the highest negative score of all images. Women displayed the most emotional response to the crying baby, whereas men demonstrated more emotion looking at pictures of beautiful car design than to the picture of the distressed child.

But, unfortunately, what the study evidently didn't explore was whether or not the emotional impact of car design differs between younger and older people. It would have been interesting, for example, to see, say, how a 25- and a 50-year-old male responded to a staid family sedan or a sports car like Corvette's new Stingray. Or women for that matter.
    
Click here to explore the Volvo Concept Coupé in 3D and create your own personalised heat map: www.EmotionOfDesign.com