Volume : II, Issue : VIII, August - 2013

Gendering Bias in Product Design Decision Making

Arun Kumar, R. M. Belokar

Abstract :

This study examines gender bias of industrial products in the activity of industrial design. Thus firstly, the meaning of gender, related theories and gender stereotypes have been reviewed through the literature survey in order to pinpoint the stereotypical attributes assigned to men and women through society and culture. Secondly, the effects of the stereotypical gender attributes on the act of possessing products have been examined. In return, a literature survey on the cognitive aspects of design has been conducted in order to question whether these gender attributes might have a similar impact on the design activity. The findings of the literature survey pointed towards categorical information processing theories as an appropriate tool to gender type products and also as a tool to measure the gender qualities of a product. To test the applicability of the methodology of categorization a study has been conducted with industrial designers and industrial design students in which the students were asked to design gender typed products and industrial designers were asked to rate their perceptions of genderedness of the designs. The test revealed the existence of a mental liary consisting of categorized images corresponding to stereotypical gender attributes in the individuals, thus prepå the grounds for the use of this process in the industrial design activity.

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Article: Download PDF    DOI : https://www.doi.org/10.36106/gjra  

Cite This Article:

Arun kumar, R. M. Belokar / Gendering Bias in Product Design Decision Making / Global Journal For Research Analysis, Vol:2, Issue:8 August 2013

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