Date of Award

8-2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Legacy Department

Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design

Committee Chair/Advisor

Haynes, Cynthia

Committee Member

Billings , Andrew

Committee Member

Holmevik , Jan

Committee Member

Hung , Christina

Abstract

This dissertation details the development of a consensus-centered strategy for managing packaging design projects that enables designers from various fields to participate (seriously play) in the development process. The Work/Flow developed was quantified though a series of empirical eye-tracking experiments to determine if objects produced through the system resulted in longer fixation durations than the control. It was determined that packages developed through the Work/Flow were significantly more persuasive than the control (P < 0.0005).
The second experiment observed the effectiveness of designs produced through the Work/Flow in respect to the competitive retail array. Out of three product categories tested, one package was developed which garnered significantly different total fixation duration than the competition (P < 0.0005). The remaining two packages failed to significantly attract attention more than the competitive array. However, the results showed that the designs developed did not differ, and thus all designs produced through the Work/Flow were as equally as persuasive against the competition.
The dissertation details an intensive review of literature on three areas of study: serious design and play, participatory strategies, and rhetorical persuasion and seduction. The last chapter provides a detailed analysis and description of implementing the teaching and communicating the Work/Flow to professional packaging engineers, designers from various backgrounds, and academia.

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