The development of a reliable and valid scale to measure aesthetic pleasure in design

Abstract

There is a lack of consistency regarding the scales used to measure aesthetic pleasure. They are often chosen ad hoc or derived from other research fields but never validated for design. Moreover, those scales often do not measure aesthetic pleasure in isolation, but instead include its determinants (e.g., novelty). Therefore, we developed a scale to measure aesthetic pleasure. We also included scales to measure determinants known to influence aesthetic pleasure for discriminant validity purposes. In the exploratory phase, we identified highly reliable items representative of aesthetic pleasure and its determinants across product categories. In the validation phase, we confirmed these findings across different countries (Australia, Netherlands). Apart from the theoretical contribution, this research has practical implications for guiding designers.