ESP-4433

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2025-12-25

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Vol. 10 No. 12 (2025): Publishing

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Copyright (c) 2025 Yanfeng Hu, Mohd Faiz bin Yahaya, Saiful Hasley bin Ramliand, Yu-Lin Hsu, Si Cheng

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How to Cite

Yanfeng Hu, Mohd Faiz bin Yahaya, Saiful Hasley bin Ramliand, Yu-Lin Hsu, & Si Cheng. (2025). Exploring the psychological mechanism of how the multidimensional features of computer products affect consumer satisfaction: An extension of the unified model of aesthetics (UMA). Environment and Social Psychology, 10(12), ESP-4433. https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i12.4433

Exploring the psychological mechanism of how the multidimensional features of computer products affect consumer satisfaction: An extension of the unified model of aesthetics (UMA)

Yanfeng Hu

Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia

Mohd Faiz bin Yahaya

Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia

Saiful Hasley bin Ramliand

Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia

Yu-Lin Hsu

College of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology, Fujian, 363000, China

Si Cheng

Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i12.4433


Keywords: perceptual organisation; cognitive evaluation; social meaning; visual coherence; aesthetic judgement

Abstract

This study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer responses to computer product appearances by employing the Unified Model of Aesthetics (UMA) as an integrative framework. UMA proposes that aesthetic evaluation arises from the reconciliation of evolutionary needs for safety and accomplishment across perceptual, cognitive, and social levels. Building on this model, the study incorporates key attributes—unity, variety, proximity, closure, symmetry, continuity, typicality, novelty, performance, security, connectedness, and autonomy—to analyze their contributions to consumer satisfaction. Data were collected from 211 computer users in China and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results show that perceptual organization cues, including unity, variety, and Gestalt-based principles, enhance satisfaction by supporting coherent and fluent visual processing. Cognitive attributes such as typicality and novelty jointly reinforce the balance between familiarity and advancement, while performance and security strengthen safety-oriented evaluations. Social attributes, including connectedness and autonomy, significantly influence satisfaction by addressing needs for group affiliation and individual expression. Overall, the findings validate UMA as a useful framework for explaining aesthetic responses to high-technology products and highlight the importance of integrating perceptual, cognitive, and social dimensions in product design. These insights provide actionable implications for firms seeking to improve user experience through strategically crafted visual and symbolic features.

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