A Product Shape Congruity Measure via Entropy in Shape Scale Space

Abstract: Product shape is one of the factors that trigger preference decisions of customers. Congruity of shape elements and deformation of shape from the prototype are two factors that are found to influence aesthetic response, hence preference. We propose a measure to indirectly quantify congruity of different parts of the shape and the degree to which the parts deviate from a sphere, i.e. our choice of the prototype, without explicitly defining parts and their relations. The basic signals and systems concept that we use is the entropy. Our measure attains its lowest value for a volume enclosed by a sphere. On one hand, deformations from the prototype cause an increase in the measure. On the other hand, as deformations create congruent parts, our measure decreases due to the attained harmony. Our preliminary experimental results are consistent with our expectations.