RSUSSH 2020

IN20-090 Adding design value to Thai product with humour

Presenter: Suttichart Sarapaiwanich
Rangsit University, Thailand

Abstract

        Since the past until now, most Thai products focus only on function and mass productivity. They haven’t evolved over a long time, as a result, they are unable to compete with or differentiate over imported products that have more value with the same function and they are differentiated due to new designs added through the research and development process. The objective of this project is to find unique designs that add to the familiar Thai products in everyday life. It is highly possible to extract value from Thailand’s rich culture and unique traditional products and combine them with modern design to create new products.

              From many research in global and Thai products, this project found that humour is one of the powerful design ingredients that have the potential to create a rich experience in the use of everyday products. As the Thai people are well known worldwide for their smiles and a sense of humour, this study hopes to identify products that might benefit from this value addition. The selected Thai products for a starting point are Thai coffee-wares that have maintained the same design for a very long time. By adding incongruous ideas from another Thai product together, the results are a set of new Thai coffee ware with humour as a value add.

             This project found a method of mixing and matching familiar designs together to make the possibility of value-added design to create unique Thai product designs that can potentially compete with imported products and achieve a sustainable export worldwide.

Keywords: incongruity; humour; product design; familiar product; value-added design

Citation format:

Sarapaiwanich, S., Rattananan, S., & Wangsillapakun, T.. (2020). Adding design value to Thai product with humour. Proceeding in RSU International Research Conference, May 1, 2020. Pathum Thani, Thailand.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Walaiporn Nakapan (Participant)

Thank you Ajarn Suttichart for your interesting presentation. I have a few questions regarding humour. As might have known, humour is a cultural quality that is different from one country to another. Yous products use Thai reference, how do you think it will be understood in another culture if they were exported to another country? Also, what should the product designers be aware of when developing the products using a humorous concept?

Asst.Prof.Sudjit Sananwai (Visitor)

 

Very interesting topic, 

But I would like to know what criteria you use to determine which object is humour?

 

Because sometimes it is risky to point out whether that local object is  humour or not.

 

 

Suttichart Sarapaiwanich (Presenter)

Thanks khun Wilaiporn and asst. prof. sodjit for your participated and questions.

for the question of khun Wilaiporn

These products use Thai cultural and tradition design to adding value and these new design

will grab attentions to customer from their different. For the perception of each humour added,

It can't explain all details of reference, but we can add booklet or manual that give information

and the connection to our culture that can expand to another products in Thailand. So the differential 

of these products are the value to compete in worldwide.

 

For the awareness of using humour is the type of humour use in products. The product that use

the superiority humour can offense customer in some ways and give negative feeling to products

and branding. The another awareness is the quantity of humour in one product that will make them

complex to understand and may be misleading to wrong idea. So in my research, the quantity of humour 

use in consumer product must not more than 3 humours in any type.

 

for the question of asst. prof. sodjit

The theory of humours that I research has many ways to create. From my analysis, the theory of

incongruity that use two different thing to combined is the most effective for product design.

Because it's not the humour like joke or gag that use language and culture to understand.

So, in these new products, I use the different of Thai tradition design and global modern design

to create the new idea of products. I hope this research can inspire Thai designer to add value 

to our products from our unique culture not only humour.