The relative effects of different dimensions of traditional cultural elements on customer product satisfaction

•We used C-FKM to rank the priorities of different cultural elements in the design process.•Customers may prefer cultural products with a modern design element to traditional cultural elements.•The elements of “intangible” level and “behavioral” level improve product satisfaction more than those of “tangible” level.•Customers tend to choose products with cultural meanings rather to choose products with elements with superficial forms.

It is increasingly important to account for cognizance of local cultural elements during the product design process. The relationship between traditional cultural elements and customer satisfaction was explored in this study. A Continuous Fuzzy Kano Model was used to analyze the effects of different cultural elements on user satisfaction. And a design practice was carried out to verify the results. Twenty-four cultural product cases were identified and investigated. We developed a scale questionnaire to examine the cases, and identified and categorized the relevant cultural elements. This study identifies the importance for product designers of individual cultural elements, and ascertains which dimension of cultural elements better satisfies user requirements.Relevance to industryThis information is very relevant for designers and developers as it helps them to identify important cultural elements and estimate their effects on the user's satisfaction of products.