What Really Affect Customer Perception? - A Window Regulator Sound Quality Example

A study was conducted to identify customer requests of power window sound quality and the primary factors that contribute to customer perception and preference of power window sound. Sound samples recorded from current production vehicles were evaluated by a jury panel on perceived sound quality using a semantic differential scale. Forty-eight subjects participated in this study. Factor Analysis results of the ratings found three factors: intensity, pitch variation and sharpness. Variables in the intensity factor correlated well to overall preference of the sound, while pitch variation and sharpness were secondary in contributing to the overall perception of power window sound quality. Further analysis correlated subjective preference ratings to psychoacoustic measures to develop a rating index for window regulator sound quality assessment.