Investigating the Impact of Socio-cultural Factors on Culture-based Product Design

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.

2 Faculty of Design, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Cultural elements fundamentally shape human interaction with artifacts, influencing their design, adoption, and role in daily life. Prioritizing these factors hierarchically is critical for advancing culture-centered design frameworks. This study systematically identifies socio-cultural parameters through a three-phase methodology to propose a structured design model. First, a PRISMA-guided systematic review of 35 peer-reviewed articles (retrieved via Google Scholar using keywords: culture, social-cultural factors, and design) was conducted, culminating in 13 studies for analysis. Next, manual content analysis using thematic coding extracted recurrent socio-cultural terms (e.g., tradition, values, symbolism) to identify prioritized cultural dimensions, including material practices and belief systems. Finally, the dispersion of these factors across functional, symbolic, and aesthetic design layers was mapped, informing a hierarchical model. This model delineates how macro-level cultural norms (e.g., collective identity) inform meso-level usability principles and micro-level aesthetic choices (e.g., ornamentation), offering designers a structured approach to navigate cultural context. Results emphasize the dynamic interplay between societal values and product lifecycle integration, highlighting the necessity of embedding ranked cultural priorities into design workflows to enhance user acceptance. The study contributes a replicable methodology for cross-cultural design research and actionable guidelines to operationalize socio-cultural awareness in innovation processes. This framework fosters culturally resonant and sustainable outcomes by aligning design practices with cultural hierarchies, addressing gaps in theoretical and applied culture-centered design discourse.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 5, Issue 2
December 2024
Pages 243-254

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