ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the expectations that users form when they are confronted with audio products. It presents the results of a comparative study conducted with twenty users to reveal similarities and differences in their expectations for products in physical and virtual domains. The prevailing effects of the developments in digital technologies are not limited to the transformations they bring into everyday life, but also to changes in the way users interact with products, and their expectations from them. The analysis was undertaken separately for products in the physical and virtual domains, with the findings for both domains then cross-compared in order to elicit information on users’ expectations. The findings of the study show “usability” to be the most dominant criteria when considering user expectations of products in both domains, followed by visual aspects and then functional content. Consumers are increasingly embracing digitally integrated everyday products, such as audio devices, video recorders, and microwave ovens.
