ABSTRACT
Consumer electronic products have a wide array of user interface designs (UIDs) varying from simple/complex layouts of buttons, and touchpads to touchscreens. This study investigates how product brand, UID, form (appearance) and function (technological capabilities) of a product influence consumer purchase intentions, willingness to pay (WTP) and product choices. Results from a pretest and two studies of reactions to various prototype MP3 players show that UID significantly drives consumer purchase intention, willingness to pay and choice. Also, this effect impacts purchase intention more so for stronger brands and products with more visually appealing form. Strong brands do worse than weak brands when perceived usability of UID decreases. Implications are discussed.
