ABSTRACT
Things, consumption objects and products have both tangible and intangible properties. Tangible properties are those capable of being perceived through the senses. They reside in the object itself and can be touched, seen, smelled, heard or tasted. They thus have an objective quality, as they exist independent of the mind. Intangible properties exist only in the mind of an individual. They emanate from the mind of the subject, or individual, rather than from the object being observed. Intangible properties are therefore subjective in nature, being mental constructs of the individual. They represent subjective associations brought about by previous direct and vicarious experience. So, as Figure 4.1 shows, whereas tangible properties emanate from the object to the individual’s mind via the senses, intangible properties emanate from the individual’s mind and are projected onto the object.
