On computer visualization of interior wood

Sammanfattning: Our impressions are important for the decision of purchasing a product or not. If the product is not yet produced, communication in form of visualisations or representations is needed. Computer visualisation of interior wood products therefore requires knowledge about the feelings and attitudes the visualisation evokes. The aim of this thesis is to find and understand aspects of importance when people experience computer visualisations of interior wood. This aim also involved the evaluation of methods suitable for these investigations. The research work constitutes a journey from a qualitative to a quantitative approach. The first two studies used interviews and Grounded theory for categorising the words used when looking at images. The next two studies used different methods to measure and quantify such experiences; preference-mapping through multivariate analysis and a ranking procedure for the assessment of different aspects. The final study used the method of Kansei Engineering for connecting subjective data to physical properties. The research presented in this thesis contributes to theory and practice in two main ways. First, the results indicate what aspects are important when computer visualising wood and to a certain amount, how important. Lighting conditions, colour and contrast is important for bringing the wood surface to life on the computer screen. The need for a "smart adaptation" of these aspects is also discussed, as well as the influence of the surroundings. Second, the methods used are a result in itself; learning how to work with a phenomenon like this has been an important side-effect. These findings are hopefully relevant for architects, engineers and visualisers as well as the forest industry and future research.