Sensory Evaluation of Lighting: A Methodological Pilot
2022 (English)In: LEUKOS The Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, ISSN 1550-2724, E-ISSN 1550-2716, Vol. 18, no 1, p. 66-82Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Current standards for light environments are based on technical requirements, e.g. luminance, uniformity, and illuminance, and do not necessarily describe all parts of the light experience to ensure visual comfort from a user perspective. Including experience-related requirements would most likely yield better lighting comfort. To do that, new methods for specifying and measuring the user experience are needed. This paper describes a pilot study exploring a new method to analytically assess perceived lighting properties by using a trained human panel and thus make human assessments more objective. The methodology is built on established sensory methods, where the human senses are used in product assessments, traditionally applied within e.g. the food, packaging, and car industries. An analytical panel comprising eight persons fulfilling specific selection criteria were recruited and trained to assess lighting products in a multi-sensory laboratory. The results show that the panelists were able to assess lighting by distinguishing between attributes and products. Significant differences were identified between the different luminaires, both in terms of sensory and physical properties, e.g. readability and glare. Conclusively, analytical sensory methods can be applied to lighting to assess luminaires in a non-subjective way. Physical and sensory attributes do not, however, always co-vary, which shows that data from physical and sensory measuring methods provide complementary information about light quality. This knowledge may in turn be applied in tools supporting the communication between different professions in lighting design and procurement to promote light environments that are both energy efficient and desirable from an end-user perspective.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor and Francis Ltd. , 2022. Vol. 18, no 1, p. 66-82
Keywords [en]
analytical assessment, Lighting assessment, perception, sensory analysis, trained sensory panel, Energy efficiency, User experience, End-user perspective, Light environment, Lighting products, Product assessment, Selection criteria, Sensory attributes, Technical requirement, User perspectives, Lighting
National Category
Other Civil Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-59764DOI: 10.1080/15502724.2020.1813037Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85106773219OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-59764DiVA, id: diva2:1682181
Note
The research for this paper was financially supported by the Swedish Energy Agency grant number 39707-1 and by Bertil och Britt Svenssons Stiftelse för Belysningsteknik.
2022-07-082022-07-082023-05-25Bibliographically approved