SENSORY REACTIONS IN NUMBERS INSTEAD OF ADJECTIVES 279 likes. This is in the nature of an opinion survey. Applied to our problem, such a method has little v. alue. To ask a consumer what flavor, or odor, or color he likes (or dislikes) without actually sub- jecting his senses to the conditions under investigation is inadequate. 2. The consumer "rates" a phe- nomenon i.e., he observes some flavor, odor, or color and "rates" it excellent, very good, good, fair, etc. This method is open to two serious objections: (a) These words do not have the same meanings to all consumers. (b) Aside from the meaning of the words, the rating is made to a subjective standard which differs from one person to another, and which changes in the same person from day to day, as evidenced by reproducible experiments. 3. The consumer is asked to compare two or more phenomena with one another. In terms of re- producibility of results, this method has far outstripped the earlier techniques, and is today the best of the available methods. Its effec- tiveness lies in the fact that the standard of comparison is a physi- cal, objective thing instead of a mental, subjective concept. Here is the way it works. A pair of phenomena A and B is shown to the consumer. He states a preference. Other pairs, such as A and C, B and C, etc., are also shown to the consumer, as well as repetitions of A and B. In this way, we can discover, in the sub- sequent analysis any real prefer- ence of the consumer. We can also discover whether the dif- ference is big enough to be detected by consumers. If, for example, some consumers consistently prefer A to B while others consistently prefer B to A, that is a difference in taste between people. If, how- ever, the consumers are inconsist- ent, i.e., d•e same individuals sometimes prefer A to B and some- times B to A, then the difference between A and B is beyond the sensitivity of consumers to detect with precision, and they are guessing. In some instances it is very useful to discover at what point consumer sensitivity ceases. I have seen numerous instances of finickiness in factories which adds cost to the product without adding value. For example, in several factories finish- ing operations were being performed to excessively exacting standards. Yet in actual consumer tests, a more realistic finish was fully as acceptable as the deluxe finish. Appraisal of available techniques makes it clear that consumer survey for sensory reactions should be based on consumer preference made when observing pairs of phenomena. DESIGN OF THE PRODUCT To create a product which meets the likes of the consumers is the job of the designer. Whether the de- signer is primarily a choreographer, an electrical engineer, or a Cosmetic Chemist, the design function has much in common. It is the as- sembly of bits and pieces of a spe- cial technology into a concept

280 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY of a product for the consumer. In the realm of the cosmetic chemist, the basic knowledge is to discover the effect on various parts of the human organism when certain causes are applied. The more this knowledge of relationship between cause and effect is extended, the more completely can the designer create a product which truly meets the preferences of the consumer. Naturally, there are instances in which designs are created before consumer preference is known. The sequence is not important, since there is an endless spiral of interac- tion between these two things. At times we may engage in a study of consumer preference as the result of discovery of a new product. At other times we may engage in research for a new product as a re- suit of discovery of consumer pref- erence. In research and design we are again faced with a problem of sen- sory evaluation. But it is not the same as of evaluation of consumer preferences. Instead it is a prob- lem in relationship between cause and effect in the laboratory. In the consumer survey we are largely precluded from making meas- urements of physical and chemical qua.ntities. The consumer seldom can express his preferences in any such terms. But in the laboratory the situation is turned about. We cannot in the laboratory make measurements in terms of consumer satisfaction, but we can make them in terms of physical and chemical quantities of things, the time cycle, OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS the dimensions, the acidity, etc., and, of course, comparative costs. In this way the laboratory is really faced with two problems: 1. How to measure the phenom' ena under study in basic physical and chemical quantities. 2. How to make a quick and cheap test of consumer satisfaction in order to decide whether or not a given product has sufficient prom- ise to warrant more extensive study. In my experience, engineers and chemists have been sur- prisingly gun-shy about establishing methods of measurement in their laboratories and clinics. It seems so nquch easier to make a quick decision from a few limited observa- tions than to undertake the pedes- trian process of measuring, record- ing, and then analyzing the result- ant data with modern tools of statistical analysis. But if the chemist wants to build solidly there is no escape from this pedestrian process. Those who create and market a truly ne.w prod- uct can for a while get by without a solid base of knowledge of that product. But the competition that inevitably sets in, necessarily in- volves competition in the design and manufacture of the product. The quick and cheap consumer test is met by setting up a small clinic within the company itself, often composed of company em- ployees, though sometimes not. Because of the special conditions present, it is possible to use clinical methods which would be out of place in general field surveys.