*Design Affordance Does Matter: A Spotlight on Categorization and Evaluation of Hybrid… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112966*

if this means restricting its possible uses. These first two strategies are more likely to be deployed in stores where the spatial constraint forces the allocation of a multifunctional product to a particular category. An alternative strategy, which reduces the perceived risk for the consumer, would be to open up the possibility of finding the new hybrid product in all the product categories to which it can be linked. This strategy is more feasible in online offers where the constraint of location is absent and allows to reduce the uncertainty surrounding the purchase of this type of ambiguous product and to make the intention of acquisition non-risky.

Lastly, a much riskier strategy than the previous ones, but which could allow the company to open a new market and to be a precursor, might be the use of design and affordances to increase the contrast of the NHPs with existing products (on the level of similarity and suggested uses) and thereby differentiate their offering from basic categories. The ability of design to suggest the potential uses of the new product, as well as link it to existing product on the basis of their similarity, grants companies a key method to emphasize the degree of distinctiveness of their NHP. This differentiation potential assigns the product an original status (e.g., elitism and expertise) related to specific symbolic and sophisticated uses, where design (at both holistic and component levels) acts as a facilitator in NHP adoption.

As a limitation opening a research avenue, this study focused exclusively on the assessment and categorization achieved by consumers, on the basis of information conveyed by the product itself (external design), prior to any actual interaction with the product or social interaction referring to that product. Further, research would benefit from exploring the categorization process resulting from consumers' actual handling and interaction with the product (vs. showing the product's image) and the effect this has on the assessment of the perceived risk associated with the product's use and performance and should analyze the categorization changes that might arise when consumers gain knowledge about and/or experience with the functionalities of a NHP.
