Search results

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of indoor plants on customers' shopping decisions in the restaurant environment.

The assumption of the research is that there is a relationship between restaurants where indoor plants are used and the customers' shopping decisions (restaurant entry and purchase). A hypothetical study was performed to test this assumption that was based on the digital images of two different restaurants (restaurant with and restaurant without indoor plants) modelled in a virtual environment. The Likert scale questionnaire used in this study was completed by 335 participants.

Results indicated that restaurants designed with indoor plants had a more positive effect on the shopping decisions of participants than restaurants designed without indoor plants. The statistically significant results between evaluations of customers and their demographic backgrounds were determined. The male participants with a 26–35 age range showed more positive opinions about the plant designed restaurants than female participants with a 36–55 age range. Also, higher education graduate participants showed more positive opinions about the plant designed restaurant than secondary education graduate participants.

This paper reveals a significant relationship between restaurant design and shopping decisions. Results of the study suggest that retailers and designers may be able to make easily stores more appealing for customers by designing them with indoor plants.

This study researched the effects on the perceptual evaluations of participants for the physical environmental factors of cafés using curvilinear, rectilinear, and mixed forms to provide for the spatial states of belonging, to increase the pleasures, and to extend the periods of remaining in the space.

This study used virtual reality (VR) technology to model the cafés designed by using curvilinear, rectilinear and mixed forms as an experimental environment. After experiencing the virtual images of the experimental spaces, participants filled out a “spatial perception” questionnaire. Perceptual evaluations of 415 participants regarding the environmental factors of cafés designed using curvilinear, linear and mixed forms were analyzed in a computer environment.

According to the analysis of the questionnaire data, the cafés using mixed forms were perceived as more positive for the factors of appeal (inviting, restful, warm and sincere), planning (well-planned) and space freedom (roomy, uncluttered, uncrowded, large, wide and free space) compared with the cafés using curvilinear and rectilinear forms. Furthermore, the cafés using curvilinear forms were perceived as more positive for all elements compared with the cafés using rectilinear forms. However, there was a more negative approach in the perceptual evaluations of participants connected to increases in level of education.

The research results clearly demonstrated that the different interior and furniture forms frequently encountered in cafés cause significant effects on users’ perceptual evaluations.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of window proximity on perceptions of employees in the call center offices.

A semantic differential scale composed of nine bipolar adjectives, four of which dealt with “planning,” three of “privacy,” while the rest measured “lighting” was applied for evaluation. In total, 92 employees at the TEPE Call Center in the Bilkent District, Ankara, Turkey participated in the research.

The results showed that window proximity directly affected the call center employees’ perceptions. In addition, a positive approach was even less affected when the location of the workstation was more at the inner part of the workspace. On the contrary, workstations in front of the window were evaluated more positively, presumably because the employees were happy at feeling roomy and by giving them a higher level of privacy, while also minimizing distractions and interruptions. It was also found that call center employees with secondary education responded more positively than higher educated employees.

This study was limited to examining the effects of window proximity in a call center on employees’ perceptions of an open-plan office. The study supports the results of planning, privacy and lighting, as well as the study on physical environmental factors, such as design, ambient and social, which are thought to be realized in the future.

This study presents suggestions that would be useful for increasing the working and solution-focused perceptual performance values in call center environments from the new generation of work areas. They should be appropriate for the psychological and physical needs of employees in twenty-first-century communication environments, especially in spatial environments and for the suitability of the technological equipment used.

This research solicits the opinions of the residents of the Keçiören district of Ankara, Turkey, in order to learn their preferences about their local postmodern environment where the municipality forces all contractors and architects to adhere to strict planning laws requiring Turkish folk and Islamic architectural references. The Municipality of Keçiören, as an agent of civil power, manages the architectural and urban transformation of the area from a district formerly composed of squatter housing to one comprised of, in the words of Robert Venturi, “decorated sheds,” in an effort to create a different looking environment rich in nostalgia and excitement. In this research, a total of 7 different sets of apartment façades were analyzed, with each set comprising three examples each of minimum complexity (representing the former condition of the district), intermediate complexity (representing “high” architecture designed by an architect, which does not exist in the district) and maximum complexity (representing the present postmodern condition of the district). The main hypothesis of the study was that preference rates would be high for intermediately altered “high style” houses by showing the existence of a U-shaped relationship between preference and complexity. That is, façades representing an intermediate level of complexity would be favored over less complex and more complex façades. It was also assumed that there would be a difference in the ratings of different age groups. A questionnaire was carried out with 50 adults (aged 30-45) and 50 high school students (aged 18-20) of Keçiören, who were asked to rate a total of 21 photographs from 7 apartment complexes with the help of a five-point semantic differential scales under three headings: preference, complexity and impressiveness. The results proved the existence of a U-shaped relationship between preference and complexity. On the other hand, younger respondents, compared to older respondents, gave more favorable ratings to the physical qualities of the photographed buildings.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of environmental factors in open-plan offices with the same characteristics but with different workstation partition heights (1.10, 1.40 and 1.65 m) on perceptual evaluations of office employees.

In this research, the effects of environmental factors on employees’ perceptual evaluations in open-plan offices at the Gölbaşı Region of Ankara were measured with a detailed questionnaire. The research data were obtained from 81 employees who agreed to fill out the questionnaire and who use open-plan offices.

It was found that the office environments with 1.65 m workstation partition heights were more favorably assessed for each of the items of planning and of privacy that form the dependent variables compared to the office environments with 1.10  and 1.40 m partition heights. On the other hand, the office environments with the 1.10 and 1.40 m partition heights were more favorable for lighting items than the 1.65 m partition height office environments. In addition, young employees had a more positive tendency toward the perceptions of environmental factors, including different workstation partition heights in open-plan offices, compared to older employees.

Results of this research provide a fundamental contribution for the impact of various partition heights that have substantial implications on the perceptions of open-plan office environments. At this point, as open-plan offices have important effects on the quality of employees’ work experiences, the influence of various partition heights on the performance of employees should be emphasized in future studies. The diversity of performance (reading comprehension, calculation, design, drawing, etc.) will be an important decision.

The significant contribution of this research is that it provides valid data and makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge in open-plan office design.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the effect of age, gender and educational level on customer evaluations of the design characteristics of fitting rooms/dressing rooms, such as size, levels of illumination, number of hangers, materials and opening types of doors in retail clothing stores. In the light of these results, the study aims to increase the satisfaction of the customers in retail stores.

These evaluations were analysed according to the demographic characteristics of consumers, such as age, gender and educational level. Since activities in fitting rooms require a certain level of privacy, the features that affected privacy were also considered in this study. The analysis was carried out with research designed for users of fitting rooms in Ankara, Turkey.

Results indicated that demographic characteristics of the customers affected their evaluation of fitting rooms. The statistically significant results between evaluations of customers and their demographic backgrounds were determined. In these analyses, problems emerged due to usage of fitting rooms. Most of the problems complained about were an insufficient number of hangers, lack of mirrors, lack of sitting units, small-sized rooms and poorly illuminated rooms. Moreover, the results showed that customers preferred a totally closed panel door for privacy.

This paper reveals a significant relationship between design characteristics of fitting rooms and customer evaluations of fitting rooms. The results of the study suggest that retailers and designers may be able to easily make stores more attractive for customers when installing fitting rooms.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the effect of age, gender and education level on customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes (colour, lighting type, musical genre/tempo/volume, circulation area, lighting, climatic conditions, ambient scent and cleanliness) in the context of retail furniture stores.

To that end, a questionnaire was administered to 273 customers who shopped at furniture stores in the Siteler district of Ankara. The reliability coefficients of the data were defined based on their percentage values. Then, to examine the effect of age, gender and education level on customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes, the appropriate χ2 analysis was applied.

Significant differences in customer evaluations of store atmospheric attributes emerged based on age, gender and education level. Based on those results, certain store atmospheric attributes (colour, lighting type, musical genre/tempo/volume) preferred by customers were suggested to enhance the design of furniture stores. In addition, the store’s circulation area, lighting, climatic conditions, ambient scent and cleanliness were found to have a significant impact on the duration of customer visits to furniture stores.

The study scientifically assessed the effects of age, gender and education on the perceptions of customers in terms of ambient atmosphere. Application of these findings to store design should have positive effects on the willingness of customers to remain in the store and should positively affect their shopping decisions.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on assessing consumer perceptions and functional evaluations of store cash desks (Flat, L- and U-shaped) in the clothing retail context.

To test the assumption that relationships exist between various types of cash desks and consumer perceptions and functional evaluations, a study was devised using digital pictures of three types of cash desks hypothetically located in a large store.

Results based on semantic differential and functional items show that consumers expressed a more positive perception of flat than of L- or U-shaped cash desks. Men evaluated the store cash desks more positively than women overall. Managerial implications are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.

This paper reveals a significant relationship between cash desk type and consumer perceptions and functional evaluations of cash desks. The results of the work suggest that retailers and designers may be able to easily make stores more attractive to consumers by installing flat cash desks.

The intent and aim of the research was to look at a particular house type i.e. a terraced house with four floors, which is one of the popular designs commonly used in the last ten years in mass housing projects in Turkey. There are four alternatives of the type related with the cross-sectional relationship with the ground floor level. Emphasis was placed upon the "semi-cellar type" assuming that even though the level of residential satisfaction gradually increases with the possibility of interpreting the use of the open-plan floor space, and by proposing new design elements to create more adaptable and flexible spaces, the users may still experience dissatisfaction with designs where the space cannot be revised. With the use of a questionnaire, participants judged their own house as a whole and evaluated its uses for different functions and activities, complained in respect of changes required, and finally outlined their plans for the future. Despite the high level of satisfaction with having a garden (a unique characteristic in apartment-saturated Ankara), the aspect of dissatisfaction mostly referred to was the kitchen-garden relationship (or lack thereof). The residents, especially the older ones, were generally dissatisfied with the multi-storey design of their house. They prefer to remain on the backyard level without changing floors in different seasons. Besides, the users spending the longest time in the house complained more than the others and the people spending variable time in the house stated that they preferred to change the floors in different seasons. As compared to larger families, the smaller families were more likely to change floors.

The purpose of this study is to compare the natural lighting performance of roof skylight systems in buildings with atriums and to compare the sustainability and energy efficiency of several roof skylight systems for educational buildings with atriums.

Five roof skylight systems previously assessed in another study were adapted for simulation. In order to determine the effects of each skylight system on natural lighting, all the physical data of the building to be studied were recorded and entered into a computer.

The results of the study showed that roof skylight systems should be designed both to limit light during periods of maximum daylight to avoid such problems as glare, flare, and so on; and to direct light indoors as fully as possible during periods of limited daylight. In this regard, the “Moving Sunshade Double Layer” roof system showed better performance than the other four roof skylight systems.

In subsequent studies, roof systems appropriate for natural lighting should be studied for other plan types, hospitals, public buildings and so on. Moreover, real structures in which direct environment measurements can be taken could be used for obtaining data, instead of simulations.

Use of the roof system suggested by the research will minimize lighting and air conditioning costs, and enhance building sustainability.

This study explores methods of taking advantage of natural lighting indoors through the use of roof skylight systems, and identifies the most appropriate, sustainable and energy efficient roof skylight system for education buildings having an atrium.