Application of Experton Theory in the Sensory Analysis of Cell Phone Flaps

Sensory metrology, which aims to define the organoleptic characteristics of products, is an increasingly important method in product design. The results obtained from sensory analysis indicate which features stimulate the senses and preferences of customers. This information enables designers to create competitive products (Bassereau, 2001 Bassereau , J. F. ( 2001 ). Métrologie sensorielle du toucher , Association des Ingénieurs Diplômés de l'ESIM , pp. 10 – 16 . [Google Scholar]; Lageat et al., 1999 Lageat , T. , Durandau , C. ( 1999 ). Marketing sensoriel: la Polysensorialité des emballages . Proceedings of the 2nd Meeting on Sensorial Marketing ; Paris ; Eurosyn . [Google Scholar]). Expert judgment is one of the most significant features of sensory analysis, but it is very delicate to process. Experts use calibrated subjective judgments to value the sensory characteristics of products. They assign marks, which are generally aggregated to produce the model of an “average expert.” This model does not take into account either the reliability or the confidence of each expert in his or her own judgment. To solve this problem, we have applied the Experton theory, which allows each expert to express a level of confidence in his or her own judgment and enables all experts' answers to be retained.