중국 실버세대 건강기능식품 패키지디자인의 행동유도(Affordance) 특성 연구 = A Study of the Affordance Characteristics of Chinese Silver Generation Health Supplement Package Designs

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In response to the challenges of an aging society, this study investigates how health functional food package design can improve usability and information comprehension for elderly consumers. The research framework is based on affordance theory, which is categorized into four dimensions: perceptual, cognitive, functional, and behavioral affordance. The study analyzes five top-selling health supplement products from four leading brands—By-Health, Wonderlab, Laonong, and Zishi—selected from China's major e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative case analysis with quantitative frequency analysis, focusing on visual design elements (text, color, graphics, layout) and functional design elements (structure, material technique, and opening method).
The results identify effective design elements for each dimension of affordance. High-contrast colors and tactile textures contributed to perceptual affordance; clear information structure and high readability enhanced cognitive affordance; ergonomic and easy-to-open packaging supported functional affordance; and intuitive visual flow and guided interaction patterns were effective for behavioral affordance. These findings suggest that packaging design plays a critical role not only in delivering product information but also in building trust and enhancing usability for elderly consumers.
This study proposes concrete design strategies that reflect the physiological and cognitive characteristics of the silver generation, providing practical implications and future directions for product designers, brand developers, and policymakers in the field of health supplement packaging design.