Exploring how lighting design in home appliances influences perceived personality traits, opens new avenues for brand communication. This study examines how lighting attributes in home appliances shape perceived personality traits. We tested two brightness levels, four colors, and five lighting forms, generating 24 lighting profiles applied to refrigerators and air conditioners. Participants rated each image with a lighting profile using the Big Five personality scale and a conjoint analysis was performed to estimate the relative contribution of brightness, color, and lighting form to perceived personality. Experiments 1 (N = 58) and 2 (N = 64) showed consistent associations between lighting attributes and perceived personality across both appliances. In Experiment 3 (N = 54), this study was extended to three additional appliances: a dishwasher, a washer–dryer combo, and a light booth. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that perceived personality was relatively consistent across appliances (average r = .66 –.84 across the Big Five traits), whereas preference demonstrated lower consistency (average r = .47). This contrast indicates that lighting-based personality impressions can generalize across appliances; however, user preference depends more strongly on whether the expressive strength of lighting fits the role and visibility of each appliance.

Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Related Works
    2.1. Anthropomorphism and Product Personality
    2.2. Lighting as a Design Element
3. Materials
    3.1. Lighting Design Profiles
    3.2. Personality Assessments
4. Phase 1: Embedded Lighting andPersonality Perception in Refrigerators andAir Conditioners
    4.1. Methods
    4.2. Results
5. Phase 2: Confirmatory Study
    5.1. Methods
    5.2. Results
6. General Discussion
    6.1. Major Findings
    6.2. Theoretical Implications
    6.3. Practical Implications
    6.4. Limitations and Future Works
7. Conclusion
REFERENCES

• Byeongjin Kim(Postdoctoral Researcher, Culture Technology Research Institute, KAIST)
• Jaewoong Kim(Senior Research Engineer, HS R&D center Applied Lab 3F/Lighting Technology team, LG Electronics)
• Hyeon-Jeong Suk(Department of Industrial Design, KAIST) Corresponding author