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*Corresponding author’s e-mail: ljh@sicau.edu.cn
Research on Design Evaluation of L-shaped Kitchen Cabinets
Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process
Siyuan Chen1, Jianhua Lyu1, 2, *, Zhihui Pang1 and Ming Chen1, 2
1Forestry College, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
2Wood Industry and Furniture Engineering Key Laboratory of Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, Sichuan Agricultural
University, Chengdu 611130, China
Abstract. Based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, this paper studied and established a comprehensive
evaluation model of L-shaped kitchen cabinets from four aspects, which are as follows: functionality,
aesthetics, economy and safety, the weight value of each attribute was calculated, then the model was
applied to a kitchen cabinet product design. The results show that the economic and safety factors have high
weight values in the kitchen cabinets product design, which means those aspects of kitchen cabinets product
design should be adjusted to improve overall performance. FAHP has high feasibility and effectiveness in
the practices of comprehensive evaluation, which can provide a reference for the evaluation and
optimization of kitchen cabinets product design.
1 Introduction
The kitchen cabinets are centered on kitchen furniture,
combining furniture and kitchen equipment, and
matching the style of decoration[1]. Common kitchen
layout types include L-shaped, U-shaped, straight and
island-shaped. Restricted by the area of the kitchen, 79%
of the users in China choose the layout of straight and
L-shaped kitchens, of which 41% choose the layout of
L-shaped[2]. Including cabinets, countertops, decorative
panels, hardware accessories and other accessories,
kitchen cabinets are a typical split structure. Since the
product evaluation process involves multiple levels, the
introduction of FAHP for the kitchen cabinet can convert
the subjective qualitative evaluation into quantification,
which is conducive to providing effective references for
cabinet designers and operators[3].
2 FAHP Theory
AHP was proposed by Professor Thomas L. Saaty of the
University of Pittsburgh in 1971. It can turn complex
problems into system-level problems and compare the
importance of each element[4]. However, this method
tends to be subjective in the establishment of hierarchical
relationships, and is susceptible to extreme values in data
analysis. Therefore, scholars introduce the fuzzy number
theory into AHP to form FAHP to solve the problem[5].
3 Construction of evaluation index
system for L-shaped kitchen cabinets
3.1. Criteria layer settings
Distribute questionnaires to people of different ages,
income levels, family types and occupation types to
collect the factors that influence their purchase of
cabinets. The survey results are shown in Figure 1.
According to the survey results, the criterion layer is
summarized into four indicators: functionality, aesthetics,
economy and safety.
Fig1. Factors influencing consumers' purchase of cabinets
E3S Web of Conferences 179, 02077 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017902077
EWRE 2020
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Fig2. L-shaped kitchen work triangle
3.2. Behavior layer division
3.2.1. Function and scale analysis.
The basic practical functions of kitchen cabinets are
cooking, washing and storage, which can divide the
L-shaped kitchen cabinet into three areas, including the
cooking operation area centered on the stove, the
washing and meal preparation area centered on the sink,
and the storage area centered on the refrigerator. Connect
the three points to form a working triangle. (Figure 2)
This layout has short moving lines, which can greatly
improve operation efficiency [6]. The accessories
required for the realization of each function are shown in
Table 1.
Table 1. Basic functions and related accessories of L-shaped
cabinets
Product
Features Related accessories
Storage
function
Wall cabinets, floor cabinets, high
cabinets, drawers, baskets, hooks,
stora
g
e compartments, countertops
Washing
function
Sink, upper water pipe, lower water
p
ipe
Cooking
function
Stove, trachea transportation or gas
stora
g
e device
The function of kitchen cabinets is closely related to the
size selection. Within the effective range, the length of
the longer side of the L-shaped should not be less than
1.7 m, and the longer side should be about 2.8 m. The
distance between the pool and the stove should be 1.2 ~
1.8 m, the distance between the refrigerator and the stove
should be 1.2 ~ 2.7 m, and the distance between the
refrigerator and the sink should be 1.2 ~ 2.1 m. The sink
and the corner should leave more than 30 cm of activity
space[7]. The basic kitchen cabinet space operation scale
is shown in Figure 3. The cabinet height and frequency
of use are shown in Figure 4.
Fig3. Human space operation scale
Fig4. Cabinets’ height and frequency of use
3.2.2. Materials analysis.
As shown in Table 2, due to the multiple materials
involved, the product structure of the L-shaped kitchen
cabinet is complex. Based on the above analysis, 16
items to be evaluated are summarized. According to
FAHP, all indicators are divided into 3 levels, including
target level A, criterion level B and behavior level C. As
shown in Figure 5, the evaluation index system of
L-shaped kitchen cabinet is constructed.
Table 2. Material elements of L-shaped kitchen cabinets
Product unit
structure Material types
Cabinet Block board, particle board, MDF,
solid wood, etc.
Door panel
Refractory door panels, solid wood
door panels, painted door panels,
PVC plastic door panels, metal door
p
anels, cr
y
stal panels, etc.
Countertops Artificial stone, stainless steel,
natural stone, fireproof plate, etc.
Hardware Hinge, slide rail, pressure device,
p
ull basket, pulle
y
, seal, handle, etc.
2
E3S Web of Conferences 179, 02077 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017902077
EWRE 2020
Fig5. Evaluation index system of L-shaped kitchen cabinets
4 Illustration analysis
Taking the L-shaped kitchen cabinet in Chongqing as an
example, the cabinet and layout are shown in Figure 6
and Figure 7. The cabinet material is multi-layer solid
wood composite board, the door board material is baking
paint board, and the countertop material is artificial
marble. The decoration cost of cabinets is about 20,000
￥, accounting for 10% to 20% of the entire interior
decoration.
Fig6. An L-shaped kitchen cabinet
Fig7. Plane rendering of an L-shaped kitchen cabinet
4.1.
Construction of judgment matrix
In order to calculate the weight value of each layer, the
judgment matrixes were constructed by pairwise
comparison, and the importance was expressed according
to the comparison scale of 1-9[8]. Taking the L-shaped
kitchen cabinet as the evaluation object, the expert group
completed the analytic hierarchy questionnaire. The
judgment matrixes of the behavior layer are shown in
Table 3 ~ 6.
Table 3. Functional judgment matrix
B1 C11 C12 C13 C14
C11 1 2 3 2
C12 1/2 1 4 3
C13 1/3 1/4 1 1/2
C14 1/2 1/3 2 1
Table 4. Appearance judgment matrix
B2 C21 C22 C23 C24
C
21 1 4 3 1
C22 1/4 1 1/2 1/2
C23 1/3 2 1 1
C24 1 2 1 1
Table 5. Economic judgment matrix
B3 C31 C32 C33 C34
C31 1 3 2 2
C32 1/3 1 1/4 1/2
C33 1/2 4 1 2
C34 1/2 2 1/2 1
Table 6. Security judgment matrix
B4 C41 C42 C43 C44
C41 1 3 2 4
C42 1/3 1 1/3 1/2
C43 1/2 3 1 4
C44 1/4 2 1/4 1
4.2.
Weight calculation and consistency test of
various factors
Solve the weight vector of each judgment matrix and
check the consistency. The formulas included in the
calculation steps are as follows:
Mi=
(1)
(2)
((3)
((4)
((5)
3
E3S Web of Conferences 179, 02077 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017902077
EWRE 2020
According to the method, weight vectors of the
criterion layer and the relative indicator layer were
calculated. As shown in Table 7, the fuzzy judgment
matrix of the L-shaped kitchen cabinet is A= [0.25 0.11
0.30 0.32].
Table 7. Calculation results and consistency test of L-shaped kitchen cabinet evaluation index
Criteria layer Indicator layer Consistency
test
Index Weight Index Weight
B1 0.25
C11 0.38
C12 0.32 CI=0.05
C13 0.09 CR=0.05
C14 0.15 CR<0.1
B2 0.11
C21 0.42
C22 0.11 CI=0.03
C23 0.20 CR=0.04
C24 0.27 CR<0.1
Criteria layer Indicator layer
Consistency test
Index Weight Index Weight
B3 0.30
C31 0.41 =4.09
C32 0.10 CI=0.03
C33 0.31 CR=0.04
C34 0.18 CR<0.1
B4 0.32
C41 0.46 =4.17
C42 0.10 CI=0.06
C43 0.32 CR=0.06
C44 0.12 CR<0.1
4.3. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation
A review set of evaluation objects V = {v1, v2 … vm} =
{satisfied, general, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied} was
used to express perception. The corresponding score
levels are 0.8, 0.6, 0.4 and 0.2. The comprehensive
evaluation score of the cabinet is 0.63, indicating that the
product can basically meet the needs of users. The
advantages of the product are reasonable scale, satisficed
basic functions, and environmentally friendly materials.
The disadvantage is that the appearance is insufficient,
and the development of extended functions needs to be
strengthened.
U =
= 0.63
5 Conclusion
The article used FAHP to establish a comprehensive
evaluation model of L-shaped kitchen cabinets from four
aspects of functionality, aesthetics, economy and safety,
and used this model to evaluate a cabinet product. The
results show that it is feasible to apply FAHP to the
evaluation of kitchen cabinets, and the economy and
safety of kitchen cabinets are increasingly concerned by
consumers. As the main furniture of the kitchen, the
cabinet has both basic and spiritual functions. While
exploring the hidden needs of users, enterprises must also
pay attention to cost control and environmental
protection of materials.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the support of Opening
Foundation for Industrial Design Industry Research
Center, Key Research Base of Humanities and Social
Sciences, Sichuan Education Department (GYSJ18-037),
and Project of Modern Design and Culture Research
Center, Sichuan Key Research Base of Philosophy and
Social Sciences (Grant No. MD18Z002).
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E3S Web of Conferences 179, 02077 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017902077
EWRE 2020