Evaluation Method and the Influence of Visual Comfort of Ceramic Tiles in Indoor Environment—A Study Based on the Delphi and AHP

Abstract

People spend most of their time indoors, and the visual characteristics of indoor building materials affect not only the quality of the indoor environment, but also the well-being of individuals. Ceramic tiles are widely used in interior decoration of buildings due to their aesthetic appeal and ease of maintenance. However, there is currently a lack of a comprehensive framework for assessing the visual comfort of ceramic tile design. This study established an evaluation system using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Delphi method to collect perceptual words, extract evaluation indices, and calculate weights. A visual comfort scale for ceramic tiles, comprising three dimensions and twelve indices, was developed. A total of 342 questionnaires were analyzed using six types of tiles, and the multidimensional visual comfort scores of the various ceramic tile samples were statistically examined. An analysis of variance was conducted to investigate the effects of tile brightness, texture, and participant gender on visual comfort. The findings indicate that tile brightness and texture significantly affect the overall visual comfort score (p < 0.001; p < 0.001), with light-toned, non-textured tiles providing higher visual comfort (3.949). Although gender did not significantly affect the overall visual comfort scores, it did influence the evaluation scores in certain dimensions. Men rated the aesthetic comfort of tiles lower than women (p = 0.035), but they rated the emotional comfort of medium-toned and non-textured tiles higher (p = 0.003; p = 0.017). In terms of theoretical significance, the establishment of this evaluation model can expand the research content and methods of ceramic tiles, which are crucial architectural decoration materials. In terms of practical significance, this study provides an evaluation method and partial evaluation information for designers, enabling them to assess and enhance the visual experience of tiles based on the specific needs of interior spaces and the characteristics of the visual subject.