*Article* **The Influence Innovation Has on the Visual Appearance and Aesthetic Preference of Architectural Products**

**Mozammel Mridha 1,\*, Blair Kuys <sup>1</sup> and Safia Najwa Suhaimi <sup>2</sup>**


**\*** Correspondence: mmridha@swin.edu.au

**Abstract:** The importance of innovation for architectural products in the building industry increases due to global competitive markets and users' increased value given to the visual aesthetics of products. Visual appearance is crucial in architecture and product design and influences users' product choices in many ways. Substantial research on innovation exists concerning users' purchasing, adopting, and recommending it to others, but little research investigates the link between product innovation and aesthetic preference. This gap in knowledge prompted our investigation. Quantitative analysis of a survey of 114 respondents from Australia was conducted in this study to examine whether innovation plays a significant role in perceiving the aesthetic preference of an architectural product more than other visual appearances. Standard multiple regression using SPSS V28 was applied for statistical data analysis. Results uncovered that innovation explained the highest percentage of variance in overall aesthetic preference, and the innovativeness of a product strongly influences the visual appearance and aesthetic preference. The findings of this study offer new insight into the level of innovation for new product development where visual appearance is of high importance.

**Keywords:** innovation; aesthetics; aesthetic preference; visual appearance; product design; architecture
