Design Ability

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring a consumer's self-assessed ability to design a product. Items capture general creative design skill, domain-specific competence for a particular product type, the centrality of creativity to one's self-concept, and peer-attributed design capability. Designed for use in product customisation research, the scale assesses dispositional design confidence rather than performance on a specific design task, making it appropriate for predicting engagement with and enjoyment of co-creation activities.

Response format

9-point Likert

Scale items

• I am a good designer.
• I have the skills necessary to design a good [product].
• Creativity is an important part of who I am.
• If my friends had to choose someone to design their [product] for them, they would pick me.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: The blank in items 2 and 4 should be replaced with the name of the product being designed (e.g., 'tote bag', 'card', 'T-shirt'). Two reliability estimates: α = .91 (Study 1) and α = .89 (Study 2) — Moreau, Bonney & Herd (2011). VALIDITY: Items loaded on a single factor in Study 1. NOTE: Item 3 ('Creativity is an important part of who I am') overlaps substantially with the Creativity scale (CRTV) — researchers using both scales in the same study should assess discriminant validity. Items provided via personal correspondence with Moreau (2013). Response scale uses 9 points.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Moreau, C. Page, Leff Bonney, and Kelly B. Herd (2011). It's the thought (and the effort) that counts: How customizing for others differs from customizing for oneself. Journal of Marketing, 75(5), 120–133.

Keywords