data.pref: a data frame in which each row represent a product and each column represent the hedonic scores of a given consumer for the products
nb.clust: an integer. If 0, the tree is cut at the level the user clicks on. If -1, the tree is automatically cut at the suggested level (see details). If a (positive) integer, the tree is cut with nb.cluters clusters
seuil: the size of the area kept for each group of consumers
consol: a boolean. If TRUE, a k-means consolidation is performed
ncp: number of dimensions kept in the results (by default 5)
scale.conso: scale data by consumer
graph.carto: if TRUE, the preference map is displayed. If FALSE, no graph is displayed
graph.hcpc: if TRUE, graphics of segmentation (trees and indivuals map) are displayed. If FALSE, no graph are displayed
graph.group: if TRUE, preference maps for each group are displayed. If FALSE, no map are displayed
col.min: define the color which match to the low levels of preference
col.max: define the color which match to the high levels of preference
contrast: define the color contrast between groups' areas and the rest of the map
level: the number of standard deviations used in the calculation of the preference response surface for all the consumers
asp: if 1 is assigned to that parameter, the graphic displays are output in an orthonormal coordinate system
lwd: control the line width for the outlines defining groups' areas
Details
The preference mapping methods are commonly used in the fields of market research and research and development to explore and understand the structure and tendencies of consumer preferences, to link consumer preference information to other data and to predict the behavior of consumers in terms of acceptance of a given product.
This function refers to the method introduced by M. Danzart. A segmentation of consumers is performed, and a preference map is displayed for each group of consumers. The original preference map is built, the areas of each group are underlined thanks to a contrast, and the number of consumers is shown.
References
Danzart M., Sieffermann J.M., Delarue J. (2004). New developments in preference mapping techniques: finding out a consumer optimal product, its sensory profile and the key sensory attributes. 7th Sensometrics Conference, July 27-30, 2004, Davis, CA.