In a highly competitive market, product design is regarded as a way of communicating product meaning to consumers (Crilly et al., 2008), as a source of competitive advantage (Noble and Kumar, 2010), and as “an integrated practice fundamental to firm strategy and market success” (Luchs and Swan, 2011, p. 327). Product design can induce purchase intention in consumers (Homburg et al., 2015) and improve their loyalty (Chitturi et al., 2008), thus raising firm performance (Candi, 2010). Peters (2005, p. 39) also suggested that “design is the only thing that differentiates one product from another in the marketplace.” Product design is thus a crucial means by which products are made differentiable in today’s competitive market (Homburg et al., 2015). Additionally, Bednall et al. (2012) noted that product design allows a firm to distinguish its products from those of competitors, while serving as a brand identifier. In this context, it can be understood that why product design is seen as a key strategic tool underlying the success of companies like Apple, BMW, and Target (Brunner et al., 2008), and one that less flourishing companies, such as Dell, can apply to distinguish themselves from competitors ( Jana, 2008). Therefore, in order to achieve successful product differentiation, designers can take different principles that users value into consideration when designing a new product in order to generate positive psychological responses and subsequent brand loyalty. Homburg et al. (2015), however, noted that product design is generally measured in limited ways, and usually just by referencing aesthetics (Landwehr et al., 2013) to examine a product’s hedonic and utilitarian dimensions (Chitturi et al., 2008). By contrast, recent research extends further than one- or two-dimensional measurements and deems product design to be a three-dimensional concept (e.g. Homburg et al., 2015) comprising the three dimensions of aesthetics, functionality, and symbolism. Brunner et al. (2016) found that product design positively influences consumer evaluations of a product, which then affect their decision whether or not to purchase it. As such, this study uses this three-dimensional conceptualization, consistent with the work of Homburg et al. (2015), to focus on a single product category (i.e. smartphones). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time this approach has been adopted in this context.