Group decision-making system based on a qualitative location function: an application to chocolates design

Abstract

When a group of experts is involved in the design of a new product as a team, consensus and Group decision making (GDM) techniques able to deal with complex descriptions are required. In addition, individual decisions based on human sensory perception, such as color, smell or taste, are usually qualitative and made under uncertainty. In this paper we consider a methodology based upon qualitative reasoning techniques for representing and synthesizing the information given by a group of experts in order to capture the sensorial aspects of the alternatives. A real application of the proposed GDM method to chocolates design has been conducted throughout 2012 with the Chocolate Chef Oriol Balaguer’s team. We present the results obtained by applying the proposed methodology to aggregate experts’ opinion during a creative session. In this session, some members of Oriol Balaguer’s team tested and evaluated combinations of black chocolate with six different fruits, considered as alternatives, to select the best combination for the design and creation of a new cake.