4.9 Conclusion
The discussion in this chapter draws our attention to a variety of considerations about the quality of tactile experiences involved in product use. This is again, a human-centred perspective because no matter how wonderful a thing or the material it is made from is, it must be designed to provide an effective tactile experience for the human who is completing the task at hand. Often, we, as users, experience tactile sensations unconsciously and we acknowledge our tactile experiences when we say “it works”, or “I don’t like this”. Every aspect of designing for tactile interactions involves the creation of opportunities for human contact with something tangible that makes the task of using it possible and appropriate. This could be drinking a cup of coffee, working on a machine, or playing with toys.
This chapter provides insights into the ways we experience tactile sensations, and how materials and surface treatments influence those experiences. It isolates tactile design qualities that can enhance or detract from good user experiences. It offers a viewpoint and a vocabulary about tactile design qualities that provides critical knowledge for designing innovative products or incremental improvements to existing products. The product experience can be greatly enhanced when designers take the time to ask, “What does it feel like?” for the people who are doing the task or are going to do the task with the newly designed product.
Key Takeaways
The key takeaways from this chapter include:
- An introduction to tactile experiences starting with how we perceive touch sensations and continuing to the differences between active and passive touch in relation to kinds of product experiences from play to practical.
- Knowledge of the tactile aesthetics of objects that explores the tactile responses to different substances, whether they are hard or soft, elastic or plastic, hot or cold, heavy, or light among others.
- Exposure to the tactile aesthetic considerations of surfaces and skins, such as how surface finishes and surface structures can be experienced and the tangible applications for product skins.
- An exploration of surface imperfections that can affect users’ tactile and emotional perceptions of products, whether the imperfections come from material sourcing, production processes, material changes over time, or wear and tear.
- Awareness of meanings and emotional responses that users associate with the tactile aspects of sensory experience that influence whether they want to use certain products.
- Perception of the range of tactile design considerations that go into product design from the perspective of user experience and material appropriateness.
Chapter 4: Design for Tactile Product Experience
Reflection Time!
Instructions
- Type your reflections for the 3Ts below: Thoughts, Tips, and Tools.
- To download your reflections as a document, click EXPORT to open a summary preview, then click the export icon on the top right of the window.
- Use your reflections to recall the key ideas later and to apply them in future situations.
Supplementary Activities for this Chapter
The Sense-It! Activities are categorized according to the Catalyze, Learn, and Apply (CLA) model defining the intended learning outcomes of the different categories of activities. This learning model is described in more depth on page 8 of the booklet Sense-It! In Action: Facilitator’s Guide, along with descriptions of the Sense-It! Product Cards and Sense-It! Tiles. These supplementary resources can be downloaded here.
An overview of each of the Sense-It! Activities and instructions for facilitating them can be found on pages 10-19 of the Facilitators’ Guide. The activities designed to support this chapter can be found starting on page 54 of the Sense-It! Activities booklet.
The next chapter introduces the aesthetics of auditory design including the properties of sound, how we respond to them, and insights into the process of sound design.
Key Words: Touch, Active touch, Passive touch, Instrumental touch, Haptic feedback, Interactive touch, Tactile properties of objects, Material surfaces, Materials, Meanings
