Section banner indicating the start of a new section. On the right, 7 icons depict the senses: a heart and brain, an eye, a hand, an ear, a nost, a mouth, and an arrow (movement). Chapter 7 banner is orange with all icons highlighted.

7.7 Multisensory Novella

Man waving in the middle of the kitchen. Man says, Hi I’m Mateo, I’m an industrial design student!. Caption says, Hi Mateo!.

Caption says, Did you know that multisensory design principles support our daily routines in 4 ways?. Mateo looks curiously at the words flow, attention, sequencing. and focus and says, Huh!.

 

Mateo in his kitchen says I’m just about to make breakfast. How will these principles support this routine?. Caption says, Let’s see!.

 

Mateo says My coffee maker has already started brewing. I’ll start with the tasks that will take the longest, so everything is ready at the same time. A thought bubble shows items in order: 1) coffee maker brewing, 2) frying pan with eggs and spam, 3) bread in a toaster, 4) fruit bowl, 5) plate and cutlery, 6) dish soap and sponge. Caption says, I see you are planning a sequence for your routine. Your kitchen products can help you execute this plan!

 

Mateo looks at a smart home device and says, Feliz, play my morning jams!. The smart home device responds, Sure thing!.

 

Mateo stands casually in the middle of his kitchen. Mateo’s open fridge says, I make it easy to grab the fresh eggs and butter! His open cupboard says, My organization system makes it easy to locate Mateo’s favourite frying pan!. His coffee maker says I am luring Mateo with my fragrant coffee smell. Yum! Mateo says, It’s easy to flow into my breakfast routine when everything is in its place!, and the caption says, When your kitchen products help you happily focus on your task, you’re in the groove!

 

On the left, a stove is on with a frying pan of eggs and spam on the stovetop. It says, I’m heating the stovetop to the temperature Mateo sets, and I remind him I am turned on with my red coils. In the top right of the image, Mateo says to the smart home device Feliz, set a timer for 5 minutes. Feliz says, Will do!. In the bottom right corner, a toaster says, I make it so easy to have perfect toast, see?. The temperature dial on the toaster is highlighted.

 

Mateo stands in the kitchen with his hands on his hips. The coffee maker is brewing, the toaster is toasting, and the frying pan is sizzling on the stove. Mateo says I depend on these devices to do their jobs. That makes it easy for me to maintain focus. Caption says, Temperature controls and timers ensure that you don’t have to worry about wrecking your breakfast. You can simply concentrate on the next step!

 

In the kitchen, the coffee maker is spluttering. The smart home device is playing music. The toast is popping. The frying pan is sizzling on the stove top. The stove says, Uh oh, if Mateo doesn’t turn me off soon the eggs are going to overcook!

 

The smart home device yells, HEY MATEO! Your eggs are ready. Mateo is chopping a mango and says, Phew, good thing Feliz got my attention! I wasn’t thinking about my eggs at all. Caption says, Well-designed products provide feedback that supports attention-shifting.

 

Mateo sits at a table and pours a cup of coffee. In front of him are a plate with an egg, toast, and fried spam and a bowl of cut up fruit. He says, It’s so cool that these simple product affordances work together to help me make my breakfast!

In the top left, the stove says We did it! In the top right, the coffee maker says, Enjoy your breakfast! In the bottom left, the smart home device sings, Lean on me, when you’re not strong. In the bottom right the toaster says Woohoo! In the center of the frame, Mateo smiles and says I can see how multisensory design makes my tasks easier! One day when I am an designer, I'll design products that support positive user experiences like flow, focus, attention, and sequencing.

 

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Sense-It!: Insights into Multisensory Design Copyright © 2023 by Lois Frankel, PhD & the Sense-It! Team is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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