Multisensory design
Designs objects, spaces and services with all the senses in mind at once, and how they influence each other, instead of designing only for the eyes.
What it deals with
Design is usually conceived for the eyes, but people experience things with their whole body. What is heard, touched or smelled also changes how something is perceived and valued.
Principles
The senses mix
Light can make a place feel warmer, and sound can make it feel safer. What one sense picks up changes what the others perceive.
Everything tells the same story
When what is seen, heard and touched fits together, it is easier to understand and usually more liked.
Each moment, its sense
Sight matters most when choosing a product; with use, touch, hearing or smell gain weight.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Check how what you design sounds, feels to the touch and smells, not just how it looks.
Avoid
Signals that contradict each other, such as calm music with a stimulating scent.
Don’t fall for it
More stimuli is not better: too many at once overwhelm, especially people with sensory sensitivity.
Connections
Authors and works
- 2008
Anna Fenko, Hendrik Schifferstein and Paul Hekkert
Asked 120 people about their products and found that sight dominates at purchase, but other senses become more important with use.
- 2020
Charles Spence
Reviewed research on how the senses combine and proposed using it to design spaces, beyond the visual.
- 2018
Ellen Lupton and Andrea Lipps
Gathered, in a Cooper Hewitt exhibition and book, the work of those who design for touch, hearing, smell and taste.
Sources
Original sources
- Fenko, A., Schifferstein, H. N. J., & Hekkert, P. (2008). Which senses dominate at different stages of product experience? In Undisciplined! Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference 2008. Sheffield Hallam University. View source: Fenko, A., Schifferstein, H. N. J., & Hekkert, P. (2008)
Academic reviews
- Spence, C. (2020). Senses of place: Architectural design for the multisensory mind. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 5, 46. View source: Spence, C. (2020)
Secondary sources
- Lupton, E., & Lipps, A. (Eds.) (2018). The senses: Design beyond vision. Princeton Architectural Press; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
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