Multisensory Design: Case Studies, Tools and Methods to Support Designers

A designer’s ability to control and consider the “invisible aspects” of the project such as sound, primary, but also other invisible sensory aspects such as touch and scent, represents a real opportunity in product development and takes on an important role in user experience and product interaction. The sensory aspect measures perceived quality, a dynamic concept that varies in time as the consumer’s taste varies in a world that offers ever-new products. Moreover, in recent years, the expressive and sensory features of objects have been subjected to an improved interest: sensory and sensual features increasingly characterise products in different contexts (from packaging to the automotive sector). Some examples of case studies of interesting and meaningful sensory-designed projects developed in the last decades are presented. Sensory evaluations can be a strategic instrument for product innovation: for this reason, designers have to consider multiple sensory modalities during the design process that can be supported by several methods and tools (both quantitative and qualitative), designed in order to measure the consumer’s “quali-quantitative” perception of the sensory characteristics of different products. This chapter offers an overview of the main multisensory design tools and methods, derived from different disciplines such as design, graphics, wine and coffee tasting, medicine, marketing studies, etc., conceived or suitable for implementation in support of the sensory design project at every stage of the design process; the contribution presents methods and tools that can also help designers (and companies) to be predictive, in order to innovate.