Abstract
Haptic aesthetics—design qualities perceived through touch—play a vital role in crafting meaningful design experiences. Yet, within contemporary practice, they remain underrepresented compared to visual aesthetics, particularly in how they are prioritised and communicated throughout the design process. This study investigates how designers and architects engage with haptic aesthetics, focusing on their prior it is ation in practice and their inclusion in project briefs. Drawing on survey data from 55 professionals in industrial, product, architectural, and interior design disciplines, findings reveal a strong recognition of the emotional and experiential value of tactile interaction. However, haptic considerations are seldom embedded in formal project briefs, and their prioritization diminishes in collaborative team settings. The study also highlights the importance of physical tools—such as material libraries and sample sets—in supporting tangible and embodied engagement, though these are typically introduced after planning stages. We argue for earlier integration of haptic knowledge and explicit inclusion within design briefs to support material-centred creativity as we enter the age AI AI- driven design. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on sensory design and expands our understanding of how designers might better integrate haptic aesthetics in an era increasingly dominated by visual and computational design tools.
Keywords
Haptic Aesthetics; User Experience; Embodied Interactions; Tactile Experience
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.175
Citation
Rodda, J., Ranscombe, C.,and Kuys, B.(2025) Haptic Aesthetics in Practice: Investigating How Designers Prioritise and Communicate Tactile Qualities when Crafting Design Experiences, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.175
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 3 - Design, Art & Technology
Haptic Aesthetics in Practice: Investigating How Designers Prioritise and Communicate Tactile Qualities when Crafting Design Experiences
Haptic aesthetics—design qualities perceived through touch—play a vital role in crafting meaningful design experiences. Yet, within contemporary practice, they remain underrepresented compared to visual aesthetics, particularly in how they are prioritised and communicated throughout the design process. This study investigates how designers and architects engage with haptic aesthetics, focusing on their prior it is ation in practice and their inclusion in project briefs. Drawing on survey data from 55 professionals in industrial, product, architectural, and interior design disciplines, findings reveal a strong recognition of the emotional and experiential value of tactile interaction. However, haptic considerations are seldom embedded in formal project briefs, and their prioritization diminishes in collaborative team settings. The study also highlights the importance of physical tools—such as material libraries and sample sets—in supporting tangible and embodied engagement, though these are typically introduced after planning stages. We argue for earlier integration of haptic knowledge and explicit inclusion within design briefs to support material-centred creativity as we enter the age AI AI- driven design. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on sensory design and expands our understanding of how designers might better integrate haptic aesthetics in an era increasingly dominated by visual and computational design tools.