Scents and Sensibility: Product Design for the Senses
We use our senses to gather and respond to information about our environment, which aids our survival. Each sense provides different knowledge to be merged and interpreted by our brain. Our 5 significant senses — vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste — evoke emotions in us when combined. As a result, we often experience situations with greater intensity than initially intended.
The physical surrounding we live in, contribute to commemorating all these 5 senses so if they define our whole being, what about their presence in product design? Can our digital interfaces make users feel? Let’s find out.
User-Centric vs Human Centric
Users are the heart and soul of any product. Each design empathizes with them and is directed to solve their problem. As product designers, we put users on a pedestal and bring them efficient solutions as offerings. But in this maze of curating a user-centric product, we tend to forget that behind these lifeless screens are surprisingly simple humans — like you and me.
So what drives us, humans? Our emotions.
In his popular, record-breaking masterpiece — Hooked, Nir Eyal educated that our users build a habit with the products they connect with on a subconscious level. People don’t take actions that we want them to, they take actions that they want themselves to. And all of this is triggered by an intrinsic desire, a feeling.
Therefore, our humans should brew a relationship with our products which can only happen when they feel valued, cared for, and connected. This is where the senses come to play.
Our Senses Define Our Experiences
Have you seen the movie — Lucy? (Much love ScarJo ❤)
In this movie, Lucy (protagonist) gains extraordinary physical and mental capabilities after the effects of a performance-enhancing drug set in. She begins sensing little things from 10% to experiencing bizarre repercussions at 100% brain capacity!
Fact remains that as designers we should be augmenting human capabilities. Instead of locking them into meaningless digital interactions and engineering them to return for more, we can positively impact their conscience. Humans are capable of so much more and pleasant designs that make them happy cater to an optimistic and hopeful experience.
Design with Sensory Perception in Mind
Come with me to a coffee house.
If you’ve observed, most coffee houses have their doors open. We sniff in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and our heads turn towards the entrance. Upon getting in, we begin to witness the warmth encircling, mellow indie tunes playing, and people carrying on extraordinary conversations. We place our order with the barista and she tells us they’ve been using freshly roasted Tanzanian Peaberry coffee beans that you can’t wait to get your hands on. Finally, your cinnamon latte arrives and the first sip immediately takes your troubles away.
What just happened?
The coffee house was the designer. It used all 5 senses to create an unforgettable user experience.
The coffee was the user interface. One trigger led to another and the first sip turned out to be exactly what you were looking for.
Eventually, when you were relieved of your pains, you’d want to visit the same coffee house again.
When you’ve known and empathized with your target audience, you’re aware of their needs. People take decisions from their hearts and minds. Our senses persuade these decisions. So, a design that triggers our senses, helps us put them to use, and leaves us with a relaxing experience is a win-win.
The Functional Five
Sometimes while solving one problem, we tend to create another.
This makes me coin the term — Sensory Overload.
While using senses to poke the right human emotions remains the goal, triggering all five together in some domains can overwhelm the users. This may result in sensory overload and loss of customers.
To avoid this consequence, we need to gather the best possible understanding of the product we are about to create. Study and analyze which actions need the right amount of psychological push and then execute them.
Sometimes, you won’t be able to use all 5 but that’s okay. Use individual senses to strengthen the experience visitors have.
Remember what Steve Jobs said, “Design is not what it looks like or feels like. Design is how it works.”
Five senses or one, the end product should always be functional and friendly to your humans.
