Title: Semantics-driven design for bonding with human scent

Authors: Dominika Potuzakova; Misha J.G. Croes; Loe M.G. Feijs

Addresses: Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands ' Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands ' Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Abstract: We describe two design explorations based on human scent using a terminology of 'open' and 'closed' semantics. We define 'open' by: each design is a carrier or container, conveying something else (the scent), which has its own meaning, not designed by the designer. If a product has no such a carrier function, its meaning, although eventually determined by the user or observer, can be controlled to a significant extent by the designer; that is what we call 'closed' semantics. In the design explorations of this paper, the designs carry scent, which belongs to the olfactory modality, but the other sensory modalities are still relevant (one can see the design, for example, or touch it). Therefore, each product that is a carrier offers an interplay between distinct sensory modalities (one for contents which is downloadable, the others being more or less fixed).

Keywords: product design; conceptual design; industrial design; product semantics; semantic analysis; human scent; parent-baby bonding; human odour; premature babies; olfactory modality; sensory modalities; vision; touch; smell.

DOI: 10.1504/IJART.2016.078611

International Journal of Arts and Technology, 2016 Vol.9 No.3, pp.237 - 252

Received: 13 Dec 2014
Accepted: 06 Feb 2015
Published online: 26 Aug 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article