Affording tactile sensory pleasure

Abstract

This project aims to understand an autists’ tactile sensory experience through the development of a tool that invites and inspires the user to explore and take ownership of their experience. It is to be shaped by the individual to support their body and emotional needs. Through co-design with an autist, the project tests and develops customisable knitted textures that do not evoke tactile defensiveness but elicit pleasure. It then builds stimulatory 3D textures that calms and refocuses the user. Through participatory workshops the project explores how we can use the embodied experience of textiles for self-regulation and allow users to create what they need rather than imposing a form. The learnings embedded in this project hope to inspire other designers to consider how we might create more pleasurable universal sensory experiences for everyone.