Design for Soft Fascination

Bringing the outside in

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

A. den Dekker Industrial Design Engineering

Contributors

P.M.A. Desmet Human-Centered Design (mentor)
Govert Flint Design Aesthetics - IDE (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Industrial Design Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering
Copyright: © 2023 Amy den Dekker
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Published Date

02-03-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Industrial Design Engineering

Abstract

This project aimed to transfer a mood-regulating experience by recreating its mood-regulating qualities artificially, seeking an answer to the question whether this is possible and, if so, how. In the early stages, The Attention Restoration Theory by Kaplan (1995) inspired what mood-regulating experiences to design for: the softly fascinating experiences in nature that support the restoration of mental fatigue. A design opportunity revealed itself in realizing that, unlike nature, our indoor environments show few softly fascinating stimuli. This resulted in a design direction aiming to enhance restorative potential indoors by bringing the softly fascinating qualities from the outside in. 

This led to a quest in search of the softly fascinating qualities of nature. It was found that it's the self-similar patterns in motion, like drifting clouds and leaves swaying in the breeze, that attract our attention. It's the quality of unity in variety in the self-similar patterns as well as the movement of the patterns that lures us in this moment of fascination, creating scenes that are "the same, but never the same."

In a process of experimentation and prototyping, three key elements of design were found to establish the fascinating effect of shimmering light patterns as sunbeams pass through dancing leaves: a light source, two patterns, and physical movement. The integration and refinement of these design elements ultimately resulted in a working prototype called Daze.

Results from the final user test show positive results in regards to Daze's potential for restoration. On a 5-point Likert scale, the average ratings of nine participants for the living room's restorative qualities significantly increased with Daze's presence compared to without. Additionally, the majority of participants mentioned feeling fascinated and relaxed by Daze. 

In conclusion, Daze was designed to enhance indoor spaces' restorative potential by introducing softly fascinating qualities from the outside in. The results have shown that Daze is capable of doing so, thereby providing proof of concept: it's possible to transfer restorative nature experiences by recreating its softly fascinating qualities.