Investigating Interactive Biophilic Wearable Objects

Abstract

Designers apply different design elements such as form, colour, texture, light, and movement in the design of products. This interdisciplinary study aims to investigate the application of 'biophilic movement' in the design of interactive wearable objects, given that incorporating both natural inspiration (discipline of biology) and physical movement in the design of products can create a pleasurable experience for the users. In order to investigate how designers might incorporate 'biophilic movement' in the design of products, this research draws from the discipline of biology. The study applies inspiration derived from plant and animal movements, which have positive impacts on human psychology.Furthermore, this study takes a user-centered approach by applying different methods: exploring the people's emotional response to different biophilic movements incorporated in designed wearable objects. Based on these emotional responses, this thesis suggests that biophilic movement can potentially create a pleasurable experience and enhance the interaction between people and wearable objects with biophilic movements . The key findings of this study include: 1) Adding biophilic movement can add interest to biophilic wearable objects by engaging the people who interact with it; 2) Identifying and categorizing biologically inspired movements can help designers in the area of biology-to-design; and 3)Presenting a biophilic semantic differential scale that can be used to understand how people interpret movements in biophilic artifacts.