The Future of Industrial Design: Sensory Design and the Power of All 5 Senses

When searching for inspiration, the common mistake from many students’ designers is to rely heavily (only) on visual sources like:

• books, magazines,
• photography,
• and especially online images.

However, truly innovative industrial design is about much more than just aesthetic or appearances. Designers don’t simply make things look visually attractive; they craft experiences using Sensory Design. To create products that are both memorable and meaningful, it’s crucial to engage all five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

What is Sensory Design?

Creating a new product that stands out is not easy as the market becomes pretty competitive. However, that’s what makes our era fascinating for designers.

It isn’t just about eye-catching visuals or cutting-edge functionality. The world’s most memorable and beloved designs are those that connect with users on a deeper, emotional level—by engaging all five senses.

Sensory design is the secret weapon of top industrial designers, transforming ordinary products into unforgettable experiences.

Imagine a car door that sounds reassuringly solid, a perfume bottle that feels luxuriously heavy, or a retail space that welcomes you with a signature scent. By thoughtfully activating sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, designers can forge stronger bonds between products and people, driving loyalty and delight.

In this article, I’ll reveal how you can harness the power of all five senses to elevate your industrial design and create products that truly resonate.

Why Use All Five Senses in Design?

Modern industrial design isn’t just about how a product looks or functions, it’s about how it makes people feel. Our emotions and unconscious minds are deeply influenced by sensory experiences. By considering all the senses, designers can forge stronger emotional experience.

• Sight: The first impression, color, form, and aesthetics.
• Sound: The feedback of a click, the hum of a motor, or the silence of a well-insulated product.
• Touch: The texture, temperature, and weight that influence how we interact with objects.
• Taste: Especially relevant in food-related products or packaging, where flavor can be part of the experience.
• Smell: Scents can trigger memories and emotions, enhancing brand recognition and user satisfaction.

Sensory Design Innovation Touches the Heart

When you meet someone for the first time and engage in small talk, you might not remember the exact words exchanged, but you’ll always remember how that person made you feel.

The same principle applies to product design. Your product is having a silent conversation with the user, not through words, but through the senses. It’s these sensory impressions that leave a lasting emotional impact and truly connect users to your creation.

Why Sensory Design Is About Connection, Not Consensus

A successful product doesn’t have to please everyone. It needs to make sense for its intended users. By designing with all five senses in mind, you create experiences that are not only practical but also emotionally resonant and memorable.

A product tells its own story. Just like a great film, it isn’t meant to appeal to everyone. It’s crafted for a specific audience. Some will like it, some will hate it. It is fine, as long as people to whom you created it for loves it!

Innovative brands are already leveraging sensory design to stand out. From the satisfying click of a car door to the signature scent of a retail store, engaging multiple senses can set your product apart and build lasting loyalty.

In summary:

Embracing all five senses in your design process isn’t just a trend—it’s a powerful way to create products that people truly love and remember. Start thinking beyond the visual, and let your next design speak to every sense!

Let me share with you some real-life examples of Sensory design. You would be surprised that is not always about more and more technology.

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SOUND| Did You Know? The Power of Sound hides in the details of Everyday Products

Crisp of Mineral Water Bottle

Did you know that sound designers carefully craft the crisp sound you hear when holding, or opening a bottle of mineral water? This isn’t by accident. It’s designed to evoke a sense of freshness the moment you grab the bottle in a store or pour yourself a drink. The bottle may crisp in your hand. The same principle applies to the satisfying crunch when you open a bag of potato chips!

You might think these details are insignificant, but in reality, we are constantly surrounded by subtle sensory cues that influence our actions and decisions. These small, often unnoticed sounds play a powerful role in shaping our perceptions and behaviors, making products more appealing and memorable.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: What subtle cues could you use to improve your product design experience?

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SIGHT | Did You Know? You Can Wake Up Happier with Light Sensory Innovation

Wake-Up Light

Did you know you no longer have to wake up feeling groggy or annoyed by a blaring alarm clock? With devices like the PHILIPS SmartSleep Wake-Up Light, you can start your day gently. This innovative alarm gradually simulates a natural sunrise, slowly increasing light intensity with warm, morning hues.

As the room brightens, your body wakes up gradually and naturally—often leaving you smiling and feeling refreshed, even if you can’t quite explain why. It’s a subtle, uplifting way to begin your day, setting a positive tone from the very first moment. This sensory approach helps you feel refreshed and ready to start your day on a positive note.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: What are some everyday products we often overlook but find frustrating, and how could they be redesigned or improved to enhance our daily experience?

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SOUND| Did You Know? The Sound of Cars is Carefully Engineered by Designers

BMW | Make Quality Soundable

Did you know that the sound of a car engine or the way a car door closes is meticulously engineered by designers? These sounds aren’t just random, they’re crafted to convey a sense of safety and comfort to the user, even before you start driving.

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The satisfying “thud” of a car door closing or the gentle purr of an engine instantly shapes your first impression, making you feel confident and secure before you even start driving.

Sounds like these acts as feedback, signaling quality, durability, and responsiveness. Consider the sound and feel of typing on a keyboard. Apple, for example, meticulously engineered the tactile and auditory experience of their butterfly keyboard to enhance user satisfaction. These subtle audio cues play a crucial role in how we perceive and connect with products. Do not underestimate them!

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: Can you think of a product that would benefit from improved acoustics?

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SOUND| Did You Know? The Iconic Sounds of Star Wars Come from Real Life

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Star Wars Sound Gathering from Foley Artist

Did you know that sound designers for movies often create unforgettable sounds by capturing and manipulating real-life noises? For example, the legendary lightsaber “hum” and the “pew pew” of laser blasts in Star Wars were crafted using creative techniques and everyday objects.

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Curious how Star Wars sound designers gathered and invented these iconic sounds?
Click here to discover the fascinating process behind the galaxy’s most famous audio effects!

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: When you hear a sound, take a moment to notice what emotion it evokes within you. Be creative. Do not hesitate to be super creative like thinking of spaceships stories!

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SOUND| Did you know that the music played in supermarkets is carefully chosen to influence your mood and shopping behavior?

Mesmerizing Music in Shopping Malls.

Slow music encourages customers to linger longer in the store, while classical music often leads shoppers to purchase more expensive items.

Marketing strategies for the mass market can be a rich source of inspiration for designers.
It’s important to note that while marketing tactics can be highly innovative, some applications may raise ethical questions. As designers, it’s crucial to distinguish between the technology or innovation itself and how it is used.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: How would you level up user’s experience playing music?

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SOUND + TOUCH| Did You Know? Everyday Habits Hold Powerful Design Insights

Crisp of Fresh French bread

Did you know that in France, people often gently squeeze their bread to check for freshness? While this isn’t a technological innovation, it’s a perfect reminder that even the simplest actions carry meaning.

Human habits and cultural behaviors are a goldmine of inspiration for designers.

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Observing these everyday rituals can reveal valuable insights for creating products that truly resonate with users. That’s one of the secrets behind the magic of Pixar movies—they pay close attention to the details of real-life behaviors and traditions, making their stories feel authentic and relatable.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: Stay observant and take note of everyday cultural gestures that might seem trivial to you but could be fascinating or surprising to someone from another culture. What simple actions do you consider normal that might appear unusual or remarkable to an outsider?

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TOUCH| Did You Know? The Sense of Touch Shapes Our Perception of Luxury

Did you know that even if a luxury perfume bottle has a cap made from inexpensive plastic, manufacturers often add artificial weight to it? This subtle detail enhances the feeling of quality and luxury, echoing the heavy glass used in antique perfume bottles.

By carefully considering these tactile elements, designers can elevate the user experience and create products that feel truly premium.

The sense of touch goes far beyond just the surface or texture of a product. In product design, touch is a vital element shaped by a variety of factors, including:

• Surface texture: Is it smooth or grainy?
• Temperature: Does it feel cool or warm to the touch?
• Pressure: Is it soft or firm?
• Consistency: Is it sticky or slippery?
• Feedback: Does it vibrate or remain still?
• and so on…

If you want to explore even further, consider sensations like the wind brushing through your hair or the chill that gives you goosebumps. The sense of touch is one of our most engaged senses and truly deserves thoughtful attention in design.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: Pick a product you like using daily. How can you level up the sense of touch of this product design?

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SMELL| Did You Know? Bakeries Use Scent Marketing to Attract Customers

Did you know that some bakeries in shopping malls use scent marketing by releasing microcapsules of bread fragrance on the floor in front of their shops? As shoppers walk by, these microcapsules burst, filling the air with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread. This subtle technique entices more people to stop and visit the bakery.

Many brands now use scent diffusers for various reasons, such as:

• Boosting sales: Certain scents can increase the appeal of products—even in unexpected places, like making a washing machine section smell like the sea.
• Brand association: A signature scent can help customers instantly recognize and remember a brand.
• Enhancing customer experience: Hotels, resorts, spas, and retail stores use pleasant fragrances to create a welcoming and memorable atmosphere.

As Steven Semoff, acting co-president of the Scent Marketing Institute, explains:
“When you think about it, in the world of product promotion, advertising, and branding, everything is about sight and sound. No one has really been tapping into smell, and the sense of smell is directly hardwired into your brain.”

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: In many sports stores that sell footwear, there’s often a noticeable “plasticky” smell from the polyurethane (PU) used in synthetic leather. To me, it doesn’t feel welcoming.
When you enter any space—a shop, museum, or hotel—pay attention to the scent. How would you describe it? What kind of fragrance would you choose to replace it, creating a welcoming atmosphere that attracts and delights visitors?

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SMELL| Did You Know? Mercedes Introduced the Scent of Luxury to Their Cars

Air balance for the interior vehicle

Mercedes Room Scent, The Smell of Luxury

Did you know that Mercedes-Benz was the first to bring luxury scents into the automotive world? With the introduction of the Perfume Atomizer in the S-Class, Mercedes allows drivers to personalize their in-car atmosphere with exclusive fragrances.

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You can choose from a variety of moods, including:

• Downtown: Floriental, musk, and fruity notes
• Nightlife: Woody, oriental, and amber scents
• Sports: Green, flowery, and citrus aromas
• Freeside: Citrus, flowery, and tea-inspired fragrances

This innovative feature transforms every drive into a multisensory luxury experience, making each journey uniquely memorable.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: How would you get inspired from BMW experience and deliver perfume in a private space?

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SMELL| Did You Know? Sensorwake Lets You Wake Up to Delightful Scents

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Wake Up with a Peppermint Scent Alarm

Imagine waking up to the aroma of fresh mint, hot croissants, candy, or even the scent of money! With Sensorwake, this is now possible. Invented by Guillaume Roland, a 17-year-old from France, Sensorwake is the world’s first olfactory alarm clock, designed to wake you up with pleasant fragrances instead of loud buzzing sounds.

Guillaume showcased his innovative idea at the Google Science Fair, demonstrating that scents like peppermint can wake up 100% of people within just two minutes.

Stimulating the senses and tapping into memory can create powerful and memorable user experiences.

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SIGHT| Did You Know? The Vélib’ Bikes in Paris Were Designed to Deter Theft

Velib’ – Rental cycle in Paris

When Ugly design means ‘better design‘

Did you know that the design brief for the Vélib’ public rental bikes in Paris specifically asked the design team to make them “ugly”? The goal was to create a bike that would discourage theft, ensuring the cycles stayed available for public use rather than being stolen for personal use.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: Any other situation an ugly design would become a benefit?

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TASTE| Did You Know? Most Supermarket Syrups Are Synthetic

Artificial Flavour

Did you know that most syrups found in supermarkets are crafted using advanced food science? For example, a “strawberry flavor” syrup might not contain real strawberries, but instead, its taste is recreated by blending specific flavor molecules. This innovative approach allows us to enjoy a wide variety of flavors year-round, often at a more affordable price and with consistent quality.

SENSORY DESIGN EXERCISE: While the use of artificial flavors can sometimes be controversial, are there situations where they might actually offer significant benefits?

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Conclusion: Technology Is Neutral. Design for Positive Impact

Sensory design is more than a trend. It’s the future of Industrial design.
It’s a powerful and holistic approach that shapes how users feel, remember, and connect with products. By intentionally engaging all five senses, industrial designers can craft experiences that go beyond the functional, tapping into emotion and memory.

Whether it’s the satisfying click of packaging, the comforting aroma in a retail space, or the tactile pleasure of a well-crafted object, these sensory details make all the difference. As you embark on your next design project, challenge yourself to think beyond the visual and embrace the full spectrum of human perception.

The future of industrial design belongs to those who create with all the senses in mind, transforming everyday products into extraordinary experiences.

Technology, by itself, is inherently neutral.
As designers, our mission is to use it to create a better world. Rather than seeking to manipulate, our goal should be to enhance people’s experiences and enrich their daily lives.

Do you know any fascinating examples of products or services that use sensory design?
Share your favorite cases with us—I’d love to hear how sensory design has inspired you!

I hope today article opens the PANDORA BOX of innovation for you!

Happy Sensory Creation!
Chou-Tac

PS: How would you merge Sensory Design with Artificial Intelligence?

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