Scented Material: Changing Features of Physical Creations based on Odors

Despite the fact that the design process can exploit a rich communication between the designer and the end users in terms of desired visual and audio sensory feedback, the vocabulary for less exploited aspects of the interaction (i.e., emotional, experiential) is still ambiguous. This is particularly a challenge when considering the increased interest in designing for a wider spectrum of experiences and interfaces (e.g., tangible, multimodal, multisensory interaction). In this paper, we present preliminary findings on the effect of scented material on physical creations using scented and unscented modeling clay. We compare features from the abstract creations from of three groups (i.e., vanilla scented, lemon scented, or unscented material). Our preliminary results confirm pre-existing mappings across shapes and scents. We discuss the various properties of the creations and discuss their relevance based on previous work and in particular its potential for HCI in the design of future interactive experiences.