May I Touch It?

An understanding of the way we perceive touch and come to prefer certain sensory experiences is a first step toward including the sensation of touch in the design and communication of products. Early memories of touch are explored from a design and cultural perspective. Experiences of design students from China (109) and the United States (108) are compared based upon tapping their responses of early touch memories. Responses are communicated using a range from simple to multiple word descriptions, and include cognitive and affective, e.g. preferences and associational descriptors, for both US and Chinese respondents.