The Multisensory Experience: A Case Study with Five Different Products

Abstract

The human perception arises from an inner sense intrinsically dependent on the sensitive channels. Vision is considered the dominating sense in humans, while hearing, touch, taste, smell, kinesthetic sense and balance are complementary in most cases, with numerous exceptions. Until now, most studies suggest that the greater the number of sensory modalities stimulated at the same time, the richer the experience will be. As a result, the increase in the number of sensory modalities presented in a virtual environment can help people feel immersed and also help to improve the memory of existing objects in the virtual environment (Schifferstein and Spenser, 2008). This study aimed to evaluate the influence of multisensory integration in the user experience with different categories of products. Participants were 60 volunteer subjects of both genders and all users of these products; they evaluated 25 different products in three levels of multisensory integration: vision, vision+touch and multisensory. Results indicated that intrinsic characteristics of each product were responsible for the emergence of differences between multisensory phases, and the relationship between usability and visual aesthetics were less evident in the process. More specific studies are necessary to recognize more accurately the relationship between product characteristics and user perception.

Keywords: Ergonomics, Design, User Experience, Multisensory Integration, Factor Analysis.

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1001307