On Disparity

We interact with products constantly. It is, in many ways, inescapable. But what defines those experiences, that disparity, between us and things? By working extensively with text and with various explorative user tests, the ambition was to define that meeting of human and object, and imagine a different way of designing user experience.

The project began with thorough research into the sensation of touch. It was found to be a trend in design, to be multifaceted and complex. But more importantly, it was concluded that there is a disparity between us – as human beings – and the products we use.

To gain further insight, a series of tests were conducted. Because there comes a point in every project when talking is not enough, when one needs to observe, very closely, how the hand discovers experience and objects and form. Again, what defines that disparity between us and things?

In the end, it was found to be defined by a multitude of things: by trust, discovery, by the way objects manipulate what we do and how we do it – by motion and emotion.

This new knowledge informed a series of objects: a watering can that you turn backward; a vinegar dispenser where the liquid comes out from beneath; and finally, a salt shaker that manipulates the user’s motion, and their emotions, completely. Disparity became a concept that enables designers to create very different experiences.