How Haptic Experiences Are Made

Haptic experiences are elicited when humans use and interact with haptic technology. With everdeveloping technology, the dream of an all-purpose haptic display comes closer to fruition. Yet, what it is like to experience such a display is in discourse. The senses of touch profoundly impact social relations, bodily comfort, and human development; how to facilitate this impact through haptic technology is still subject to research. Due to the potential impact, it is imperative for those who design, use, and evaluate haptic technology to understand how haptic experiences are made.
The interest in haptic experiences is clear; however, the terminology and approach to haptic experiences are mudded. In this thesis, I aim to provide an overview of what haptic experiences are and what they are not. I present the Inference-Design Model for Haptic Experience, defining the relation between haptic stimulation, sensation, and experience as a two-way model of inference and design. Inference, the conscious process of making sense of the world, is subject to the question of how haptic experiences are made, while design, the process of creating a haptic system, is subject to the question of how haptic experiences are made. These two concepts present themselves as two sides of the same coin; design aims to convey an intended experience, inference yields the experience apparent to the perceiving human.
I discuss the Inference-Design Model for Haptic Experience and its implications in depth, presenting a clearer terminology and approach to designing, using, and evaluating haptic experiences. As a basis for this discussion serve five research projects, covering different aspects of inference and design. The journal paper A User-Derived Mapping for Mid-Air Haptic Experiences [63] forms the empirical basis for the model; the manuscript Ultrasound can deliver chemical stimulants to the skin and modulate their perception [65] proposes a novel way of producing haptic sensations; the journal paper Haptic Magnetism [68] shows the potential of haptic feedback for sensory augmentation; the short paper A Touch of the Future: The TOUCHLESS Hackathon 2022 [67] presents novice designers’ approach to designing for haptic experiences; and the manuscript A Unified Model for Haptic Experience [71] extends the principles of user experience to the haptic context.
This thesis proposes the Inference-Design Model for Haptic Experience as a theoretical construct for understanding haptic experiences. It also serves as a practical thinking tool for designing, using, and evaluating haptic technologies and devices. I speculate about the future of haptic experiences, particularly related to the dream of an all-purpose haptic display. In the end, I offer a new way of seeing haptic technology as part of a narrative spun by the designer that contributes to understanding how haptic experiences are made.