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Experiential Characterization of Materials: toward a toolkit

Traditionally in science and engineering, materials are characterized technically , through a series of studies aiming at probing and measuring the structure and properties of materials. In design, a holistic approach to materials is adopted which requires the characterization of materials for their experiential qualities, alongside the technical understanding. Despite the increasing attention to the notion of materials experience, design methodology lacks a systematic tool to support the experiential characterization of a material at hand. This paper presents the development of a toolkit to facilitate the experiential characterization of materials . The toolkit has been developed based on existing tools and approaches within the materials and design domain, and through two exploratory workshops conducted with design students and design professionals. The workshops provided useful insights to improve the toolkit’s final design, which is presented in the paper. While the toolkit needs further adjustments and validation, the discussion highlights how this approach can support design practice in conducting materials characterization studies in diverse situations.