As a designer, I often think about design not just through function but also through psychological and social lenses. When exploring the ordinary from a cognitive perspective, you unpack the known and reveal unnoticed problems, allowing you to identify human-centred solutions whose impact goes beyond function, connecting feelings, emotions, and social contexts.

When I designed the sensory kitchen tools, one of the terms I used to capture the essence of experiencing the kitchen through touch was Haptic Design. The word haptics comes from the Greek term haptikos, meaning to grasp, touch, or perceive without sight. Think of how you interact with objects through movement, force, and feedback. For instance how you can reach into your pocket and instantly make the connection between materials and function by feeling shapes, textures and sizes, to then successfully pull out your house keys.

In design haptic is a technical term sometimes interchangeable with tactile - but in daily life can be more commonly understood as touch and feeling.

What is haptic design?

Haptic design engages our sense of touch—how we instinctively respond to materials and shapes. It considers texture, hardness, weight, and temperature, allowing us to safely and confidently navigate the world around us.

I have previously written about my meeting with Patricia, a blind lady living in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. She was part of my collaborative research process, where she welcomed me into her home, and I saw firsthand how she exclusively uses touch feedback to cook. She measures liquids by putting her fingers in the cup to feel the volume of the liquid. She avoids touching the hot pan and, when frying chicken, determines which side is cooked by touch—one side remains soft while the other firms up. Patricia perceives the world without sight, demonstrating how much information our surroundings provide beyond what we can see.

We are surrounded by all kinds of materials and forms, they can be —soft or hard, heavy or light, hot or cold, square or round. We often trust our hands after our eyes when checking something— sensation connects us to the physical world.

At its core, Haptic Design – touch and feel– is about that intuitive connection—the "this feels right" or "this doesn’t" instinct. Designing for touch is honest and transparent. It accounts for the fact that, even in the dark, our hands know.