Short answer

When designing for preschoolers, consider how olfactory and tactile elements can be combined to create a coherent and emotionally positive user experience.

Field
User-Centred Design
Source
Academic Publication (2026)
Method
Experimental study with qualitative analysis of association strategies.
Sample
26 participants
Evidence
Strong effect

Preschool-aged children exhibit systematic correspondences between olfactory and tactile stimuli, and these perceptions are linked to emotional responses, providing crucial insights for designing products that evoke specific feelings. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2026 study published in Academic Publication. Using Experimental study with qualitative analysis of association strategies. with 26 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for preschoolers, consider how olfactory and tactile elements can be combined to create a coherent and emotionally positive user experience.

Study
User-Centred DesignNew This WeekStrong effect

Preschoolers Link Smells to Textures and Emotions, Informing Affective Product Design

Preschool-aged children exhibit systematic correspondences between olfactory and tactile stimuli, and these perceptions are linked to emotional responses, providing crucial insights for designing products that evoke specific feelings.

Academic Publication · 2026

01

Key Findings

  • 01Significant correspondences were found between olfactory and tactile stimuli.
  • 02These sensory correspondences were systematically linked to affective (emotional) judgments.
  • 03Children employed specific association strategies to map sensory inputs.
02

Application

Design takeaway

When designing for preschoolers, consider how olfactory and tactile elements can be combined to create a coherent and emotionally positive user experience.

How to apply

When developing a new toy or educational app for preschoolers, experiment with pairing specific, child-friendly scents with corresponding textures or visual cues to evoke happiness, calmness, or excitement.

Project actions

  • 01When researching user preferences, consider incorporating sensory elements beyond just visual and auditory.
  • 02Think about how different sensory inputs might combine to create an overall emotional impression for the user.
03

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate the cross-sensory correspondences between smell, touch, and emotion in preschool-aged children (2-4 years) and identify the association strategies they employ.
MethodExperimental study with qualitative analysis of association strategies.
ProcedurePreschoolers participated in playful tasks designed to explore smell-touch-emotion correspondences. Their responses were recorded and analyzed to identify patterns and strategies.
Sample26 participants
ContextEarly childhood development, sensory perception, affective computing, educational technology, toy design.

Variables

IV["Type of scent","Type of texture"]
DV["Emotional response (e.g., happiness, sadness, calmness)","Stated association between scent and texture"]
CV["Age of participants","Familiarity with stimuli","Testing environment"]
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Focuses on a critical developmental stage (preschool years) where sensory integration is key.
  • +Employs playful tasks, which are appropriate and engaging for the target age group.

Limitations

The specific scents and textures chosen might not be universally appealing or representative. The cultural background of participants could also influence sensory associations.

Reliability & validity

Reliability could be assessed by repeating the tasks with the same children over a short period. Validity could be strengthened by using a larger, more diverse sample and incorporating physiological measures of emotion alongside self-report or behavioral responses.

Think critically

How might cultural differences influence the observed smell-touch-emotion correspondences in children, and how could a designer account for this in a global product launch?

05

Design Principles

"Multisensory congruency in design can enhance emotional resonance and user engagement, particularly for young audiences."

Understanding how young children associate sensory inputs is vital for creating engaging and emotionally resonant products, interfaces, and learning tools. This research offers a foundation for designers to leverage multisensory experiences to positively influence a child's emotional state and learning outcomes.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Little kids connect smells to how things feel and how they feel emotionally. Designers can use this to make toys and apps that make kids feel a certain way by using smells and textures together.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of user research into sensory perception and emotional responses for your design project.
  • 2.Use the findings to justify the selection of specific materials, textures, or even scents in your design proposal.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates that preschool-aged children exhibit significant cross-sensory correspondences between olfactory and tactile stimuli, which are systematically linked to their emotional judgments. This suggests that designers can leverage the intentional pairing of scents and textures to evoke specific emotional responses in young users, thereby enhancing the affective quality of products and experiences.

09

Source

Academic Publication

Touching Emotions, Smelling Shapes: Exploring Tactile, Olfactory and Emotional Cross-sensory Correspondences in Preschool-aged Children

journal · 2026

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about preschoolers link smells to textures and emotions, informing affective product design?
When designing for preschoolers, consider how olfactory and tactile elements can be combined to create a coherent and emotionally positive user experience. Evidence: Academic Publication (2026).
Why does "Preschoolers Link Smells to Textures and Emotions, Informing Affective Product Design" matter for design?
Understanding how young children associate sensory inputs is vital for creating engaging and emotionally resonant products, interfaces, and learning tools. This research offers a foundation for designers to leverage multisensory experiences to positively influence a child's emotional state and learning outcomes.
How can designers apply this research?
When designing for preschoolers, consider how olfactory and tactile elements can be combined to create a coherent and emotionally positive user experience.
What were the main findings?
Significant correspondences were found between olfactory and tactile stimuli.. These sensory correspondences were systematically linked to affective (emotional) judgments.. Children employed specific association strategies to map sensory inputs.
What research method was used?
Experimental study with qualitative analysis of association strategies. with 26 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2026 journal from Academic Publication.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When developing a new toy or educational app for preschoolers, experiment with pairing specific, child-friendly scents with corresponding textures or visual cues to evoke happiness, calmness, or excitement.
What are the limitations?
The study focused on a specific age range (2-4 years), and findings may not generalize to older children or adults. The specific scents and textures used may also influence the observed correspondences.