Multisensory MAYA : A Design Thinking Method to Enhance Predictability of Experience Design

Abstract

The MAYA (“Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable”) is a classic design principle, which aims at balancing the most advanced (novelty) with the yet acceptable (typicality) for enhancing product aesthetics and creating pleasurable experiences. The MAYA principle is established and widely examined, however, it has not been developed into a design thinking method for multisensory experience design purposes. In this paper, we present a multisensory design thinking method for MAYA, that facilitates designers’ problem finding and solving during all phases of a design process. The focus is on developing the design thinking method in a manner that incorporates research knowledge on the five basic senses as well as design reasoning and the iterative nature of design thinking to enhance the predictability of multisensory experience design. The initial thought experiment questions and procedure were tested in a workshop with industrial designers. In the discussion, we elaborate on future development requirements, possibilities, and research directions.