Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget by Ruoyou Zhou

Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget by Ruoyou Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Bessi in Desain Mainan, Gim, sibawa Produk Hobi Competition Category.

BessiMainan· 2026

Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget

by Ruoyou Zhou

Client: Ruoyou Zhou

A' Design Award Bessi Winner in Mainan Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget

Tactile Enrichment iyanaritu séddi rangkaian cule-culeng fidget iya mappusatngngi ri pappéneddingeng gessa. Iyaé rangkaiangngé poléi lima kubus, tungke'-tungke' ukkuranna 50 kali 50 kali 50 milimeter. Tungke' kubus riyébbui polé ri séddi bahang bawang: tana lita', uli', logang, aju iyaréga kaing. Pola tellu dimensi iya padaé ripakéi ri iya manenna limaé kubus-é, nasaba' pallaisenna bahang-bahangngé wedding riperasai sibawa lima. Tungke' bahang mappunnai tane', suhu sibawa bau iya maddupa-rupangngé. Kubus-é wedding ritenre' sibawa riaccule'i wettunna mataé masibu' na limaé leppe'. Akkattana iyanaritu kurangiwi assanréng ri pakkitaé sibawa mabbéréngngi pappéneddingeng gessaé peran iya lebbi battowaé ri laleng pangalamang esso-esso.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Bessi

Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget iyanaritu pakoro A' Design Award Bessi, pakalebbi iya malebbi iya ripabbere ri desain makessing iya mappabbura persyaratan profesional sibawa industri iya ripakkirangngi pole ri ciptaan iya makessing ripikkiri. Pakoro Bessi mappakita keterampilan malompo, spesialisasi dalleng, pemahaman ahli sibawa kapasitas kreatif tau mabbuat. Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget ripakkirangngi mancaji ciptaan iya ripakalebbi, ripuji sibawa rirennu iya praktis sibawa inovatif. Desain pakoro A' Design Award Bessi iyae mappasilaong praktik tepat industri sibawa napaitai karakteristik teknis iya kompeten iya sipulung sibawa pengetahuan sibawa bakat. Nasaba ketelitiannna, Tactile Enrichment Cule-culeng Fidget mappoleang pakalebbi sibawa ripikkiri mappabbere perbaikan kualitas laleng iya ritulung mappadeceng lino mancaji tempe makessing.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: We understand the world through our five senses, receiving emotions and information every day. This project is a series of fidget toys that rethink our sensory habits, which often rely too much on vision. It shifts the focus to touch. The same pattern is made from different materials, allowing users to feel variations in texture and resistance with their hands. By reducing visual input, the work highlights how touch and other senses can become the main source of experience and emotion.
Dimensions & Packaging: 50 × 50 × 50 mm .five pieces.
Tags: Fidget toy, Without Visual Dependence, Touch, Smell, Series, Mixed materials, Toy, Playful
Production Technology: Five materials were used, clay, leather, metal, wood, and fabric. Three dimensional textures were shaped into each material. Then the materials were cut into small pieces and attached to the cube. This required constant checking to ensure every piece fit perfectly after assembly. Each cube has six sides, and I made five cubes in total, like completing a 120 piece collage puzzle in different materials.
Design Challenge: The biggest challenge was repetitive work and making sure every piece fit perfectly. To avoid gaps after assembly, each material piece had to be sanded by hand. For the metal cube, thin and hard stainless steel was used. After many trials, I chose laser cutting to shape the pieces, then filled the gaps with putty and finished with spray paint. The most enjoyable process was sewing the leather cube, marking, punching holes, stitching, and tying the thread. I truly enjoyed each step.
Research: This project explores tactile experience without relying on sight. About 83 percent of the information we receive comes from vision. When reliance on vision is reduced, the other senses become stronger and more memorable. At the exhibition, visitors could freely touch and play with the objects and write down their thoughts on each material. The interactive display received positive feedback, as interaction is part of the research and the work serves as a bridge between me and the audience.
Inspiration: In daily life, we often play with small objects to ease anxiety or boredom, clicking a pen or turning keys in our hands. Fidget toys were created from this behavior. Based on this and my research on the five senses, I designed this series using different materials to explore new possibilities. Enrichment in animal care means providing toys or spaces to reduce stress and improve well being. As humans living in concrete cities, we also face stress. This design asks whether we also need enrichment.
Project Duration: In April 2023, I began researching the five senses, touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell. In July 2024, I focused on the relationship between objects, people, and interaction. By July 2025, I was testing materials and making prototypes, selecting five for further development. Fabrication began in November 2025. The work was completed in February 2026 and presented at the 2026 graduation exhibition of Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.
Operation Flow: These objects can be held and played with while watching TV, talking, or even during meetings under the table, any moment when the eyes are busy but the hands are free. The key idea is to enrich touch without relying on vision. Each material has a different weight, temperature, and even smell. Even with the same pattern, different materials create completely different tactile experiences.