Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget by Ruoyou Zhou

Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget by Ruoyou Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award nga Puthaw in Disenyo sa Dulaan, Dula ug Produkto sa Libangan Competition Category.

PuthawDulaan· 2026

Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget

by Ruoyou Zhou

Client: Ruoyou Zhou

A' Design Award nga Puthaw Winner in Dulaan Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget

Ang Tactile Enrichment usa ka serye sa mga fidget toy nga nagtutok sa pagbati sa paghikap. Ang serye gilangkuban og lima ka cube, nga ang matag usa nagsukod og 50 x 50 x 50 milimetros. Ang matag cube hinimo gikan sa usa lamang ka materyal: clay, panit, metal, kahoy o panapton. Ang samang three dimensional nga desinyo gipapatik sa tanang lima ka cube, aron ang kalainan tali sa mga materyal mabati pinaagi sa kamot. Ang matag materyal adunay lahi nga gibug-aton, temperatura ug baho. Ang mga cube mahimong guniti ug dulaon samtang busy ang mga mata ug libre ang mga kamot. Ang tumong mao ang pagpakunhod sa pagsalig sa panan-aw ug paghatag sa paghikap og mas dako nga papel sa adlaw-adlaw nga kasinatian.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award nga Puthaw

Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget usa ka mananaog sa A' Design Award nga Puthaw, usa ka dungganon nga pag-ila nga gihatag sa maayong mga disenyo nga nakatagbo sa propesyonal ug industriyal nga mga gikinahanglan nga gipaabot gikan sa maayo ang pagkadisenyo nga mga paglalang. Ang mga mananaog sa Puthaw nagpakita og dakong kahanas, taas nga espesyalisasyon, eksperto nga pagsabot, ug mamugnaon nga abilidad sa ilang mga tiglalang. Gilauman nga ang Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget mahimong gipabilhan, gihangaan, ug gihigugma nga paglalang nga praktikal ug bag-o. Kini nga disenyo nga nakadaog og A' Design Award nga Puthaw naghiusa sa labing maayong mga praktis sa industriya ug adunay hanas nga teknikal nga mga kinaiya nga nalambigit sa kahibalo ug talento. Tactile Enrichment Mga Dulaan nga Fidget gitahod tungod sa pagkamaabtik niini ug gidisenyo aron maghatag og mga pagpaayo sa kalidad sa kinabuhi nga makatabang sa paghimo sa kalibutan nga mas maayong dapit.

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.