Tactile Enrichment 피젯 토이 by Ruoyou Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 철상 in 완구, 게임 및 취미 제품 디자인 Competition Category.

철완구· 2026

Tactile Enrichment 피젯 토이

by Ruoyou Zhou

Client: Ruoyou Zhou

A' Design Award 철상 Winner in 완구 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 피젯 토이

촉각적 풍요(Tactile Enrichment)는 촉각에 초점을 맞춘 피젯 토이 시리즈이다. 이 시리즈는 각각 50×50×50밀리미터 크기의 큐브 다섯 개로 구성된다. 각 큐브는 점토, 가죽, 금속, 목재, 직물 중 한 가지 단일 소재로만 제작되었다. 동일한 입체 패턴이 다섯 개의 큐브 모두에 적용되어, 손으로 만졌을 때 소재 간의 차이를 느낄 수 있다. 각 소재는 무게, 온도, 냄새가 서로 다르다. 큐브는 눈은 다른 일에 쓰이고 손이 자유로운 순간에 쥐고 만지작거리며 가지고 놀 수 있다. 시각에 대한 의존을 줄이고 일상의 경험 속에서 촉각에 더 큰 역할을 부여하는 것이 그 의도이다.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 철상

Tactile Enrichment 피젯 토이, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 철상 수상작으로, 잘 디자인된 창작물에 기대되는 전문적·산업적 요건을 충족하는 좋은 디자인에 수여되는 권위 있는 인정입니다. 철상 수상작은 창작자의 뛰어난 기술, 높은 전문성, 전문가다운 이해, 창의적 역량을 보여 줍니다. Tactile Enrichment 피젯 토이, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 창작물로서 실용적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 철상 수상 디자인은 업계 모범 사례를 통합하며 노하우와 재능으로 연결된 유능한 기술적 특성을 갖추고 있습니다. Tactile Enrichment 피젯 토이, 이 작품은 철저함으로 존중받으며 삶의 질을 개선하여 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들도록 디자인되었습니다.

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.