Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana by Ruoyou Zhou

Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana by Ruoyou Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award in Moralo wa Dibapadiswa, Dipapadi le Dihlahiswa tsa Boithabiso Competition Category.

TšepeSebapadiswa· 2026

Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana

by Ruoyou Zhou

Client: Ruoyou Zhou

Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award Winner in Sebapadiswa 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 Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana

Tactile Enrichment ke letoto la lithoetso tsa ho bapala ka menoana tse tsepamisitseng maikutlo ho kutlo ea ho ama. Letoto lena le entsoe ka li-cube tse hlano, e 'ngoe le e 'ngoe e lekanang le limilimithara tse 50 ka 50 ka 50. Cube e 'ngoe le e 'ngoe e entsoe ka thepa e le 'ngoe feela: letsopa, letlalo, tšepe, patsi kapa lesela. Paterone e tšoanang ea dimensione tse tharo e sebelisitsoe ho li-cube tsohle tse hlano, e le hore phapang pakeng tsa lisebelisoa e ka utloahala ka letsoho. Thepa e 'ngoe le e 'ngoe e na le boima, mocheso le monko o fapaneng. Li-cube li ka tšoaroa 'me tsa bapaloa ha mahlo a ntse a phathahane 'me matsoho a lokolohile. Sepheo ke ho fokotsa ho itšetleha ka pono le ho fa kutlo ea ho ama karolo e kholoanyane boiphihlelong ba letsatsi le letsatsi.

The Recognition

About the Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award

Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang e fuoang meralo e metle e finyellang litlhoko tsa porofeshenale le tsa indasteri tse lebelletsoeng ho lintho tse hlahisitsoeng tse entsoeng hantle. Bahapi ba Tšepe ba bontša bokhoni bo boholo, bokhethehi bo phahameng, kutloisiso ea litsebi le bokhoni ba boqapi ba baqapi ba bona. Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana e lebelletsoe ho ba ntho e hlahisitsoeng e hlomphuoang haholo, e ratoang le e ratehang, e sebetsang le e nang le mehopolo e mecha. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award o kenyelletsa mekhoa e metle ka ho fetesisa ea indasteri mme o na le litšobotsi tsa theknoloji tse nang le bokhoni tse amanang le tsebo le talenta. Ka lebaka la botlalo ba eona, Tactile Enrichment Lithoetso tsa ho Bapala ka Menoana e tšoanelehela tlhompho mme e entsoe ho fana ka ntlafatso ea bophelo e thusang ho etsa hore lefatše le be sebaka se molemo.

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.