Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe by Ruoyou Zhou

Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe by Ruoyou Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award in Ithoyizi Competition Category.

InsimbiIthoyizi· 2026

Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe

by Ruoyou Zhou

Client: Ruoyou Zhou

Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award Winner in Ithoyizi Category

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The Design

About Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe

I-Tactile Enrichment iwuchungechunge lwamathoyizi okudlalisa iminwe agxile emzweni wokuthinta. Lolu chungechunge lwakhiwe amakhiyubhu amahlanu, ngalinye linobukhulu obungamamilimitha angama-50 ngo-50 ngo-50. Ikhiyubhu ngalinye lenziwe ngesinto esisodwa: ubumba, isikhumba, insimbi, ukhuni noma indwangu. Iphethini eyodwa enobukhulu obuthathu isetshenziswa kuwo womahlanu amakhiyubhu, ukuze umehluko phakathi kwezinto ezakhiwe ngazo uzwakale ngesandla. Into ngayinye inesisindo, izinga lokushisa nephunga elehlukile. Amakhiyubhu angabanjwa futhi adlalwe ngawo ngesikhathi amehlo ematasa futhi izandla zikhululekile. Inhloso ukunciphisa ukuncika embonweni wamehlo nokunika ukuthinta indima enkulu empilweni yansuku zonke.

The Recognition

About the Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award

Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe iwinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award, ukwaziswa okuhloniphekile okunikezwa imiklamo emihle ehlangabezana nezidingo zobungcweti nezemboni ezilindelekile ezimpahleni ezihlelwe kahle. Abawinile beNsimbi babonisa ikhono elikhulu, ubungcweti obuphezulu, ukuqonda kochwepheshe namandla okudala abadali babo. Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe ilindeleke ukuba ibe yinto exatshwa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo esebenzayo nenezinto ezintsha. Lo mklamo owinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award uhlanganisa izindlela ezinhle kakhulu zemboni futhi unezimfanelo zobuchwepheshe ezifanelekile ezihlanganiswe nolwazi nethalente. Tactile Enrichment Amathoyizi Okudlalisa Iminwe iyahlonishwa ngenxa yokucophelela kwayo futhi ihlelelwe ukulethela izinguquko zomgangatho wempilo ezisiza ukwenza umhlaba ube yindawo engcono.

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.