CONFERENCES
E&PDE 2026 - 28th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education
The Conference will bring together representatives from education and industry interested in sharing new perspectives on design education.
Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
CULTURAL AESTHETICS IN DESIGN LEARNING: BUILDING SPARSH, AN EMOTIONALLY DURABLE HYBRID GRINDER THROUGH NAVARASA AND EDD9
Pal, Prabhu; Vaidya, Gaurav
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Buck, Lyndon; Brisco. Ross; Bohemia, Erik
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur
Page(s):
137 - 142
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-24-8
ISSN:
3005-4753
Abstract:
This paper examines the journey of learning emotional design from an Indian aesthetics perspective. The research was initiated by the question of why most contemporary appliances seems impersonal and easily replaceable, unlike traditional tools once cherished by families. This question led to the research into whether emotion, memory, and culture could be designed into everyday products and what such an approach might signify for design education in India. The Navarasa framework from Bharata Muni’s Nāṭyaśāstra was examined and integrated with Jonathan Chapman’s Emotional Durability Design Nine model in order to establish a hybrid approach that links cultural emotion with product attachment. Through this reflective, learning-by-doing process, emotional design was understood as not merely user satisfaction but as engagement with empathy, care, and context. Ethnographic fieldwork with 27 Indian households and emotional mapping workshops involving 150 products were carried out using Navarasa cards. These interactions highlighted that the emotional durability of products is rooted in rituals, sensory engagement, and personal narratives. There are five positive emotions found to most strongly influence attachment within domestic life. This understanding manifested in Sparsh, an emotionally durable mixer grinder that drew inspiration from the old silbatta. Made of wood, stone, glass, and brass, it reintroduced slowness, tactility, and visual honesty back to cooking. This project aimed to redefine sustainability as a relationship that is evoked through emotion rather than efficiency. The combination of EDD9 and Navarasa showcases how indigenous knowledge can expand the dimensions of design thinking and lead the students toward emotionally and culturally sensitive practices
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