Expanding territories of materials and design

Materials experience as a field has evolved substantially and is now mobilized to incorporate new ways of thinking and doing in design. The field has helped designers and researchers transform materials and design from a narrow-focused technically oriented selection process into a vibrant, investigative, and inspirational practice. This chapter introduces new and emerging relationships between designers, materials, and artifacts. To set a background, a concise account is provided of the lineage of materials experience and the materials experience framework. Three key themes defining the contemporary view of materials experience are explained. The first theme is the changing role of design and designers, where subjects including material-driven design practices, material tinkering, and DIY (do-it-yourself) materials, and the emergence of the material designer are introduced. The second theme is the changing role of materials themselves: materials are increasingly the centerpiece for design ideation and are becoming-especially through biodesign practices-active and influential agents within and outside design processes. The third theme is the role of materials experience in responding to sustainability goals, providing a foundation not only for inspiring environmentally sensitive material innovations but also for exploring people’s acceptance of such novel material proposals. Materials experience is projected to grow in importance: as a catalyst for new design practices (ways of thinking, ways of doing), as an influence on thoughtful choices of materials for design, and as a lens through which thoughtful decisions in new materials development may be taken.