Shape does matter - designing materials in products

In this thesis I investigate how to support designing the appearance of materials in products, specifically how to search for new materials and to explore the interactions between materials and shape. Central in this thesis is a novel design called Skin 2.0. Skin allows designers in the early stages, using their physical models, to experience richness of material visualization found in computer support of the latter design stages. Skin supports the imagination through iterative, highly interactive visualization cycles. It engages designers in trial and error processes, letting them explore new materials as well as the interactions between shape and materials. Skin itself was developed through a series of participative action research cycles. Prototypes of new tools and techniques were developed with practitioners, and evaluated in relevant, real world design situations. These cycles of research and design led to insights in how to support designer¿s thinking process, ultimately leading to recommendations for ¿sketching¿ materials in products. http://studiolab.io.tudelft.nl/skin