Laoise Carey

This major design project addresses the value-behaviour gap in sustainable fashion by shifting consumer education away from information-heavy text towards embodied cognition. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) paradigm, this research investigates how encouraging “tactile literacy” in consumers might counteract the engineered softness of low-quality synthetic textiles.

By designing a “Black Box” haptic testing tool and interviewing a core group of research participants, key insights will inform a tactile design intervention for retail spaces that aims to nudge shoppers towards more circular, sustainable, and natural fibres. Ultimately, this intervention provides a physical framework for fashion and textile retailers to communicate material value, helping customers align their tactile shopping experiences with their ethical purchasing intentions.