Experiential Characterization of Bio-Inspired Textures for Product Design Through Digital Media in the Context of a Pandemic

This article reports the process and presents the findings of an experiential characterization of the expressive and sensory properties of six textures bio-inspired in the nature of the city of Medellin, Colombia. This type of characterization, which was carried out with 148 participants from Chile and Colombia, arises from the discipline of design and is performed through an individual experience of interaction with the stimulus—in this case, the textures, focusing on the qualities related to emotions, meanings, and senses, in contrast to the characterizations of the physical–mechanical or technical properties, usual in disciplines such as engineering. This experience was originally designed to be carried out in an on-site setting, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be adapted and was performed remotely using an online survey and 3D visualization software allowing the analysis of situations beyond the specific pandemic situation that consider the possibility of remotely assessing these types of elements. Since this is a novel process for which no precedents were found, and after a brief introduction and theoretical framework, the article presents, first, the protocol and characteristics established to develop this characterization experience and then details its results, which are subsequently discussed to establish relationships and possible applications to the fields of product design and architecture.