How might we use different senses to create a puzzle that provides a unique experience?

What inspired TOUCH?

We’ve all felt it before, the enormous joy that comes with completing an intriguing, new puzzle. But right after completing it, the puzzle is no longer interesting to us, and it starts to collect dust on some shelf somewhere. Ordinary puzzles lose their intrigue quickly because we see the solution repeatedly and unconsciously memorize it.

It’s HARDER than you think!

Expectation

10 mins

Reality

~30 mins

What have we achieved ?

4 Weeks

68 backers

$4340 pledged

Process of creating TOUCH

We started with rendering a 3D mock-up and testing our idea using tape and wooden blocks. We did our first round of user testing with version 1, as shown in the image series below. We learned that using tape to create the raised surfaces wasn’t enough for the user’s fingers to decipher the differences in the shapes. We also found that a 3 x 3 cube is too hard for the user.

In our second round user testing, we 3D printed our puzzle pieces, version 2. From this round we learned that it was difficult for the user to recognize the shapes, not because of the texture, but because the shapes we designed were too complex.

We reiterated a third time for the final round of testing, version 3. It worked out great. This is also the puzzle you see in the videos.