The big idea: Psychology here is the study of the mind, including all the senses that send information to it.
A designer has five channels — sight, sound, touch, smell, taste — and most products use only one of them properly.
Each sense with the design decision it supports. Step through to see what smell and taste are actually used for.
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Vision — fastest and richest
Sound — reaches you when you are looking away
Touch — confirms without looking
Smell — almost entirely safety
Taste — deterrence
Get feedback like a real examiner
Submit your answers and get instant feedback — what you did well, what's missing, and exactly what to write to score full marks.
Redundancy: Critical information should reach the user through more than one sense.
An alarm that flashes and sounds still works for a user who cannot hear it, who wears ear defenders, or who is looking the other way.
One channel
- A colour-only status light
- A silent touchscreen button
- A quiet tone in a noisy workshop
- Fails completely for part of the user group
Two channels
- Colour plus a symbol or position
- A button that clicks and highlights
- A beacon plus a tone
- Degrades gracefully — one channel can fail
The exam move: When a scenario describes a product with one channel, the mark is almost always in naming the second one you would add and saying who it helps.
How this is tested — discussing how the senses are used to influence a product's design. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — multiple choice
- Identify which sense a described feature uses.
- Pick the change that adds a second sensory channel.
Paper 2 — analysing a product
- Explain how the senses influence the design of a named product.
- Suggest a second channel for information currently carried by one.
The trap: Listing the five senses without attaching a design decision to each. The command is explain — every sense you name needs a product consequence.
Explain how a designer uses the human senses in the design of a domestic oven.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.