Multi-Sensory Creative Thinking: A Synesthetic Technique for Design

Abstract

This conceptual paper introduces the concept of Multi-Sensory Creative Thinking based on synesthesia. In this paper, the concept is explained in the context of design however in future it may be extended to other spheres of creative thinking and problem-solving. Synesthesia is a healthy neurological condition in which a stimulus for one sense (sight, touch, sound, smell etc.) provokes an experience of another sense as well. The paper uses research done on synesthesia and on multi-sensory design to argue that if an individual is trained to have responses from multiple senses to a single stimulus, it can enrich an individual’s imagination and can eventually help achieve better designs. The paper develops the conceptual framework and then introduces the structure of an exercise that can be readily used in a classroom setting to see its impact.

Keywords: Creativity, Synesthesia, Sensory, Design, Multi-sensory, Creative thinking, Imagination

JEL Classification: M19