Explaining Kansei design studies

Within the last thirty years, Kansei studies have become an important field of research in Japan. More recently, foreign researchers have become more and more interested in understating the approach, despite the difficulties related to the cultural dimension of Kansei and Kansei studies. The aim of this research is to propose to westerners a clear description of what Kansei and Kansei studies are, and how it is different from classic western approaches on sensory or emotion design. Using this description of Kansei studies, a brainstorming has been organized to determine a list of keywords (KSK) used to structure and map comprehensively Kansei-related source of information. Moreover, a participative tool, called KanseiTako, is introduced. This tool aims at providing researchers, educators, and students, with an organized and useful set of knowledge sources to structure comprehensively the research field and the education in Kansei studies.