New Materials for Design: A Sensory and Perceptual Analysis of Transparent Wood

This research presents an analysis of Transparent Wood (TW), a material currently under development, focusing on its perceptual and sensory aspects, specifically through sight, hearing, and touch. The objective of this study is to examine TW’s current perception to propose clear and effective communication strategies enhancing its adoption and acceptance before its market introduction. Advances in material innovation contribute to sustainability, performance, and the meaningfulness of new artifacts, yielding benefits not only in academia but also in the real-world contexts of businesses and end users. In this context, the research falls within the domain of Design for Materials, which intersects the fields of Design and Materials Science. The study uses a protocol drawn from the scientific literature for evaluating perceived quality through a sensory test administered to eighty participants, referred to as “material tasters.” Data were collected during a two-hour session in which participants, provided with TW samples, performed three distinct actions for each selected sense, and selected four adjectives from a predefined list that they considered most appropriate. The collected data were subsequently analyzed for each sensory modality and across cross-sensory modalities, yielding guidelines to improve future communication strategies related to the perceived quality of TW. Results may be limited by the geographic homogeneity of participants and by preconceived notions of traditional wood and other transparent materials—aspects currently under further investigation. The proposed guidelines will be validated with designers and architects in upcoming focus groups, ensuring a broader and more diverse perspective on the material’s potential applications.