How Senses Affect Function
Sensory processing is how people understand and react to what’s around us—like sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. These senses team up to paint a picture of our world and help us engage with it. But differences in how we process these senses can create unique sensory styles.
In ELGEM, the Sensory Processing category helps designers explore how different users may cope with the variances in their time and energy by using their senses—seeing, touching, and hearing.
There are four main ways people respond to sensory info: avoiding, seeking, sensitive, and unregistered. Avoiders steer clear of certain sensations, seekers actively search for intense ones, sensitives feel emotions strongly, and unregistered folks barely notice sensory input. These responses can change based on situations or time. Imagine someone loves loud music but hates noisy traffic—they’ve got different sensory reactions in different situations.
Two key psychological theories explain these differences. One Sensory Processing Sensitivity Theory tells us that some people can be extra sensitive to stimuli, which can make them feel overwhelmed and limit their ability to do what they’d like. The other, Sensory Processing Theory helps occupational therapists address sensory differences and the challenges they bring to their clients.
Around 16% of the US population has officially diagnosed sensory processing issues. Besides diagnosed disorders, heaps of different situations like neurological conditions, stress, or fatigue—can mess with sensory processing, affecting how someone functions, especially when trying to learn new information.
People like to learn using all their senses—seeing, hearing, and touching information. They might prefer reading, listening, or taking notes to understand better.
These sensory differences can link to impulsive behavior, sensitivity to rejection, or struggling with social anxiety. It might affect how well someone interacts, handles emotions, or works. Recurring sensory issues might cause stress or avoiding things they need to or want to do.
Some users might need music to stay focused, while others might struggle if their setting isn’t just right. Everyone’s ideal environment differs and can fluctuate, so designers need to find ways for users to adjust their environments—or their products—to suit their needs.
Research
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