CROSS-MODAL PERCEPTION + MULTISENSORY DESIGN
Can your ears change what you taste? How about your nose? Or your eyes? The answer is yes, yes, and yes.
In today’s episode of Curiositea, My co-host (Glen) and I sit down - virtually, tea in hand - with none other than Professor Charles Spence, the head of the Cross-modal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford. For over 25 years, Charles has led groundbreaking work in experimental psychology, with a focus on cross-modal perception, or “how the senses talk to each other.”
This isn’t just abstract theory. Charles has published over 1,250 articles in “top-flight scientific journals,” collaborated with global brands and renowned creatives, and authored 16 books, including the must-read Sense Hacking.
This vibrant conversation explores. . .
+ How sensory design can shape customer behavior and brand experiences
+ Why designers should rely on data instead of synesthetic phenomena
+ The secret sauce of advertising: optimizing sensory incongruence
+ The origin of our shared synesthetic-like associations
Whether you’re a founder, researcher, designer, or “sponge” (a deeply curious person), this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
LEARN MORE
+ Sense Hacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Healthier, Happier Living
+ Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating
+ Unexpected Connections Ted Talk
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITEA
0:00 Introducing Today’s Guest, Charles Spence
2:12 “How the Senses Talk to Each Other”
3:23 Synesthesia Enters the Chat
4:31 The Difference Between Sensory Similarities and Synesthesia
8:48 Perception is Layered
12:14 Cross-cultural + Culture-specific Connections
14:01 Marketing Fails
14:32 Big Brands Using Cross Modal Research
17:53 Changing Flavor by Changing Color
19:01 Choose Data over Synesthetic Phenomena
20:48 “Too Many Points” on My Chicken
22:03 Hardwired Connections vs Learned Associations
24:30 The (Possible) Impact of Imprinting
26:46 Expectations vs Reality
31:20 Blind Dining + Experiential Design
33:15 You Cannot Taste a Wine’s Price
34:14 Predictions “Anchor Our Experience”
34:48 Intentional Sensory Incongruence in Marketing
36:20 Sensory Deprivation
38:27 Hierarchy of the Senses
41:31 Gastrophysics
47:15 Shaping Perception Requires Shaping Context
48:34 Siloed Knowledge
48:54 Extending Ideas Across Categories
49:06 Interaction Between Creatives and Scientists
50:56 What's Next for Charles Spence