Research-based Design Principles for the Integration of Olfaction into Young Children’s Stories

Natalia Ingebretsen Kucirkova, Janine A. Campbell

Olfactory design examines the influence of smell on user experience. Thus far, most studies have focused on the effects of odor on adults and how smell can complement commercial, marketing, and therapeutic objectives. In this paper, we focus on olfactory story design with and for children. We synthesize lessons from three empirical studies, in which we directly examined children’s responses to various mechanisms for incorporating odors into early childhood story-related activities. Based on our observations and theoretically derived insights, we propose an empirically validated framework for the design of odor-enhanced children’s story experiences. The framework is underpinned by the theoretical concepts of reader transactions (Rosenblatt, 1988) and environmental affordances (Gibson, 1977) and four research-derived principles: sequence, intensity, pace, and congruence of olfaction in stories. The framework also emphasizes the child’s active role in the interactions. The design insights presented in this paper are intended to support designers to effectively incorporate smell into both analog resources (books), as well as digital applications (apps) and other story mediums for young children, and expand design studies with an evidence-based approach towards innovation in olfactory design.