User Experience of Wearable Compressive Tactile Stimulation
Project Lead:
Wearlab
This project investigates how wearable compressive stimulation applied to different upper-body locations shapes comfort, emotional response, and overall user experience. We developed a series of soft compression vests equipped with inflatable sections that deliver controlled, localized pressure, allowing us to examine which body areas most closely approximate a comforting, calming embrace.
Through a randomized, dynamic user study with ten female participants, we evaluated the experience of compression across multiple upper-body locations using a combination of think-aloud protocols and post-use surveys. To further inform design decisions, we created virtual garment prototypes in CLO 7.1 to study stress distribution, strain patterns, and pressure points. Together, these methods demonstrate the feasibility and promise of integrating compressive tactile stimulation into wearable systems designed to support emotional well-being.