MORE THAN ONE MILAN: Urban Interactive Experience: An Olfactory Map Project

In recent times, designers have started to acknowledge the importance of smell across diverse design domains. Within the context of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), designers are venturing into the systematic incorporation of smell within the design process, moving beyond employing smell solely as a sensory enhancer. Memory and emotions are greatly influenced by smell, prompting interaction designers to leverage these aspects. Map nowadays predominantly prioritize visual and auditory elements, overlooking the importance of incorporating smell into urban exploration. More Than One Milan: The Olfactory Map project employ smell as the core element in the design endeavors, stimulate individuals’ sensory perceptions using smells, nurtures their imagination and curiosity and amplifies their motivation to venture into their chosen destinations. Another objective is to establish olfactory memory cues for places, thus crafting a multi-sensory strategy for memory improvement. This paper will begin by introduction that examine the current state of olfactory design and map design. It will then establish the foundation of the project’s design methodology, followed by an explanation of the conceptualization, research, testing, and iterative process undertaken in the project.