Design Intervention Proposal 2: The 3-Day “Mobile Sensory Companion” Field Probe

Background of the Intervention and Methodological Pivot
This second action-research cycle uses a “semi-bespoke design probe” approach because present manufacturing limitations prohibit the mass production of tailored companion dolls. In order to examine how a dual-sensory anchor (tactile + olfactory) gives real-time emotional grounding throughout fleeting daily life, the study switches its experimental lens from a static indoor domestic nook to dynamic, movable public settings.

Framework & Protocol for Intervention

Three Chinese adults (18+) who have lived overseas for at than six months make up the participant demographics.

Three days in a row.

Supplies and Setup:

Each participant receives a standardized, carefully chosen natural scent packet (such as roasted oolong tea, sweet osmanthus, or mountain cedar) from the researcher.

In order to capitalize on the personal attachment, participants affix the smell packet to a little bag charm or plush necklace rather than presenting a new mass-produced item.

Instructions for Participants:

Attach the supplied aroma core to a little doll or personal plush charm that can be carried around every day.

Take the fragrant charm with them on their everyday out-of-home activities (e.g., public transportation journeys, university libraries, workplaces, or solitary city walks).

Engage directly with the charm (holding, tactile kneading, or breathing the aroma) for one to two minutes whenever you are experiencing unpleasant emotions, such as sudden homesickness, spatial disorientation, language anxiety, or everyday tension.

Record the context, emotional triggers, times of engagement, and immediate sensory changes in a quick daily mobile diary.

Plan for Data Gathering and Assessment

Mobile Diary Logs: During the three-day period, the three participants’ real-time notes and contextual photos are gathered to record their instant physical reactions.

Post-Intervention Debrief Interviews: Following Day 3, each of the three participants will participate in a 15-minute semi-structured online interview to assess:

How successfully a mobile tactile-olfactory companion establishes a portable “psychological boundary” in public spaces.

The privacy, subtlety, and practicality of passive solid smell dispersal in communal areas.

Participant-led specifications for refillable scent systems, tactile textures, and weight for later physical prototyping iterations.