Designing For Enriching Leisure Experience With A Crafted Tea Set Of Embodied Cultural Stories

Abstract

In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, people increasingly prioritize the quality of leisure time with family and friends for emotional restoration. Research indicates that low-effort activities during non-work hours help reduce burnout; however, such activities often lack sensory depth and interpersonal interaction. This study focuses on "weekend gatherings" moments and proposes a tea set design that utilizes craftsmanship and cultural elements to enrich users’ emotional experiences and social connections. Our design process combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, we applied Kansei Engineering Type I approach to investigate users’ perceptions towards 15 existing tea set products. 33 participants completed a survey of 10 semantic differential scales. Factor analysis identified three key Kansei factors: "Ritual," "Innovation/Interest," and "Decoration." Informed by those insights, we integrated cultural elements into the ritual of tea time design and create a ceramic tea set that offers rich sensorial experiences. In the post-test, we invited 5 participants to try out our prototype in a social gathering setup to understand their user experiences through observation and semi-structured interviews. The results show that: (1) the puzzle game of the ritual design successfully triggered surprise and curiosity; (2) the integration of multi-sensory elements throughout the tea-making process enhanced participants' engagement, relaxation, and emotional restoration; (3) the combination of craftsmanship, cultural elements, and ritualized interaction strengthened participants' emotional connection and social engagement during weekend tea gatherings.