Kansei Drives Sustainable Material Innovation—An Approach to Enhance the Added Value of Biomass Materials

In this study, we discovered that the physical composition of materials can significantly affect users’ psychological and physiological responses. Materials research constantly offers novel materials as better alternatives to convention. However, the functionality of a material no longer ensures its commercial success and widespread use. Additionally, the material should provide significant added value beyond its practical evaluation. Kansei, a concept derived from the Japanese language, pertains to the psychological perception of a product’s functionality and has attracted considerable attention in both industry and academia. This study proposes a Kansei-driven sustainable material method to enhance materials’ added value. We quantified users’ Kansei of tea waste materials via experiments. Specifically, we first measured the physical qualities of the materials, such as their color, surface roughness, and odor index. Next, we used semantic differential and pairwise comparison methods to measure users’ impressions and preferences toward the materials. We also employed wearable physiological measurement devices to capture users’ reactions to the materials, including the skin conductance level (SCL) and heart rate (HR). Finally, we conducted correlation analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) on the collected physical, psychological, and physiological data. This study found strong correlations between the materials’ frictional coefficients and surface roughness and people’s psychological evaluations, such as sensory and safety factors. In addition, we also found that these physical qualities affect people’s HR and SCL, leading to changes in people’s emotions. These findings carry significant implications for enhancing the added value of materials.