Getting a Handle on How We Handle Things

As part of this research, I have to understand how just how we touch objects.

When I was looking at this topic for my related Master’s research, I came across Lederman and Klatsky’s methods for haptic analysis. For those that haven’t come across it, they are:

Lateral motion (providing information about surface texture)

Pressure (Compliance or hardness)
Static contact (apparent temperature)
Unsupported holding (weight)
Enclosure (Volume; Global shape)
Contour following (Exact shape)
Contact (temperature)

For my own reference, I diagramatised it as such:

My Lederman and Klatsky model from 2008 (sorry about the blue!)

Since then, I’ve come across Jessica Dagman’s Haptic Product Properties. They are, with their relative associations:

Size (Volume, dimensions, proportions)
Shape (Configuration)
Border (Contour)
Point (Tip, break)
Corner (Crook)
Nook (Cranny)
Protuberance (Bulge)
Orientation (Support for usage)
Balance (Between parts, equilibrium)
Weight (Mass, load)
Material
Resistance (In a button or hinge for example)
Stiffness (Rigidity)
Structure (Pattern, texture)
Resilience (Flexibility)
Hardness (Softness)
Hardness (Softness)
Temperature

While she notes that the words are ‘nouns, not verbs’, I couldn’t help but cross-reference them against the above to see what came out.

Lederman and Klatsky

Lederman and Klatsky	Dagman
Lateral motion (surface texture)	Structure (Pattern, texture) Material
Pressure (Compliance or hardness)	Resistance (In a button or hinge for example) Stiffness (Rigidity) Hardness (Softness)
Static contact (apparent temperature)	Temperature
Unsupported holding (weight)	Orientation (Support for usage) Weight (Mass, load)
Enclosure (Volume; Global shape)	Size (Volume, dimensions, proportions) Shape (Configuration)
Contour following (Exact shape)	Border (Contour) Point (Tip, break) Corner (Crook) Nook (Cranny) Protuberance (Bulge)
Moving parts	Balance (Between parts, equilibrium)?