Kexin Lei is a designer who believes in the power of meaningful design. She embraces a human-centric approach, focusing on enhancing individual lives and addressing societal issues. Design, to Kexin, goes beyond a career - it's an attitude embodying her worldview and her pursuit of innovation. She strives to deliver designs that blend convenience with aesthetics, and deeply values the user experience.
Kexin Lei
"The more familiar you are with a scent, the lower your threshold for detecting it - the sense of smell improves if you put a little effort into training it. "
"The marginalisation of smell has accelerated as we moved into cities that has a limited and constrained smellscape. The screens that have come to occupy even more of our attention stimulate senses like vision and hearing, but offer no smell sensations."
"Around 60 percent of people who contract Covid-19 will lose their sense of smell and taste, usually for one or two weeks. One in ten people who lose their sense of smell will have persistent smell loss which can last at least eight weeks, but commonly lasts for many months."
Sculpted in the simplicity of white, this device stands as a conduit to the often-overlooked olfactory world. Aligned with the rhythm of music, it presents an immersive, gamified journey into the spectrum of scents. By offering various modes of interaction, it encourages users to actively engage with their olfactory senses, converting the abstract realm of smells into a tangible, enriching experience.
Through repetitive exposure to different scents, this device harnesses the principle that familiarity sharpens detection, effectively honing olfactory acuity. This design is more than a novelty or source of enjoyment. It confronts the sensory deprivation of our urban landscapes, championing a return to the diversity of our olfactory heritage.
Beyond an interface for scent exploration, it serves a deeper, therapeutic purpose. By promoting the training and improvement of our sense of smell, this design seeks to deepen our sensory connection with the world, ultimately enriching life's experiences in profound, yet playful ways.
