The OBSERVE tool is not simply an introspective exercise, it is a transformative tool that guides learners through a process of awareness and responsibility toward the spaces they inhabit. Its purpose is to activate a deep, personal sense of dwelling, bringing to the surface memories, preferences, emotions, and desires related to the experience of space.
The objective is twofold:
- On one hand, to strengthen the learner’s perceptual identity, helping them recognize what makes them feel good, comfortable, welcomed, protected, or stimulated.
- On the other hand, to activate design empathy – the capacity to translate one’s own lived experience into environments that are also sensitive to the vulnerabilities of others.
The sequence of sensory experiences encourages individuals to engage with materials, colors, and atmospheres not only as aesthetic objects but also as emotional and relational elements.
This activity provides, in the subsequent design phase, a concrete basis for selecting colors, finishes, materials, sounds, and scents that are coherent with the experiences collected.
In practice, the activity offers an experiential foundation for designing inclusive, and regenerative spaces, where every detail is conceived to foster connection, well-being, and identity recognition.
A space designed with this approach will never be generic: it will be alive, coherent, and deeply felt.
Made with love by Wellhome team
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
