Poetry in design

This paper describes an attempt to use poetry in design as an access door to experience cultural elements and embed them in the design of meaningful aesthetic interactions. Not only do poems tell a story, but their language and the way they play with the subtleties of that language also tell us a lot about cultural values, feelings, beliefs and judgments. This approach is exemplified by reporting on an educational activity carried out in the “Cultural Sensitivity” module of the Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Design at Eindhoven Uni-versity of Technology (TU/e). By illustrating and discussing actual implement-ed students’ projects, a conceptual framework for employing poetry in design is provided.