softnesssuch

softnesssuch is a term that arose in the early twenty‑first century within the interdisciplinary field of haptics and material perception. The word is a portmanteau combining “softness” with the demonstrative pronoun “such,” implying a particular qualitative state of softness that is context‑dependent and culturally mediated. Researchers defined softnesssuch as the dimension of a tactile experience that cannot be fully captured by scalar measures such as modulus or friction coefficient alone, but instead incorporates factors such as deformation rate, recoverability, and perceived compliance. In practice, softnesssuch is assessed through psychophysical experiments in which participants rate the tactile quality of a wide range of materials while controlling for shape, temperature, and surface roughness. The resulting data is then used to develop a multidimensional softnesssuch index that is intended to inform the design of consumer products ranging from cushioning polymers to textiles and biomaterials.

The concept was popularized in a 2024 paper published in the Journal of Sensorimotor Studies, where the authors used machine‑learning algorithms to correlate softnesssuch scores with material properties measured by rheology and nanoindentation. The paper argued that softnesssuch provides a more holistic metric for evaluating user comfort and product desirability than conventional hardness scales. Subsequent work has applied the softnesssuch framework to the development of 3D‑printed ergonomic components, demonstrating improved user satisfaction in a series of user‑testing studies. While the field is still emerging, the terminology has gained traction in both industry and academia, particularly within the ergonomic design and textile‑engineering communities.