Hors Saison Composer
An experimental fragrance configurator exploring how digital interaction can translate scent, memory and emotional perception.
Overview
Hors Saison Composer is a conceptual fragrance discovery platform that uses interaction design to create a calming digital experience inspired by scent.
Rather than using technical note pyramids or personality quizzes, the project presents fragrance selection as a slower, more atmospheric ritual guided by intuition, memory, and emotional association.
The Challenge
Fragrance is difficult to communicate digitally.
Most online perfume experiences rely on: technical filtering, dense terminology, or transactional quiz systems.
The challenge was to design a fragrance discovery experience that feels immersive and emotionally engaging without attempting to literally reproduce scent.
Research & Insights
Research revealed several recurring patterns:
Users tend to describe fragrances in emotional terms rather than technical language.
Blind-buy decisions are strongly influenced by atmosphere and visual storytelling.
Existing configurators are often perceived as overwhelming or purely transactional.
This led to a core design decision:
Prioritize emotional interpretation over technical precision.
Early Exploration
The process began through abstract sketches exploring:
overlap,
diffusion,
layering,
and sensory balance.
This eventually evolved into the flower-inspired compass structure used throughout the interface.
Design Principles
Slowness over efficiency
The interaction flow supports gradual exploration instead of quick selection.
Editorial minimalism
Whitespace and restrained typography foster a calm sensory environment.
Emotional interpretation
The experience emphasizes atmosphere and association over technical perfume terminology.
Ritualized interaction
Transitions are designed to be immersive and intentional, rather than purely functional.
Interaction Flow
Olfactive Compass
Users navigate atmospheric scent territories through a radial interaction system.
Layering & Composition
Selected territories overlap to gradually shape the fragrance direction.
Maceration Chamber
A transitional moment inspired by perfume aging replaces the traditional loading screen.
Interpretation
The experience concludes with an atmospheric scent profile rather than a technical formula.
Reflection
This project explored how interaction design can communicate atmosphere, rhythm and emotional perception particularly in contexts where the product itself cannot be directly experienced through a screen.