EmoMap: A framework for mapping emotional transitions of Colour-Material-Finish (CMF) interactions in sustainable fashion

While emotions are recognized as critical to product experience, few approaches exist to operationalize the dynamic flow from sensory impressions to reflective meaning. To address this gap, this study presents a systematic framework, called EmoMap, designed to capture and visualize emotional responses to colour-material-finish (CMF) interactions in sustainable fashion contexts. In focus groups involving 21 participants, both visual and tactile stimuli were explored to generate an emotion lexicon, which was subsequently mapped onto the EmoMap framework. The analysis revealed four transition patterns: visceral to behavioural, behavioural to reflective, visceral to reflective, and cyclical, across three levels of emotional engagement. These findings demonstrate how emotional responses evolve beyond static categories into trajectories of perception, appraisal, and reconstruction. Although developed and tested within sustainable fashion contexts, EmoMap offers a systematic proof-of-concept design tool that translates unstructured affect into structured knowledge, enabling designers to create emotionally durable products, thereby fostering long-term sustainability.