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Title of the thesis: Towards Experiential Packaging – Understanding and Designing for Packaging User Experience (PUX)

Thesis defender: Markus Joutsela
Opponent: Prof. Renee Wever, Linköping University, Sweden
Custos: Prof. Masood Masoodian,Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture 

How does packaging influence the way we experience products?

Research integrates user experience into packaging design.

Packaging is one of the most critical interfaces between consumers and products. Yet packaging design has traditionally prioritised production and logistics efficiency over user experience, leaving much of its experiential potential untapped.

Markus Joutsela's doctoral dissertation examines Packaging User Experience (PUX) through the lens of human-packaging interaction across the consumer journey, from purchase through use to disposal. The research demonstrates how these touchpoints shape the way consumers perceive, interpret, use, and experience packaging.

The dissertation introduces the PUX framework, which integrates user experience (UX) principles, multisensory design, visual communication, and experience design into packaging design practice. The framework provides a structure for understanding and evaluating the experiences evoked by packaging and for applying this knowledge to enhance consumer experience and strengthen brand value.

The work includes four peer-reviewed articles that investigate consumer experience research and its relevance to packaging design. These articles explore methods for collecting packaging experience data, recalled meaningful experiences, the integration of experiential goals into the design process, and the influence of user experience on perceived value and willingness to pay.

The research reinforces packaging's position within experience design research. It also provides practical tools for user-centered and evidence-based decision-making across the packaging value chain. The findings apply to both design research and practical product and brand development.

Keywords: packaging design, user experience (UX), consumer behaviour, packaging user experience (PUX), experience-driven design, human-packaging interaction, packaging experience touchpoints

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at . 

Contact: markus.joutsela@aalto.fi