Hard to resist: These design objects have been made extra tempting

In the past, the shape, feel and function of a button were central to industrial design. They formed the link between people and devices. Today, however, the button plays a lesser role. Advanced technologies such as touch and voice recognition make the design detail largely superfluous. Something crucial is lost in the process: the sensory experience.

The good news: some industrial designers want to prevent the extinction of the classic element. Fiona Handermann and Max Kohli explored knobs, buttons and switches in their diploma thesis. This resulted in the collection called "Objet Libre" ("free object").

"Objet Libre" - a series of acoustic bodies

The kinetic beauties were on display during Milan Design Week at the House of Switzerland organised by Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland in the group exhibition "The Factory of Joy"

The exhibition consisted of 23 projects by young designers, independent studios, established brands and universities from Switzerland, which explored emotions in the design process in different ways. "The starting points of the project were the three topics: Sound - Body - Form," reads the duo's media release. "We explored their connection with the aim of designing a new acoustic body." The result was inspired by everyday objects such as a light switch, which are "pressed impulsively".

A key has a single purpose and delivers a specific result. But what if the latter fails to materialise? Handermann and Kohli have investigated this question. They have stripped the originally functional objects of their function and given them a new body. In this way, they emphasise the sounds, various associations and feelings that pressing buttons can evoke. Including one of the most important: pure temptation.

Buttons can be discreet, decorative, tactile or alarming. Pushing a shiny, ergonomically shaped button that brings a machine to life can be fun. It means nudging something and expecting a reaction. That's why it's so tempting to flick switches. What you hear can be just as exciting as what you feel on your fingertips. Swiping across a screen seems dull in comparison.

Projects such as "Objet Libre" show how pleasant and appealing the kinetic nature of pressing a button can be. They give us hope that simple switches, knobs and buttons and the simple pleasures associated with them will be with us for a while yet.