The Taiwan Institute of Kansei (TIK) was established by a consensus reached by leading figures in Kansei engineering research in Taiwan, including President Lin Jung-tai, Professor Chuang Ming-chen, Professor Kuan Hsing-sheng, and Professor Yang Ching. They agreed to urge the Department of Industrial Design at National Cheng Kung University to take on the preparatory work for the establishment of the "Taiwan Institute of Kansei." After returning to Taiwan, Professors Chang Yu-ming and Chen Kuo-hsiang actively lobbied their colleagues in the department, discussing and preparing for the various matters related to the establishment of the "Taiwan Institute of Kansei." The Taiwan Society for the Study of Sensibility was established in 2008 and has now been in its 9th year. Over the past 18 years, it has actively promoted the study of sensibility in Taiwan by holding sensibility seminars in relevant schools in northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan. In order to improve the quality and influence of sensibility research, the Society even launched its inaugural issue of the "Journal of Sensibility" in February 2013.

 

The Taiwan Society for Kanshin Engineering (TSGE) serves as a crucial platform for promoting Kanshin design in Taiwan and facilitates interdisciplinary integration of design and technology by advancing research related to Kanshin Engineering. It also acts as a key link connecting the KEER international academic community, bridging the gap between local research and international publications. Therefore, the annual TSGE international conferences attract not only Taiwanese scholars but also participants from Japan, South Korea, China, Southeast Asia, and other Asian countries. In recent years, the Taiwan Society for Sensibility has held several conferences, including the "International Conference of Taiwan Society for Sensibility and Taiwan Society for Digital Media Design" hosted by National Taitung University in 2022; the "International Academic Conference on Innovative Design X Sensibility" hosted by National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology in 2023; "The Interplay of Virtual and Real" hosted by National Yunlin University of Technology in 2024; and "AI X Sensibility ~ Co-creating the Future of Design" hosted by Ming Chi University of Technology and "Five Colors in Harmony" hosted by Yunlin University of Technology in 2025. By holding conferences in different regions of Taiwan, the Taiwan Society for Sensibility actively promotes sensibility research in Taiwan by allowing participants to experience the local customs and culture of different regions.

 

The 2026 Symposium on Sensibility will be hosted by the Department of Industrial Design at National Kaohsiung Normal University, located in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan. The Department of Industrial Design at National Kaohsiung Normal University was established in the 2002 academic year as the "Department of Applied Design," enrolling its first students. In the 2007 academic year, it was officially renamed the "Department of Industrial Design," and in the 2008 academic year, it established the "Master's Program in Industrial Design," focusing on cultivating high-level design talent. Following this, the application for the "Master of Arts in Cultural and Creative Design" program for working professionals was submitted, and the Ministry of Education approved the enrollment of the first cohort of students in the 2012 academic year. The aim is to leverage industry-government-academia collaboration to support the development of the cultural and creative industries, break through the bottlenecks in cultural and economic development, and enhance national competitiveness.

The Department of Industrial Design at National Kaohsiung Normal University (NTNU) has been established for 24 years and has 20 graduating classes. In addition to training professional industrial designers, the Department of Industrial Design at NTNU actively engages in exchanges with the design community by organizing design-related seminars. In 2009, the then Director Tang Yanyu (now the Vice President of the school) organized the "Republic of China Design Society Symposium", and in 2011, the "Taiwan Society for Sensibility Symposium" was held. Subsequently, in 2013, the "Chinese Creative Power • Cross-Domain Creative Design Symposium" was held, in 2022, the "16th International Symposium of the Asian Design Culture Association" was held, in 2025, the "Design Academic and Cultural Creativity Symposium" was held, and in 2026, the "Design Academic and Cultural Creativity Symposium" was held. Many of the department’s full-time faculty members are directors, supervisors and members of the “Design Society of the Republic of China” and the “Taiwan Society for the Study of Sensibility”. This year, at the invitation of the chairman of the “Taiwan Society for the Study of Sensibility”, they will co-organize the 2026 Taiwan Society for the Study of Sensibility International Conference.