A housing for an electronic device allows a haptic feedback response that is localized to a specific area on a back panel of the housing of the electronic device. For example, a user holding the mobile electronic device may directly receive haptic feedback in his/her fingers that are supporting the back side of the mobile electronic device. Those specific areas on the back panel may be locations where the panel material is thinned, or locations where the panel material has been removed and replaced by a suitably selected membrane material having favorable mechanical properties. The membrane material may be introduced as an embossment of a membrane layer. In addition, a force-sensing resistor type material may be used as a replacement material, so as to sense the pressure of a user's finger pressing on the embossed structure at the specific locations to which EMP actuators are bonded.