Soft-wear: identifying meaningful design spaces

for wearable technology

Odette Valentine School of Engineering & Design

Supervisor: Dr Sharon Baurley

What do we mean by wearable technology? ht

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Aims & objectives

© Elucidate the nature of the new relationships required between the designer and the user/consumer that will catalyse the development of meaningful wearable technology

© Design and produce (in conjunction with users via digital technologies) novel modular garment platforms demonstrating various levels of integration of electronic textile components.

© Remain design led and practice based.

Initial Approach

© Identify user needs /product spaces where (fashion) design can play a significant role in increasing consumer acceptance

© Based on two propositions

© Existing and new affordances of

clothing can mitigate the form factors suggested by the limits of the technology

© Fashion objects can create cultural value alongside functional value

What do our clothes say about us?

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How do we furnish our identity?

“Fashion is the science of appearances and it inspires one with the desire to seem

rather than to be.” Edwin Hubbell Chapin

1814-1880

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Inputs Processing Outputs

Generated by the body: -biological signals (electric, chemical) -mechanical (motion,

pressure)

Harnessing & developing: −micro electronics −ubiquitous computing −smart materials −mobile telecoms −portable power sources

Direction: −“transmit”out −feedback real time info Type: −visual −audio −tactile / −aromatic −mechanical (shape/form)

Generated in relation to the body: -position /location -atmospheric conditions -other “bodies” -other “things”

Integrating into wearable paradigms: − clothing & accessories − textiles

Effect/Function: − communication − body performance − safety & protection − mental stimulation

SENSING WHAT,

WHERE? HOW? WHY?

On-body systems

Effect /function

effect/ function

safety & protection

communication

body performance

mental stimulation

Communication

Visual

Linguistic

self identity

textural spoken

personal

social

professional

signs symbols

group identity /affinity

emotional network

social networking

information exchange

fashion clothing

Life organiser

Band T-shirt

Gifted jewellery

Smart mobile phone

Security name badge

Body performance

Monitoring

Enhancing

healthcare

wellbeing

sport

diagnosis

treatment

fitness

physical & emotional balance

nutrition

competitive performance

Controlling

hygiene

Mental stimulation

Thinking

Learning

work

education

leisure

analytical

Pleasure

creative

memory

free thinking

diversion gaming

visual & performing

arts

film

virtual scenarios

educational tools

tourism/visitor attractions

heighten sensations

Safety & protection

Monitoring

Alerting

Military Vital signs

Emergency response

Vulnerable groups

Active protection

Environmental hazards

Prevent physical harm

Location tracking

Real time info

forecasting

Unfamiliar environments

Extreme environments

New digital economies

connect Home

Education

Workplace

Open public spaces

cultural venues

Travel & transport

interact

engage

depend

retail

leisure venues

Tourism

online communities

virtual spaces

Public services

New digital ecologies – wearable tech

connect

interact

engage

depend

retail

prosumer

online store

additional information &

services

customisation

personalised product

crowd sourcing design

Open design /crowd sourcing ht

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New digital ecologies – wearable tech

connect

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hacking/DIY

‘authority’ know-how

user generated know-how

Feedback iterations

physical resources

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Over arching considerations

control trust

usability

accessibility sustainability

dependency

acceptability

desirability

expectations

Standards & regulations

Users

Product

Initial Findings direction of ongoing research

© Designing for context is as important as designing for function

© The is an ongoing role for the enthusiast (DIY/hacker/amateur) in the development of wearable tech

© The framework has underlined the need to understand acceptance

factors for the user’s context as well for the product

© Considering more generic effects/outputs leaves room for ambiguity in design and thus user appropriation

Direction of ongoing research

© Recent work has suggested “visibility” as an appropriate metaphor & design principle for incorporating technology in the personal sphere in a visual manner.

© Trust /acceptance of technology (overt/covert/privacy)

© Changing mental modes around new product types (display or disguise?)

© Desirability/aesthetics (visual attraction)

© Conspicuous creation /consumption (presence of the user via ‘Open Design’ processes)

© Working within the design realm of “communication” and identity

© Identify key elements of “visibility” with relation to the evaluation of wearable technology

Research aims

© New acknowledged, context based, platforms for integration of technology into wearable products

© Design principles for Open Design of wearable technology

© Validated assessment of the balance of cultural value vs. functional value for wearable products

© Guidance for designers on managing the relationship with emerging ‘prosumers’

References

© [1] Ariyatum, B. (2005) New conceptual model for design development of smart clothing, Brunel University.

© [2] Breward,C. (2003) Fashion, Oxford University Press pp15

© [3] Dunne, L. (2010) "Smart Clothing in Practice: Key Design Barriers to Commercialization", Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process & the Fashion Industry, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 41–66.

© [4] Miller, D. (2005) “Introduction” in Clothing as Material Culture, eds. S. Kuchler & D. Miller New York: Berg, pp1-19

© [5] Steele, V. (1989), “Appearance and Identity” in Men and Women: Dressing the Part, eds. C. Brush Kidwell & V. Steele Washington: Smithsonian Institute Press, pp. 6-21

© [6] Svendsen, L. (2006) Fashion: A Philosophy, Oxford: Reaktion Books Ltd

© [7] Case, A.(2010) We are all cyborgs now. TED Talk Dec 2010 http://www.ted.com/talks/amber_case_we_are_all_cyborgs_now.html

Thank you

Acknowledgements: Dr Sharon Baurley, Priti Veja