Smart Textiles and Clothing: An Opportunity or a Threat for Sustainability?

Wearable technology products which include smart clothing and textiles have grown in popularity and are only expected to become more ubiquitous over the next several years with an annual growth of 23 percent reaching $100 billion in sales by 2023 and$150 billion by 2026. But this growing demand does not come without considerable cost. Combining electronics and textiles, which both are relatively short-lived mass consumer goods, would intensify product obsolescence and lead to even shorter life cycles and abandonment of products. Although there is extensive research on the sustainability of fashion, limited research exists on the sustainability of smart textiles and clothing, and it appears timely and significant for an exploratory study on this topic. This study explores sustainability of smart textiles and clothing by a critical and in-depth review of existing literature and recent design efforts in the industry and in alternative realms such as maker spaces. The study introduces design approaches for more sustainable products and user experiences by employing Norman’s levels of emotional design [1], and Lamb and Kallal’s functional, expressive, and aesthetic (FEA) apparel design models [2] as grounding frameworks to discuss the sustainability of smart textiles and clothing from all angles. References [1] Norman, Donald A. 2004. Emotional design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things. Basic Civitas Books. [2] Lamb, Jane M., and M. Jo Kallal. 1992. A conceptual framework for apparel design. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 10, 2, (1992), 42-47. </div

Wearables Collective Book of Abstracts

WEARABLES COLLECTIVE is a two-day symposium focused on e-textiles, smart clothing and other forms of wearable technology applications for health and wellbeing, organized by University of California-Davis in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, London. The symposium aims for deep exploration and cross disciplinary discussion in wearables of all forms, smart material explorations and tangible human computer/robot interfaces for physical and mental health and wellbeing in all stages of life from infancy to older age, to sleep-work- leisure cycles as well as healthy versus unwell phases in life

Creación y Simulación de Metodologías de Análisis, Clasificación e Integración de Nuevos Requerimientos a Software Propietario

La priorización de nuevos requerimientos a implementar en un software propietario es un punto fundamental para su mantenimiento, la conservación de la calidad, observación de las reglas de negocio y los estándares de la empresa. Aunque existen herramientas de priorización basadas en técnicas probadas y reconocidas, las mismas requieren una calificación previa de cada requerimiento. Si la empresa cuenta con solicitudes provenientes de varios clientes de un mismo producto, aumentan los factores que afectan a la empresa, las herramientas disponibles no contemplan estos aspectos y hacen mucho más compleja la tarea de calificación. Este trabajo de investigación abarca la realización de un relevamiento de los métodos de priorización y selección de nuevos requerimientos utilizados por empresas de la zona de Rosario, y la definición de una metodología para la selección un nuevo requerimiento, que implica el análisis y evaluación de todas las implicaciones sobre el producto de software y la empresa, respetando sus reglas de negocio. La metodología creada conduce a la definición de los procesos para la construcción de una herramienta de calificación y priorización de nuevos requerimientos en software propietario que tiene solicitudes de varios clientes al mismo tiempo, con instrumentos de calificación que consideran todos los aspectos relacionados, proveerá técnicas de priorización actuales y emitirá informes personalizados según diferentes perspectivas de la empresa.Eje: Ingeniería de SoftwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A framework for designing in cross-cultural contexts: culture-centered design process

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2013. Major: Design. Advisor: Marilyn DeLong, Ph.D. 1 computer file (PDF); xvi, 269 pages, appendices I-V.The design process has become multicultural, bringing together designers, users and other stakeholders with different cultural backgrounds as a result of the dynamics of globalization and the rise of emerging markets outside Western culture. Developing new products for the new emerging "non-Western" markets is challenged by the diversity of cultures, the diversity in the environmental, economic, and technological contexts and therefore requires new ways of design thinking. The rationale for this study emanates from the desire to understand ways to design for diverse cultures. This study explores the design processes where designers and users originate from significantly different cultural backgrounds and offers a framework that point out the challenges of the process and the strategies targeting these challenges. Grounded theory is adopted as the methodological framework for this study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews of purposefully selected designers who have experience in designing products for users whose cultural backgrounds are significantly different than their own. Twenty designers with diverse experiences from different geographical locations in the world were interviewed either face-to-face or by using online communication technologies. Two levels of interviews were used: the first level focused on identifying the process of designing for another culture and included generative questions to determine major concepts. Based on the results from first level interviews, second level of interviews focused on each step of the process, its methods, challenges and strategies. Qualitative Data Analysis Software NVivo was used for data reduction and analysis. The results emerged from three levels of coding: open, axial, and selective coding. Open coding was used to determine concepts by opening up transcriptions and exposing thoughts and meanings contained in the text. In axial coding the aim was reorganizing the data that was opened up. Similar concepts were merged into categories and developed into a tree structure that shows the relationship between concepts and categories. In the third level of selective coding, data were transformed into a framework as a result of immersion in data over time. At this stage, the visual model and the storyline of the framework that describes the design process in the cross-cultural context named as "Culture-Centered Design Process" was developed. The process of designing for another culture can be more time consuming, expensive and frustrating without the grounding pre-design phase. Culture-centered design process starts with pre-design phase which is the key to be prepared for the challenges of cross-cultural communication. Cross-cultural communication problems challenge especially the cultural immersion stage. Design teams need to respond to cultural values, norms, linguistic differences to build rapport and gain access to the users' experiential and environmental contexts at the individual level. Finding the most capable cultural broker helps design teams not only in overcoming language barriers but also in building rapport with the users and catching the subtle nuances. Communication problems are eased and users' roles in the design process are empowered when research methods are purposefully selected and combined with visual probes. Designing for another culture is less intuitive and vulnerable to assumptive thinking; therefore cross-cultural design requires constant validation of design decisions with the users. Perceptual filter or assumptive thinking especially challenges reflective integration and co-design & implementation stages. Designers need to be aware of their biases and assumptions as much as possible to draw insights from the user's reality. Directly or indirectly involving users in the design process through co-design or prototype walkthroughs can act as validation mechanisms

User Experience of Wearable Technologies: A Comparative Analysis of Textile-Based and Accessory-Based Wearable Products

Wearable technology components have been integrated into accessories and then clothes over the evolutionary process. In the future, it is predicted that wearable technologies will be patchable and implantable. Despite progress in wearable technologies, there is an adaptation problem in wearable technologies. One of the most important reasons for this problem is the negative product experiences of the users. In this study, we investigated the user experiences of accessory-based and textile-based wearable technologies. Due to the temporality of the user experience, a mixed method was developed, including a survey for the expectations before use, a diary-interview for during use, and a semi-structured interview for after use. The data obtained with these methods were analyzed with SPSS and NVivo programs and the two different wearing-style experiences were compared. As a result of these analyses, it has been revealed that textile-based wearable technologies give a more positive experience during and after use and may be preferred over accessory-based wearable technologies in terms of wearability

User Experience of Wearable Technologies: A Comparative Analysis of Textile-Based and Accessory-Based Wearable Products

Wearable technology components have been integrated into accessories and then clothes over the evolutionary process. In the future, it is predicted that wearable technologies will be patchable and implantable. Despite progress in wearable technologies, there is an adaptation problem in wearable technologies. One of the most important reasons for this problem is the negative product experiences of the users. In this study, we investigated the user experiences of accessory-based and textile-based wearable technologies. Due to the temporality of the user experience, a mixed method was developed, including a survey for the expectations before use, a diary-interview for during use, and a semi-structured interview for after use. The data obtained with these methods were analyzed with SPSS and NVivo programs and the two different wearing-style experiences were compared. As a result of these analyses, it has been revealed that textile-based wearable technologies give a more positive experience during and after use and may be preferred over accessory-based wearable technologies in terms of wearability

Wearable tech, virtual fashion, and immersive technologies

Since the turn of the 21st century, humanity has witnessed many technological innovations in fashion, apparel, and textiles which have created entirely new product categories and brought new developments to all stages of the product life cycle. Wearable technology and virtual fashion represent two new product categories in the physical and digital realms of fashion. In this chapter, new opportunities and challenges for environmental sustainability emerging from the introduction of these new product categories in the marketplace are discussed. Focus is placed on textile-based wearable technologies, such as electronic textiles, smart clothing, virtual apparel, and textiles in digital social interactions and retailing; covering their implications for sustainability at all levels: from materials, production, and distribution to use and disposal