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The future design direction of smart clothing development
Literature indicates that Smart Clothing applications, the next generation of clothing and
electronic products, have been struggling to enter the mass market because the consumers’
latent needs have not been recognised. Moreover, the design direction of Smart Clothes
remains unclear and unfocused. Nevertheless, a clear design direction is necessary for all
product development. Therefore, this research aims to identify the design directions of the
emerging Smart Clothes industry by conducting a questionnaire survey and focus groups
with its major design contributors. The results reveal that the current strategy of embedding
a wide range of electronic functions in a garment is not suitable. This is primarily because it
does not match the users’ requirements, purchasing criteria and lifestyle. The results
highlight the respondents’ preference for personal healthcare and sportswear applications
that suit their lifestyle, are aesthetically attractive, and provide a practical function
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