Constructing the affectiveness and aesthetics of touch through shape-changing fashion and textiles

Abstract

The integration of touch as an artistic medium within aesthetic interaction design has garnered significant attention. This Research-through-Design study explores haptic design within a philosophical framework rooted in affect theory, sensory experience, and post-phenomenology, with a focus on the interaction between bodily affective encounters and transformative artifacts. It also draws from similar design frameworks established by researchers such as Schiphorst, Dassen, and Bruns Alonso, emphasising the significance of embodiment, relationality, and affect in shaping creative processes and outcomes. Thus, this study has developed ways to enhance design-led and craft-based haptic material experiences by translating material properties into haptic qualities. This exploration encompasses the utilisation of emerging technologies, specifically Shape-changing Interfaces (SCIs) with features like flexibility, responsiveness, and adaptability, making them ideal for facilitating haptic and tactile interactions. In particular, this study explores pneumatic and kinetic shape-changing material interfaces for crafting aesthetic and affective experiences. It extends existing design research by integrating aesthetics, sensory experience, and somaesthetics through the lens of fashion and textile design, exploring the seamless integration of these elements into haptic interaction design.

This study challenges the established technology-driven paradigm in haptics, returning to a focus on bodily experience and a sensory approach. It explores the fusion of fashion and textiles with shape-changing interfaces, offering a creative designerly perspective. This endeavour leverages the unique attributes of fashion and textile design, their underlying logic, material crafts, affective capacity, aesthetic expression, and social relevance in a holistic manner. This synergy ultimately aims to enhance the aesthetics and effectiveness of touch in human-computer interactions.

Research questions are: (1) How do designers embody and translate their own bodily responses, feelings, and sensations into fashion and textile languages during the haptic experience design?; (2) How can various material forms and haptic patterns be designed to influence the user's affective state and aesthetic experience?;(3) How can the human experience and emotions be accessed, articulated, and embodied as design material during the exploration of shape-changing fashion and textiles? (4) What are the potential use contexts and future scenarios for shape-changing fashion and textiles, and how can they be speculated and envisioned? These questions guided the practice research throughout this PhD.

This study progresses through four design projects and workshops, each building upon the previous findings and contributing to the ongoing work. The whole design journey unveils the intricate dimensions, specifically interrogating the placement of touch within space. This encompasses a diverse range of haptic modalities, tactile patterns, and felt experiences (Paterson and Dodge, 2016). It explores how designers and users leverage the body as a design resource, examining the somatic haptic experience from diverse perspectives. The research delves into the complexities of touch, encompassing various haptic modalities and subjective material experiences within different contexts. It transitions from hand-held textile installations to larger-scale haptic wearables, emphasizing the human aspect by incorporating body movement as interaction modalities, thereby creating new opportunities for embodied experiences. It demonstrates multifaceted dimensions of fashion and textiles, investigating how they construct material form, shape human experiences, and influence embodied design. This thesis offers both practical and conceptual contributions in bridging the gap between haptic technologies and the artistic material design endeavour. It advocates for an alternative designerly approach, democratising haptic laboratory-based technologies into accessible, adaptive, and flexible design methods, such as the stitch-based pneumatic textile design method and the compliant membrane structure method. By harnessing the transformative potential of shape-changing fashion and textiles, the research can enhance designers’ understanding of material qualities and design strategies. It explores how changes in material shape yield nuanced haptic patterns, encompassing aspects like strength, shape, and speed, evoking distinct sensations. Building on this understanding, this study further encourages designers to reimagine and speculate on the future scenarios of touch technologies and user experiences, with a particular focus on enhancing well-being.

Overall, this study integrates theoretical insights with practical and conceptual contributions, enriching the field of haptic design and fostering a more inclusive, dynamic, and empathetic design system. It provides methodological insights from a theoretical perspective that inspire future research frameworks. Additionally, the study generates practical design knowledge that democratizes technology with pedagogical values and opens new possibilities. The conceptual contributions enhance our understanding of touch as a profound connection between individuals and mutable materials, encouraging innovative and immersive experiences. The study also highlights wider implications of design responsibility, inclusivity, and a mindful haptic design future, promoting a sense of collective interconnectedness.