Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present design research investigating the development of sensory textiles with embedded electronics to support the wellbeing of people with late stage dementia in residential care. Design/methodology/approach – The research presented is qualitative and uses a mixed method approach informed by grounded practical theory and positive design methodologies. It uses an inclusive and participatory co-design process involving people with dementia and their families with an interdisciplinary team of experts. Findings – Both the co-design process and the artefacts developed have been beneficial in supporting wellbeing. The textile artefacts have been found to soothe, distract and comfort people with dementia. They have also been shown to facilitate in the moment conversational bridges between family members and carers with persons with dementia. Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on a small cohort of participants, observational reports and descriptive accounts from family members and carers. Practical implications – The paper proposes ways in which simple hand-crafted textiles can be used beneficially to support the wellbeing of people with late stage dementia. It provides examples of how technology can be used to personalise and extend the sensory properties of the artefacts created. Social implications – It promotes an inclusive co-design methodology involving care professionals, carers and people with dementia with designers and technologists. Originality/value – The paper describes new ways of extending sensory properties of textiles through the integration of technology.

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Based on a paper presented at the sixth Creativity and Cognition conference (13-15 June 2007, Washington, DC), on the theme "Materialities for Creativity," focused on the cultivating and sustaining of creativity.As digital technology becomes increasingly pervasive and embedded into our everyday experience, there is a growing awareness of the significance of physical interaction with the material world [1]. Recent research is providing evidence of the crucial importance of materiality and physical experience in creative cognition and illuminates the ways in which technology might be developed to enhance its usefulness as a creativity support tool [2]. From earliest times, artmaking has involved the manipulation of tools and materials. The physical properties of implements and the response to bodily interaction have always been sources of inspiration to artists and designers, not only in the process of crafting an artifact but also as stimulation for the artist's imagination. As tools, materials and technology have evolved from generation to generation, so creative processes and cognition have been influenced and changed. Investigating the complexity of the workings of the human mind and explaining how creative thoughts develop are not without their difficulties. Observations of art-making, however, can yield insight into creative processes as well as provide a deeper understanding of individual approaches to innovation [3]. Active participation in the creative act as a collaborator provides the researcher with an empathic experience [4], illuminating how it feels to be physically, emotionally and intellectually involved in this process. Through "disciplined noticing" [5] and qualitative ethnographic research methods, a collaborative creative investigation can reveal issues that might escape notice in a more formal research environment [6]. By using the "studio as laboratory" and utilizing the mutual creative experience of artist and artist-researcher, it is possible to make an analysis of observed and experienced creative processes [7]. This kind of active participation in the research provides insight into the creative mind and at the same time generates novel artifacts that exhibit the creative act.This article draws from a research project I undertook using this methodological approach. The investigation has focused specifically on how digital technology influences the creative practice of textile artists and designers and in particular its impact on creative cognition. Considerable changes in the working practice of the artists involved in this study have occurred over the last 10 years. Until recently the process of creating artwork for printed textiles has been constrained by the limitations of the manufacturing and craft processes used to translate visual imagery into printed surface [8]. Recent developments in digital print machinery mean that there is now a significant advantage to the digital development of artwork, and practitioners are beginning to embrace the technology and explore ways of working c...

One of the most pressing challenges facing designers today is how to create appropriate, useful and safe designs for people living with advanced dementia. Dementia is a complex disease that presents and progresses differently for each individual. This paper contends that co-design with experts, including people living with dementia and their carers, is essential to inform design. Compassionate Design principles are useful to guide the creative process and ensure that concepts are developed that maintain the dignity, personhood and wellbeing of the person living with dementia. The key themes of Compassionate Design are presented through examples of designs for playful objects created as part of the LAUGH design for dementia research. A qualitative participatory co-design research methodology is described along with findings informed by a Live Lab evaluation of the objects with people living with advanced dementia living in residential care.

Designers increasingly are exploring how to support individuals transitioning through loss and grief and coming to terms with a loved one's death. For people living with dementia and their families, the loss and grief they experience is iterative and ongoing. This paper discusses design research to make sensory textile objects for people with advanced dementia, intended to support positive well-being, shared experiences, and “in the moment” pleasure. It draws on theories relating to transitional and transformational objects to show how these textiles support those living with dementia as they transition into greater dependency and move toward the end of life. It shows how, after their death, the objects become memorials and symbolic representations, further supporting family members through their experience of loss.

This paper presents international multidisciplinary design research to support the wellbeing of people living with dementia. The LAUGH 1 project aims to develop playful artefacts that will contribute to non-pharmacological personalised approaches to caring for people living with late stage dementia in residential care. This paper presents the context for this research and explains the initial stages of the work currently in progress. An inclusive participatory methodology is described in which key experts including: health professionals, technologists, materials scientists and carers of people living with dementia are informing the development of design concepts. A positive design approach in which designing for pleasure, personal significance and virtue underpin the work. The initial stages of the research have identified the significance of: playfulness, sensory stimulation, hand use and emotional memory. This paper contends that designs should aim to promote 'in the moment' living in order to support subjective wellbeing of people living with late stage dementia.

The LAUGH project is a recently completed international three-year UK Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded design research project. Outcomes from the research include a collection of playful objects designed to support the wellbeing of people living with advanced dementia that aim to provide comfort, pleasure and fun. These artefactsa series of seven prototypes of playful objects, have recently been exhibited in London at the Royal Society of Arts, the Senedd in Cardiff and in Sydney, Australia. This visual essay provides an explanation of the research underpinning the designs and the Compassionate Design methodology that has informed the work. Those in society who have the greatest need for excellent design are often the most vulnerable and may find it difficult or impossible to articulate what they want due to physical, sensory or memory impairment as a result of accident or disease. These people need innovative design solutions that are highly appropriate, customizable and sustainable. Finding ways to understand the challenges they face moment-by-moment and day-by-day is vital. Including them, and those who care for them, in a co-design process can provide rich insights into design requirements and result in better design solutions. LAUGH has involved key experts in dementia, including those living with the disease and their carers, at every stage in the research process. Each of the LAUGH playful objects has been designed for a specific person living with advanced dementia. Most of them contain embedded electronics, are interactive, stimulate the senses and are highly personalized. The design narratives behind three of the playful objects will be explained in relation to the three key themes of Compassionate Design, which stress the importance of personalization, sensory stimulation and maintaining connections between people and the world.

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