"I don't Want to Wear a Screen"

Abstract

This paper explores the role dynamic textile displays play in relation to personal style: What does it mean to wear computationally responsive clothing and why would one be motivated to do so? We developed a novel textile display technology, called Ebb, and created several woven and crochet fabric swatches that explored clothing-specific design possibilities. We engaged fashion designers and nondesigners in imagining how Ebb would integrate into their design practice or personal style of dressing. Participants evaluated the appeal and utility of clothing-based displays according to a very different set of criteria than traditional screen-based computational displays. Specifically, the slowness, low-resolution, and volatility of Ebb tended to be seen as assets as opposed to technical limitations in the context of personal style. Additionally, participants envisioned various ways that ambiguous, ambient, and abstract displays of information could prompt new experiences in their everyday lives. Our paper details the complex relationships between display and personal style and offers a new design metaphor and extension of Gaver et al. s original descriptions of ambiguity in order to guide the design of clothing-based displays for everyday life.

Dynamic Displays at Wrist for Real Time Visualization of Affective Data

“…While participants appreciated the inherent ambiguity of colors' meaning, they liked even more the ability to control it through personalization of colors. To summarize, our findings extend previous work on clothing-based thermochromic displays [1,17] and skin conductance in social interactions [4]. They suggest the value of added ambiguity [2] regarding color and speed of change of affective content.…”

“…In addition to multiple colors, the Spiral design is also appreciated as the circle's diameter provides additional information. Our findings extend Gavers' ambiguity [2], by reinterpreting the relationship between artifact, wearer and public as suggested for clothing-based displays [1]. We argue however, that the coupling between artifact and wearer is even tighter for affective displays representing private bodily data.…”

“…Thermochromic displays undergo color change when heat is applied; they are non-emissive but sensitive to temperature changes in the form of paper-like displays [7] or dynamic textiles [1]. An example is DuoSkin [5] using adhesive tattoo paper to fabricate displays resembling body art.…”

“…Other approaches providing time-series graph-based visualizations include tools for self-tracking moods [19]; while easy to understand, they provide limited support for reflection on real time data [6,10]. In contrast, other systems have explored ambiguous clothing based-displays [1] to represent emotions in social settings [4], which support stronger user engagement and reflection. For example, AffectiveDiary [6] displays historic affective data into colorful and abstract body shapes, while Affective Health [10] uses electrodermal activity, electrocardiogram, and accelerometer data to create ambiguous designs [2] aimed to engage users in reflection on their affective states.…”

I/O Braid

“…The desire to improve aesthetics, comfort, and ergonomics through textiles is exemplified through fabriccovered smart speakers, braided headphone cords, textilecovered VR headsets, and "fashion" electrical cords. Advances in materials and flexible electronics have enabled the incorporation of sensing and display into soft form factors, such as jackets, dresses, and blankets [4,17,18]. I/O Braid builds on this body of work to bring interactivity to devices and surfaces that do not conform to the typically rectangular form of rigid electronics or touch surfaces.…”