In this work we presented the design and implementation of a smart garment named Vibe-ing (see the figures below), and explored the possibilities of embedding vibrotactile actuators into a smart textile. In order to understand how to design the behavior of such vibrating textile, we implemented and tested two vibrotactile patterns which were applied […]
User Testing Sessions
As you may have already read in previous post, we held a number of the new Vibe-ing evaluation sessions. To be precise, through two weeks time we traveled to 4 different towns and cities in the Netherlands to meet our 9 possible Vibe-ing users. We started off on the 29th of November, when we took […]
Prototype evaluation methods (user tests)
In the past two weeks our little user-testing team (Indre, Derec, and me) had great fun traveling all over the Netherlands to meet our target users. We tested our Vibe-ing prototype with 9 women in total (more about this in the next post). A complete testing session took about 50 minutes and was conducted in […]
Prototyping software
We used Crisp Motor control modules for implementing the vibratory feedback based on detected touch events. These control modules were developed by Metatronics for the Crisp Project, and are equipped by input and output interfaces, as well as an I2C interface, the SDA (data line) and SCL (clock line) allowing a communication between the modules. […]
Prototyping hardware
Next to redesigning the dress and designing the interactions, in order to prototype the behaviour of the garment (including the interactions and vibrations), we had to redesign and rebuild the hardware embedded in the textile. The hardware consisted of the electric circuit connecting the PCB control modules, vibrating motors and touch sensors, and a Master […]
Prototyping interactions
Having the concept clear, we defined requirements for the new prototype of Vibe-ing, and started building it. The prototype of the garment is intended for testing with users. The prototyping of the new Vibe-ing consists of several steps – first we need to rebuilt the dress itself, then we build the electronics to be embedded […]
Prototyping of the vest garment
As we found out from the affinity diagram containing information from various sources (such as target users, rehabilitation experts, literature, and results of initial user tests), the re-design of the current vibe-ing dress is necessary. The new prototype must look like a regular everyday piece of clothing, not as a rehabilitation tool (not to label […]
From Affinity Diagram to Conceptual Design
In this blog post we will discuss the transition from raw data to conceptual design. Firstly, we had to analyze the data gathered from first user interviews, literature reviews, interviews with experts and second user study. This data were combined to one huge affinity diagram (in the picture below you can see a small piece […]
Talking to participants about current Vibe-ing prototype
In the last week of October we performed our second user research (UR) session, where existing Vibe-ing garment was introduced to two women representing our target group. From this session we expected to find out how women would use the existing vibe-ing smart textile garment to fight the menopausal symptoms and to comfort themselves. We […]
Meet the Experts
Menopause can have a huge effect on women’s physiological and mental states. In order to get more acquainted with this from an objective (medical) perspective, we approached three experts who are working closely with menopausal women. They were: 1. a physiotherapist and researcher in bio-medicine with an expertise in rehabilitation sciences and co-development of technology-supported […]