Interface design using clothing fasteners for functional separation, combination, and manipulation of wearable systems

Abstract

As wearable systems gradually change from a technologyoriented paradigm to a wearer and garment-oriented paradigm, it is even more necessary to support the diverse desires and psychological satisfaction of wearers. A wearable system should enable the user to reorganize the interface to suit their convenience, style and use. With this aim, this study is conducted to develop a human friendly wearable system interface design from a user-oriented design perspective by producing the exterior shape from existing garments or changing the function of a garment through the attachment or detachment of the garment, and using a familiar garment fastening system used for straightening wearer's garment. The study obtains technical factors applicable to a wearable system for developing a wearable system interface design, as well as garment fastener and garment compositional factors, and then it deduces behavioral vocabularies that separate/combine/manipulate a garment fastener based on those factors, as well as wearable system interface design factors that support the separation, combination, and manipulation of the functions by using a garment fastener through research into the observing of user behavior. Then, this study prepares a concept design by utilizing the deduced interface design factors and addresses the usability of the garment fastener as a wearable system interface design factor based upon the design Prototypes. ©2008 HFT2008.