Creative design process in making electronic textiles

Abstract

This paper looks at the creative design process in making electronic or e-textiles. E-textile artifacts were first evaluated for creativity using the Consensual Assessment Technique. By comparing the design processes of artifacts with high and low creativity scores, we draw inferences about the creative design process. Deductive coding using themes from literature on design and creative processes showed the importance, and interaction between the following factors: attention; high degree of divergence before convergence during idea and solution finding; aesthetic and functional considerations; and designing to convey social themes. The paper concludes with a discussion on how to engage youth in creative design and future research directions.