Incorporating "Kansei Engineering" Approach on Traditional Textiles - A Proposed Method for Identifying Multi-Sensorial Experiences on the Kansei Attributes of Traditional Textiles -

Abstract

When people are asked to described certain textiles, they frequently refer to the expressions of its properties such as attractiveness, uniqueness, shininess, robustness, comfortability, and so on. It shows how senses play important role in it. Human employs their senses when interacting with textiles, most notably visual and tactile/ haptic to absorb its expressive properties. Yet, our sensorial experiences may amplify when interacting with those of traditional textiles, such as batik, as we can entice sensations when seeing its motifs and patterns, smelling its materials, and touching its surfaces. The multi-sensorial importance of seeing, smelling, and touching in the interaction with and experience of textiles suggests that one should address senses in a systematic way when evaluating users' perception on traditional textiles. To address this issue, the paper proposes the incorporation of Kansei Engineering (KE) approach for identifying multi-sensorial experiences on the expressive properties of traditional textiles, using batik as a case of study. KE approach address person's psychological understanding when observing things in order to analyze and study the inherent relationship between person's perceptual knowledge and objects evaluated. This paper outlines the use of KE approach in correlating sensorial perceptions when experience with traditional textiles and ultimately expose users' preferences toward them. Background of KE approach on textiles will be explored and its application for the multi-sensorial investigation of traditional textiles will be discussed.