Name: Rachael Wickenden
PhD: Textile Design
Thesis Title:
A practice-led design approach to the development of E-textiles for interior spaces
Thesis Description:
In the last 20 years, engineers have developed textiles with integrated electronics (E-textiles) that can sense the environment, react to stimuli and behaviourally adapt. However, the potential of these E-textiles is yet to be fully realised. Designers lack the understanding necessary to exploit their functional properties to create ‘meaningful experiences’ (Karana et al., 2015).
Research questions:
- What is the role of the textile designer in the innovation process for E-textiles to be used in interior spaces?
- What unique knowledge and perspective does the textile designer bring to the development of E-textiles for interior spaces?
- What other factors affect the development of E-textiles for interior spaces?
Supervisors and Institution(s):
Prof Tom Fisher (Nottingham Trent University)
Prof Tilak Dias (Nottingham Trent University)
Dr Katherine Townsend (Nottingham Trent University)
Other Research Interests:
- Sustainability, Innovation, Education