EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PRODUCT DESIGN: DIGITAL TEXTILE PATTERN DESIGN FOR GRIP DEVELOPMENT IN HEALTHCARE

In the meeting of textile pattern design and 3D-printing techniques, there is the potential for developing inclusive products for healthcare. There is a great need for this from both patients and healthcare providers. There is also an educational need to examine how design education can facilitate the development of such skills because digital solutions have opened up new opportunities. The research question asked how textile patterns and surface designs can help empower patients through their grip on surfaces. One of the main objectives was to apply knowledge from material testing to create a design manual that explains the capabilities of design and printing in 3D textile patterns for inclusive product design in healthcare contexts. Experiments were carried out at two product design education centres, one in Norway and one in the United Kingdom, with 3D printers, laser cutters and waterjets that can print patterns and designs. Fabric was used to explore how to increase the aesthetic value for users through, for example, hand feeling, anti-slip features and a sense of joy in surfaces. The study shows how teachers can collaborate across disciplines to leverage each other's expertise and how product design students can participate in tasks that give them insight into the textile world and new knowledge of digital-based textile printing and pattern construction for an improved user experience of health products.