Weaving with code: how can Emotional Experience be designed into digital Jacquard textiles using coding?

Nadal Fernandez, Georgina (2022) Weaving with code: how can Emotional Experience be designed into digital Jacquard textiles using coding? Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This thesis examines how sensory perception and digital coding can elicit Emotional Experience within Jacquard woven textiles. It presents a co-design participatory practice with eight Higher Education students for whom English was a first language. The investigation approaches the practice of weaving from the practitioner’s lens alongside participants’ area of expertise in designing with Emotional Experience. The literature review examines and discusses current debates within three key areas of the investigation – Emotional Experience, digital coding within textiles, and co-design. This led to the development of a computer-led co-design experience approach as well as an Emotional Experience three-domain framework. The approach, which provides a space for co-designing woven textiles, has shaped the practice investigation into three stages; whilst the framework has been used to categorise participants’ responses of sensory perception of woven textiles. A qualitative multi-method triangulation approach composed of qualitative research, design research and action research has been designed to conduct the investigation. The qualitative research approach has used two participatory research techniques, the Repertory Grid Technique and in-depth online video call interview, to capture participants’ sensory perception of woven textiles and their responses to computer-based interface and digital coding. Using design reflection, the design research approach has created an iterative participatory weaving practice that informed the theory of the research via note taking, testing, and prototyping. The action research approach has validated the use of tacit knowledge as well as translated it into explicit knowledge by employing a reflective practice, an iterative process of reflection during the design phase of woven textiles and computer-based interfaces. This investigation demonstrates the benefits of computer-led co-design experience for designing Jacquard woven textiles to elicit Emotional Experience. The contribution to knowledge comprises: (i) presenting a method to introduce digital coding as a tool to design woven textiles to elicit Emotional Experience during the pre-acquisition stage; (ii) categorising the use of code within the weaving practice; and (iii) highlighting the impact of ASCII code when encrypting emotionally engaging text into woven textiles at the time to design with Emotional Experience. The findings of this investigation can benefit the literature on woven textiles by bringing new insights and connections between woven textiles and digital coding through practice-based research.