Course: Textile Interfaces
Code: ITPG-GT.2030.1
Term: Fall 2023
Weight: 1 credit
Program: Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University
Instructor: Kate Hartman
Instructor Email: kate.hartman@nyu.edu
Dates:
- Saturday, November 11th, 11:00AM to 5:00PM
- Sunday, November 12th, 11:00AM to 2:00PM
Office Hours: This is a very short course but I am happy to have follow-up conversations via email or video chat. Please email for an appointment.
The work and interactions taking place in this course are guided by the ITP/IMA Code of Conduct:
https://itpnyu.github.io/ITP-IMA-Code-of-Conduct/community_statement
Want to make an interface that can be squished, stretched, stroked, or smooshed? This course will introduce the use of electronic textiles as sensors. Focus will be placed on physical interaction design – working with the affordances of these materials to create interfaces designed to invite or demand diverse types of physical interaction. This course does not require knowledge or love of sewing – a variety of construction methods will be introduced. It will rely on a physical computing approach, with Arduino being used to read sensor values. Working with a breadth of conductive and resistive materials, students will learn to design and create bespoke alternative interfaces that can live in our clothing, furniture, and built environments.
For two days we are going to function as the pop up research lab. Our area of exploration is materials and techniques that can be used to create textile interfaces for interactive systems. We will use conductive and resistive fabrics and threads as well as both soft and hard prototyping techniques. Our approach is learning through making and testing. When considering the possibilities, we don’t just read about it. We try it, determine what works, what doesn’t, and get inspired by the possibilities and constraints.
There are many great tools and materials available for prototyping custom sensors but because this is a very short course I will mostly encourage you to work off of your existing physical computing parts and only acquire more based on your research interests and project ideas.
Note: Links to some resources below will require NYU log in.
- Syllabus Overview
- Introductions
- Lecture slides (used throughout the day)
- Lab Demos & Review
- End-of-Day Discussion
- Textile Game Controller sprint
- Playtests & Demos
- Closing Discussion
- Reminder: Please do Course Evaluations today!
- Physical Samples & Documentation 80%
- Lab Outcomes - 40%
- Textile Game Controller - 40%
- Participation - 20%
Participation includes being prepared for class with proper materials, contributing to discussions, and actively participating in in-class activities.
This course is focused on quick rounds of learning, making, and testing. It is essential to document your work as you go. Make an effort to produce clean and clear materials – well-lit and well-composed images and thoughtful and well-edited writing, data collection, and notes. Use documentation for an opportunity for synthesis and reflection. This will help to inform future projects.
- Deadline: Monday, November 20, 2023, end-of-day, AOE
- Submission Link: https://forms.gle/VNUWnBYibhczdS6e9
Documentation of all works created for this course are submitted as a single blog post. This includes:
- E-Textile Tester
- High-Five Gloves
- Digital Textile Switches
- A push button
- More than one digital switch with a shared ground
- Analog Textile Sensor
- Textile Game Controller
As the final project for the course, the Textile Game Controller should be covered in more detail. Include the following:
- project title
- project description, including
- general concept - is it a wearable? A handheld? Part of the furniture? Mounted on the floor or wall?
- how the game controller works
- digital switches?
- analog sensors?
- both?
- photos of the controller (pay attention to focus, composition, background, and context)
- a video (60 seconds max) of the game controller in use with the Pong game
- materials list - be specific
- circuit diagram, only if different from the example
- code, only if different from the example
- any additional items
- process photos and/or notes
- explanation of design choices
- any supporting illustrations or diagrams
- lessons learned / next steps
These are some books and other resources that you might find useful for this course.
ACM Library - https://dl-acm-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/
Genova, Aneta, and Katherine Moriwaki. Fashion and Technology: A Guide to Materials and Applications. Fairchild Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc, New York, 2016.
Guler, Sibel D. Crafting Wearables: Blending Technology with Fashion. Apress, New York, 2016.
Hartman, Kate, Make: Wearable Electronics, Maker Media, 2014.
Horvath, Joan C., Lyn Hoge, and Rich Cameron. Practical Fashion Tech: Wearable Technologies for Costuming, Cosplay, and Everyday. Apress, Berkeley, California, 2016.
Pailes-Friedman, Rebeccah. Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics. Laurence King Publishing, London, 2016.
Ryan, Susan E. Garments of Paradise: Wearable Discourse in the Digital Age. The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2014.
Watkins, Susan M., and Lucy E. Dunne. Functional Clothing Design: From Sportswear to Spacesuits. Fairchild Books, New York, 2015.Here are some things that you may want to put in your syllabus.
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The core of the educational experience at the Tisch School of the Arts is the creation of original academic and artistic work by students for the critical review of faculty members. It is therefore of the utmost importance that students at all times provide their instructors with an accurate sense of their current abilities and knowledge in order to receive appropriate constructive criticism and advice. Any attempt to evade that essential, transparent transaction between instructor and student through plagiarism or cheating is educationally self-defeating and a grave violation of Tisch School of the Arts community standards. For all the details on plagiarism, please refer to page 10 of the Tisch School of the Arts, Policies and Procedures Handbook, which can be found online:
https://tisch.nyu.edu/student-affairs/important-resources/tisch-policies-and-handbooks
Please feel free to make suggestions to your instructor about ways in which this class could become more accessible to you. Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.
Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. If you experience any health or mental health issues during this course, we encourage you to utilize the support services of the 24/7 NYU Wellness Exchange at 212-443-9999. Also, all students who may require academic accommodation due to a qualified disability, physical or mental, please register with the Moses Center at 212-998-4980. Please let your instructor know if you need help connecting to these resources.
Laptops will be an essential part of the course and may be used in class during workshops and for taking notes in lectures. Laptops must be closed during class discussions and student presentations. Phone use in class is strictly prohibited unless directly related to a presentation of your own work or if you are asked to do so as part of the curriculum.
Tisch School of the Arts to dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link: https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/equal-opportunity/title9.html