Synthesising design methodologies for the transmission of tactile qualities in digital media

In this paper we discuss the use of established, design methodologies and conventions to inform digital content creation relating to the capture and communication of people’s sensory perceptions of ‘textile hand’*. We explore the advantages of such methodologies in relation to the creation of interactive digital textile swatches (known as Shoogles, created using the interactive media tool ShoogleIt.com [1]) and the conveyance of tactile (textile hand) qualities through such digital media. * Textile hand as defined by Philippe et al: ‘ is the reaction of the sense of touch, when fabrics are held in the hand. (...) “hand” can be considered as a meta-concept that takes into account not only the sensory aspect but also aspects such as formability, aesthetics, drapability and tailorability.’ [2]