Base and stitch: Evaluating eTextile interfaces from a material-centric view

Fabrics are seen as the foundation for e-textile interfaces but contribute their own tactile properties to interaction. We examine the role of fabrics in gestural interaction from a novel, textile-focused view. We replicated an eTextile sensor and interface for rolling and pinching gestures on four different fabric swatches and invited 6 participants, including both designers and lay-users, to interact with them. Using a semi-structured interview, we examined their interaction with the materials and how they perceived movement and feedback from the textile sensor and a visual GUI. We analyzed participants' responses using a joint, reflexive thematic analysis and propose two key considerations for research in e-textile design: 1) Both sensor and fabric contribute their own, inseparable materiality and 2) Wearable sensing must be evaluated with respect to culturally situated bodies and orientation. Expanding on material-oriented design research, we proffer that the evaluation of eTextiles must also be material-led and cannot be decontextualized and must be grounded within a soma-aware and situated context.