Redefining the role of designers within an urban community using digital design and localized manufacturing of wearables

Abstract

The maker culture has created a dynamic in which designers are less responsible for the design and quality of the final product, but for the tools the consumer uses to create their own. While additive manufacturing (AM) is gaining acceptance among the general public, it is still seen as a prototyping tool instead of a high quality production technology. This limits its acceptance within co-design and maker culture. The research question is: How to create greater acceptance among the general public regarding the AM technology and its products? One way to create greater acceptance of digital design and manufacturing is to apply co-design principles on a local scale. By this means the public will be exposed and included in the design and production process, which will ensure the end product is better accepted. In time this could help spark a maker movement within the community. To validate these assumptions a test case was developed in which local design and production of simple wearables, small ready to wear garments like socks or hats, within an urban community will play a major role. During the research a digital design tool combined with a mobile digital knitting machine was developed to allow for a rapid codesign track. Wearables would be produced by the consumer themselves. The final design of the garment depends on the consumer’s choice of material, shape and pattern. A mobile setup provides the means to test the principle at different locations and allows the consumer to be intensively involved in the maker movement in their own neighbourhood. We implemented a small, low-cost knitting machine that was tested outdoors by park visitors. The anticipated results for this test case were: increased engagement in the production process, larger acceptance of digital design and an initial maker culture. Although the last result will be difficult to determine as it takes some time to develop. If successful, the maker culture will obtain greater exposure, acceptance and demand for digital design services and products. Even though the maker culture changes the role of the designer will definitely change, their importance to the design process will remain, not as a creator of designs but moreover as a guide to the making of consumer products.