Ways of telling : research methodology for fashion textiles design

Research methodology in the discipline of Art & Design has been a topic for much debate in the academic community. The result of such avid and ongoing discussion appears to be a disciplinary obsession with research methodologies and a culture of adopting and adapting existing methodologies from more established disciplines. This has eventuated as a means of coping with academic criticism and as an attempt to elevate Art & Design to a ‘real academic status’. Whilst this adoption has had some effect in tempering the opinion of Art & Design research from more ‘serious’ academics the practice may be concealing a deeper problem for this discipline. Namely, that knowledge transfer within creative practice, particularly in fashion textiles design practice, is largely tacit in nature and not best suited to dissemination through traditional means of academic writing and publication. ----- ----- There is an opportunity to shift the academic debate away from appropriate (or inappropriate) use of methodologies and theories to demonstrate the existence (or absence) of rigor in creative practice research. In particular, the changing paradigms for the definitions of research to support new models for research quality assessment (such as the RAE in the United Kingdom and ERA in Australia) require a re-examination of the traditions of academic writing and publication in relation to this form of research. It is now appropriate to test the limits of tacit knowledge. It has been almost half a century since Michael Polanyi wrote “we know more than we can tell” (Polanyi, 1967 p.4) at a time when the only means of ‘telling’ was through academic writing and publishing in hardcopy format. ----- ----- This paper examines the academic debate surrounding research methodologies for fashion textiles design through auto-ethnographic case study and object analysis. The author argues that, while this debate is interesting, the focus should be to ask: are there more effective ways for creative practitioner researchers to disseminate their research? The aim of this research is to examine the possibilities of developing different, more effective methods of ‘telling’ to support the transfer of tacit knowledge inherent in the discipline of Fashion Textiles Design.

Dryness : the aesthetic condition of landscape design in Australia

Despite having a band of greenness around the edge, Australia is fundamentally a dry country. Australian vegetation has developed a high range of mechanisms to cope with the dryness, but after 200 years of white settlement, Australians still have not really come to terms with the real dryness of their country, and still exploit European paradigms that attempted to transplant European aesthetic conditions, greenness, to the brown land of Australia. Australia is going through serious water shortages that are still and will continue with the Greenhouse effect, to become a major factor in the location and extent of urbanisation, and also Australia's carrying capacity. While such aesthetic concerns might seem ornamental, until the population changes its attitude to the real condition of the country, it will keep using water and operating unsustainably. The design of the public landscape, however, offers the opportunity to contribute to changing people's aesthetic perception of the country, which might in turn help to redirect their water use practices. This essay develops a language for discussion dryness based around the experiences of water. After having developed this sensibility it then discusses a range of different approaches that landscape design in Australia has used to try to develop geographically appropriate design languages, including the Bush Garden and the Mediterranean Garden. It then discusses four design projects, one from the 1970's, the other three from the last five years that demonstrate what such an aesthetic might look like.

An observational study of how objects support engineering design thinking and communication : implications for the design of tangible media

There has been an increasing interest in objects within the HCI field particularly with a view to designing tangible interfaces. However, little is known about how people make sense of objects and how objects support thinking. This paper presents a study of groups of engineers using physical objects to prototype designs, and articulates the roles that physical objects play in supporting their design thinking and communications. The study finds that design thinking is heavily dependent upon physical objects, that designers are active and opportunistic in seeking out physical props and that the interpretation and use of an object depends heavily on the activity. The paper discusses the trade-offs that designers make between speed and accuracy of models, and specificity and generality in choice of representations. Implications for design of tangible interfaces are discussed.

Improved design method for biosecurity surveillance and early detection of non-indigenous rats

A recent advance in biosecurity surveillance design aims to benefit island conservation through early and improved detection of incursions by non-indigenous species. The novel aspects of the design are that it achieves a specified power of detection in a cost-managed system, while acknowledging heterogeneity of risk in the study area and stratifying the area to target surveillance deployment. The design also utilises a variety of surveillance system components, such as formal scientific surveys, trapping methods, and incidental sightings by non-biologist observers. These advances in design were applied to black rats (Rattus rattus) representing the group of invasive rats including R. norvegicus, and R. exulans, which are potential threats to Barrow Island, Australia, a high value conservation nature reserve where a proposed liquefied natural gas development is a potential source of incursions. Rats are important to consider as they are prevalent invaders worldwide, difficult to detect early when present in low numbers, and able to spread and establish relatively quickly after arrival. The ‘exemplar’ design for the black rat is then applied in a manner that enables the detection of a range of non-indigenous species of rat that could potentially be introduced. Many of the design decisions were based on expert opinion as data gaps exist in empirical data. The surveillance system was able to take into account factors such as collateral effects on native species, the availability of limited resources on an offshore island, financial costs, demands on expertise and other logistical constraints. We demonstrate the flexibility and robustness of the surveillance system and discuss how it could be updated as empirical data are collected to supplement expert opinion and provide a basis for adaptive management. Overall, the surveillance system promotes an efficient use of resources while providing defined power to detect early rat incursions, translating to reduced environmental, resourcing and financial costs.

The big picture : an integrated approach to fashion design education

This paper examines current teaching practice within the context of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) programme at AUT University and compares it to the approach adopted in previous years. In recent years, staff on the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) adopted a holistic approach to the assessment of design projects similar to the successful ideas and methods put forward by Stella Lange at the FINZ conference, 2005. Prior to adopting this holistic approach, the teaching culture at AUT University was modular and divorced the development of conceptual design ideas from the technical processes of patternmaking and garment construction, thus limiting the creative potential of integrated project work. Fashion Design is not just about drawing pretty pictures but is rather an entire process that encapsulates conceptual design ideas and technical processes within the context of a target market. Fashion design at AUT being under the umbrella of a wider Bachelor of Design must encourage a more serious view of Fashion and Fashion Design as a whole. In the development of the Bachelor of Design degree at AUT, the university recognised that design education would be best serviced by an inclusive approach. At inception, Core Studio and Core Theory papers formed the first semester of the programme across the discipline areas of Fashion, Spatial Design, Graphic Design and Digital Design. These core papers reinforce the reality that there is a common skill set that transcends all design disciplines with the differentiation between disciplines being determined by the techniques and processes they adopt. Studio based teaching within the scope of a major design project was recognised and introduced some time ago for students in their graduating year, however it was also expected that by year 3 the student had amassed the basic skills required to be able to work in this way. The opinion concerning teaching these basic skills was that they were best serviced by a modular approach. Prior attempts to manage design project delivery leant towards deconstructing the newly formed integrated papers in order to ensure key technical skills were covered in enough depth. So, whilst design projects have played an integral part in the delivery of fashion design over the year levels, the earlier projects were timetabled by discipline and unconvincingly connected. This paper discusses how the holistic approach to assessment must be coupled with an integrated approach to delivery. The methods and processes used are demonstrated and some recently trialled developments are shown to have resulted in achieving the integrated approach in both delivery and assessment.

Cell sourcing for bone tissue engineering : amniotic fluid stem cells have a delayed, robust differentiation compared to mesenchymal stem cells

Cell based therapies for bone regeneration are an exciting emerging technology, but the availability of osteogenic cells is limited and an ideal cell source has not been identified. Amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells and bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were compared to determine their osteogenic differentiation capacity in both 2D and 3D environments. In 2D culture, the AFS cells produced more mineralized matrix but delayed peaks in osteogenic markers. Cells were also cultured on 3D scaffolds constructed of poly-e-caprolactone for 15 weeks. MSCs differentiated more quickly than AFS cells on 3D scaffolds, but mineralized matrix production slowed considerably after 5 weeks. In contrast, the rate of AFS cell mineralization continued to increase out to 15 weeks, at which time AFS constructs contained 5-fold more mineralized matrix than MSC constructs. Therefore, cell source should be taken into consideration when used for cell therapy, as the MSCs would be a good choice for immediate matrix production, but the AFS cells would continue robust mineralization for an extended period of time. This study demonstrates that stem cell source can dramatically influence the magnitude and rate of osteogenic differentiation in vitro.

Uncertainty and innovation in fashion design

Generally speaking, psychologists have suggested three traditional views of how people cope with uncertainty. They are the certainty maximiser, the intuitive statistician-economist and the knowledge seeker (Smithson, 2008). In times of uncertainty, such as the recent global financial crisis, these coping methods often result in innovation in industry. Richards (2003) identifies innovation as different from creativity in that innovation aims to transform and implement rather than simply explore and invent. An examination of the work of iconic fashion designers, through case study and situational analysis, reveals that coping with uncertainty manifests itself in ways that have resulted in innovations in design, marketing methods, production and consumption. In relation to contemporary fashion, where many garments look the same in style, colour, cut and fit (Finn, 2008), the concept of innovation is an important one. This paper explores the role of uncertainty as a driver of innovation in fashion design. A key aspect of seeking knowledge, as a mechanism to cope with this uncertainty, is a return to basics. This is a problem for contemporary fashion designers who are no longer necessarily makers and therefore do not engage with the basic materials and methods of garment construction. In many cases design in fashion has become digital, communicated to an unseen, unknown production team via scanned image and specification alone. The disconnection between the design and the making of garments, as a result of decades of off-shore manufacturing, has limited the opportunity for this return to basics. The authors argue that the role of the fashion designer has become about the final product and as a result there is a lack of innovation in the process of making: in the form, fit and function of fashion garments. They propose that ‘knowledge seeking’ as a result of uncertainty in the fashion industry, in particular through re-examination of the methods of making, could hold the key to a new era of innovation in fashion design.

Subtropical design in South East Queensland : a handbook for planners, developers and decision makers

Subtropical Design in South East Queensland provides a direct link between climatic design, applied urban design and sustainable planning policy. The role that character and identity of a place plays in achieving environmental sustainability is explained. Values of local distinctiveness to do with climate, landscape and culture are identified and the environmental, social and economic benefits of applying subtropical design principles to planning are described. The handbook provides planners and urban designers with an understanding of how subtropical design principles apply within the different contexts of urban planning including the entire spectrum of urban scales from the regional scale, to the city, neighbourhood, street, individual building or site. Twelve interactive principles, and interrelated strategies, drawn predominantly from the body of knowledge of landscape architecture, architectural science and urban design are described in detail in text, and richly illustrated with diagrams and photographs.

Sustainable fashion textiles design : value adding through technological enhancement

A key concern in the field of contemporary fashion/textiles design is the emergence of ‘fast fashion’: best explained as "buy it Friday, wear it Saturday and throw it away on Sunday" (O'Loughlin, 2007). In this contemporary retail atmosphere of “pile it high: sell it cheap” and “quick to market”, even designer goods have achieved a throwaway status. This modern culture of consumerism is the antithesis of sustainability and is proving a dilemma surrounding sustainable practice for designers and producers in the disciplines (de Blas, 2010). Design researchers including those in textiles/fashion have begun to explore what is a key question in the 21st century in order to create a vision and reason for their disciplines: Can products be designed to have added value to the consumer and hence contribute to a more sustainable industry? Fashion Textiles Design has much to answer for in contributing to the problems of unsustainable practices on a global scale in design, production and waste. However, designers within this field also have great potential to contribute to practical ‘real world’ solutions. ----- ----- This paper provides an overview of some of the design and technological developments from the fashion/textiles industry, endorsing a model where designers and technicians use their transferrable skills for wellbeing rather than desire. Smart materials in the form of responsive and adaptive fibres and fabrics combined with electro active devices, and ICT are increasingly shaping many aspects of society particularly in the leisure industry and interactive consumer products are ever more visible in healthcare. Combinations of biocompatible delivery devices with bio sensing elements can create analyse, sense and actuate early warning and monitoring systems which can be linked to data logging and patient records via intelligent networks. Patient sympathetic, ‘smart’ fashion/textiles applications based on interdisciplinary expertise utilising textiles design and technology is emerging. An analysis of a series of case studies demonstrates the potential of fashion textiles design practitioners to exploit the concept of value adding through technological garment and textiles applications and enhancement for health and wellbeing and in doing so contribute to a more sustainable future fashion/textiles design industry.

Luxury fashion: The role of innovation as a key contributing factor in the development of luxury fashion goods and sustainable fashion design

Luxury is a quality that is difficult to define as the historical concept of luxury appears to be both dynamic and culturally specific. The everyday definition explains a ‘luxury’ in relation to a necessity: a luxury (product or service) is defined as something that consumers want rather than need. However, the growth of global markets has seen a boom in what are now referred to as ‘luxury brands’. This branding of products as luxury has resulted in a change in the way consumers understand luxury goods and services. In their attempts to characterize a luxury brand, Fionda & Moore in their article “The anatomy of a Luxury Brand” summarize a range of critical conditions that are in addition to product branding “... including product and design attributes of quality, craftsmanship and innovative, creative and unique products” (Fionda & Moore, 2009). For the purposes of discussing fashion design however, quality and craftsmanship are inseparable while creativity and innovation exist under different conditions. The terms ‘creative’ and ‘innovative’ are often used inter-changeably and are connected with most descriptions of the design process, defining ‘design’ and ‘fashion’ in many cases. Christian Marxt and Fredrik Hacklin identify this condition in their paper “Design, product development, innovation: all the same in the end?”(Marxt & Hacklin, 2005) and suggest that design communities should be aware that the distinction between these terms, whilst once quite definitive, is becoming narrow to a point where they will mean the same thing. In relation to theory building in the discipline this could pose significant problems. Brett Richards (2003) identifies innovation as different from creativity in that innovation aims to transform and implement rather than simply explore and invent. Considering this distinction, in particular relation to luxury branding, may affect the way in which design can contribute to a change in the way luxury fashion goods might be perceived in a polarised fashion market, namely suggesting that ‘luxury’ is what consumers need rather than the ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ fashion that the current market dynamic would indicate they want. This paper attempts to explore the role of innovation as a key contributing factor in luxury concepts, in particular the relationship between innovation and creativity, the conditions which enable innovation, the role of craftsmanship in innovation and design innovation in relation to luxury fashion products. An argument is presented that technological innovation can be demonstrated as a common factor in the development of luxury fashion product and that the connection between designer and maker will play an important role in the development of luxury fashion goods for a sustainable fashion industry.

Technology, design and process innovation in the built environment

Buildings and infrastructure represent principal assets of any national economy as well as prime sources of environmental degradation. Making them more sustainable represents a key challenge for the construction, planning and design industries and governments at all levels; and the rapid urbanisation of the 21st century has turned this into a global challenge. This book embodies the results of a major research programme by members of the Australia Co-operative Research Centre for Construction Innovation and its global partners, presented for an international audience of construction researchers, senior professionals and advanced students. It covers four themes, applied to regeneration as well as to new build, and within the overall theme of Innovation: Sustainable Materials and Manufactures, focusing on building material products, their manufacture and assembly – and the reduction of their ecological ‘fingerprints’, the extension of their service lives, and their re-use and recyclability. It also explores the prospects for applying the principles of the assembly line. Virtual Design, Construction and Management, viewed as increasing sustainable development through automation, enhanced collaboration (such as virtual design teams), real time BL performance assessment during design, simulation of the construction process, life-cycle management of project information (zero information loss) risk minimisation, and increased potential for innovation and value adding. Integrating Design, Construction and Facility Management over the Project Life Cycle, by converging ICT, design science engineering and sustainability science. Integration across spatial scales, enabling building–infrastructure synergies (such as water and energy efficiency). Convergences between IT and design and operational processes are also viewed as a key platform increased sustainability.

Ureaplasma parvum and ureaplasma urealyticum detected in semen after washing prior to assisted reproductive technology procedures

Objective: This study investigated: (i) the prevalence of ureaplasmas in semen and washed semen and (ii) the effect of ureaplasmas on semen andrology parameters. Design: Prospective study. Setting: IVF unit -private hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Patient(s): Three hundred and forty three men participating in an assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycle. Intervention(s): Semen and washed semen tested by culture, PCR assays and indirect immunofluorescent antibody assays. Statistical differences were determined by a t-test, Wilcoxon or Pearson’s Chi- square test where appropriate. Main Outcome Measure(s): The prevalence of ureaplasmas in semen and washed semen and the effect of these microorganisms on semen andrology parameters. Result(s): Ureaplasmas were detected in 73/343 (22%) semen samples and 29/343 (8.5%) washed semen samples. Ureaplasmas adherent to the surface of spermatozoa were demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescent antibody testing. U. parvum serovar 6 (36.6%) and U. urealyticum (30%) were the most prevalent isolates in washed semen. A comparison of the semen andrology parameters of washed semen ureaplasma positive and negative groups demonstrated a lower proportion of non-motile sperm in the washed semen ureaplasma positive group. Conclusion(s): Ureaplasmas are not always removed from semen by a standard ART washing procedure and can remain adherent to the surface of spermatozoa.

Ureaplasma colonization of amniotic fluid and efficacy of antenatal corticosteroids for preterm lung maturation in sheep

Objective: To assess the efficacy of maternal betamethasone for improving preterm lung function, in the presence of inflammation induced by amniotic fluid ureaplasma colonization. ----- ----- Study design: Ewes bearing single fetuses were randomized to receive an intra-amniotic injection of Ureaplasma parvum (serovar 6; 2×107 colony forming units) or vehicle at 86±2 days of pregnancy (mean±SD: term is 150d), followed by maternal intramuscular betamethasone (0.5mg/kg) or saline, either 2 or 7 days before delivery of lambs at 123±1d. ----- ----- Results: Amniotic fluid IL-8 was elevated by ureaplasmas (p=0.049) but unaffected by betamethasone. Lung inflammation induced by ureaplasmas was not affected by betamethasone. Lung compliance was increased by ureaplasma colonization (p=0.009) and betamethasone (p=0.042), and effects were additive. Lung surfactant was increased by ureaplasma colonization (p<0.001) and betamethasone 7 days (p=0.001), but not 2 days, before delivery. ----- ----- Conclusion: Inflammation improves preterm lung function due to increases in surfactant. Antenatal corticosteroids further augment lung function, through an apparently independent mechanism.

Technology strategy for re-engineering design and construction

Automation technology can provide construction firms with a number of competitive advantages. Technology strategy guides a firm's approach to all technology, including automation. Engineering management educators, researchers, and construction industry professionals need improved understanding of how technology affects results, and how to better target investments to improve competitive performance. A more formal approach to the concept of technology strategy can benefit the construction manager in his efforts to remain competitive in increasingly hostile markets. This paper recommends consideration of five specific dimensions of technology strategy within the overall parameters of market conditions, firm capabilities and goals, and stage of technology evolution. Examples of the application of this framework in the formulation of technology strategy are provided for CAD applications, co-ordinated positioning technology and advanced falsework and formwork mechanisation to support construction field operations. Results from this continuing line of research can assist managers in making complex and difficult decisions regarding reengineering construction processes in using new construction technology and benefit future researchers by providing new tools for analysis. Through managing technology to best suit the existing capabilities of their firm, and addressing the market forces, engineering managers can better face the increasingly competitive environment in which they operate.

Design and implementation of the Exercise for Health trial – a pragmatic exercise intervention for women with breast cancer

Background Exercise for Health was a pragmatic, randomised, controlled trial comparing the effect of an eight-month exercise intervention on function, treatment-related side effects and quality of life following breast cancer, compared with usual care. The intervention commenced six weeks post-surgery, and two modes of delivering the same intervention was compared with usual care. The purpose of this paper is to describe the study design, along with outcomes related to recruitment, retention and representativeness, and intervention participation. Methods: Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and residing in a major metropolitan city of Queensland, Australia, were eligible to participate. Consenting women were randomised to a face-to-face-delivered exercise group (FtF, n=67), telephone-delivered exercise group (Tel, n=67) or usual care group (UC, n=60) and were assessed pre-intervention (5-weeks post-surgery), mid-intervention (6 months post-surgery) and 10 weeks post-intervention (12 months post-surgery). Each intervention arm entailed 16 sessions with an Exercise Physiologist. Results: Of 318 potentially eligible women, 63% (n=200) agreed to participate, with a 12-month retention rate of 93%. Participants were similar to the Queensland breast cancer population with respect to disease characteristics, and the randomisation procedure was mostly successful at attaining group balance, with the few minor imbalances observed unlikely to influence intervention effects given balance in other related characteristics. Median participation was 14 (min, max: 0, 16) and 13 (min, max: 3, 16) intervention sessions for the FtF and Tel, respectively, with 68% of those in Tel and 82% in FtF participating in at least 75% of sessions. Discussion: Participation in both intervention arms during and following treatment for breast cancer was feasible and acceptable to women. Future work, designed to inform translation into practice, will evaluate the quality of life, clinical, psychosocial and behavioural outcomes associated with each mode of delivery.