The Qualitative Study for User Needs and Acceptance of Smart Clothing: Focused on Women Aged 56 and Over

By definition, smart clothing describes a garment whose functionality is enhanced by technological advancements in order to ease one’'s lifestyle. To know user’'s understanding and needs, the research had consisted of brainstorming sessions, personal interviews, focus group meeting, and a series of content analyses. Ten of the interview subjects and focus group panel were found by contacting women aged 56-64 in the Ithaca community, NY. They were prompted with general questions on style choices for their lifestyles and age group and then presented with two examples of smart clothing to discuss and critique. Meanwhile, the other three interview subjects, located outside of the Ithaca community, were aged either above or below the targeted bracket. These subjects were interviewed as a method of comparison on multiple levels. Findings had shown that there was indeed a need for smart clothing amongst the increasingly populated demographic of older women: devices to help one’'s body temperature regulation and vision problem, and well-designed clothing. However, the functionalities must be carefully constructed and conveyed in order to be taken seriously by the mainstream consumer market. Once successfully designed, the smart clothing will ideally create a greater sense of autonomy for older women.