Interactive Textile Lighting System: Design, Prototyping, and User Experience Evaluation

Thesis Abstract

This study investigates interactive textile lighting systems as an integrated design intervention for ambient environments, addressing the gap between aesthetic textile applications and tangible user-centered lighting control in daily spaces. The problem centers on the limited empirical understanding of how woven or knitted light-emitting fabrics influence user engagement, perceived comfort, and functional performance in real-world contexts, as well as how such systems can be designed for reliable prototyping and scalable evaluation. The aim is to design, prototype, and evaluate an interactive textile lighting system that enables sensor-driven, user-responsive illumination embedded within wearable- and space-oriented textile surfaces. Specific objectives include (1) to develop a modular textile lighting architecture that supports rapid prototyping, closed-loop interactivity, and safe electrical integration; (2) to implement user-centered interface modalities (gesture, touch, and proximity) calibrated for different contextual uses (residential, gallery, and workplace); (3) to assess perceptual and ergonomic outcomes (aesthetic satisfaction, thermal comfort, and perceived controllability) under varied ambient conditions; (4) to quantify system performance in terms of reliability, latency, and energy efficiency; and (5) to derive design guidelines and theoretical implications for interactive textiles in lighting design. The methodology adopts a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. The research population comprises professional designers, textile engineers, and end-users, with a purposive sample of 24 designers and 60 non-professional users recruited from three urban design campuses and two community galleries. A two-phase data collection strategy is employed. Phase one involves iterative prototyping with 6 textile lighting modules and 2 control interfaces, evaluated through expert reviews and usability testing with 18 participants using task-based scenarios. Phase two deploys a working prototype in a controlled lab and two real-world environments for 4 weeks, where data are collected from a larger sample 60 end-users complete standardized instruments measuring perceived ease of use (PUE), perceived usefulness (PU), aesthetic appeal, and comfort using a Likert-scale survey; 12 participants undergo in-depth think-aloud sessions during interaction with the textile interfaces. Instruments include a custom reliability-validated Lighting Interaction Scale and the SUS (System Usability Scale) subset for tactile-gestural interfaces. Objective data comprise sensor logs (touch, proximity, ambient light), system latency measurements, and power consumption metrics captured via a data acquisition system. Validity and reliability are established through pilot testing (n=12) and test-retest procedures (intraclass correlation for key scales above 0.85). Data analysis integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches. Descriptive statistics summarize user ratings and system performance. Inferential analyses include multiple linear regression to examine predictors of user satisfaction (n=60), and repeated-measures ANOVA to compare interface modalities across contexts (n=18 for laboratory sessions; n=60 for field sessions). Thematic analysis of think-aloud transcripts and interview data is conducted following Braun and Clarke's guidance, ensuring triangulation with quantitative findings. A conceptual framework drawing on Activity Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) informs interpretation, with the theoretical lens augmented by the Affordances of Textiles model to elucidate material interaction possibilities. Expected findings indicate that modular textile lighting achieves higher perceived controllability and aesthetic satisfaction when gesture-based interfaces are calibrated to contextual tasks, with statistically significant improvements in perceived comfort and energy efficiency relative to traditional rigid lighting. Latency and reliability metrics are anticipated to meet predefined thresholds (<150 ms response delay; fault rate <2%), enabling smooth user experience. The study also anticipates differential effects across contexts, with gallery environments favoring expressive lighting variability, while residential settings prioritize stability and simplicity. The contribution to knowledge comprises (i) a validated design framework and prototyping methodology for interactive textile lighting systems; (ii) empirical evidence on user experience dimensions and their relation to interface modality, context, and textile materialization; and (iii) a set of actionable design guidelines addressing durability, safety, interoperability, and energy performance for future research and industry deployment. The conclusion emphasizes the viability of integrated textile lighting as a scalable design strategy for ambient intelligence in interiors and wearables. Recommendations include refining material formulations for thermal management, expanding multimodal interaction vocabularies, and exploring computational design tools to optimize textile-electronic integration for diverse cultural and architectural contexts.