Facilitating Inspiration: Design of the Textiles Archive Design Application (TADA)

Abstract

A key goal of textile design education is to provide students entering the field opportunities to develop a strong design process, and beginning students, in particular, must learn about helpful concept development resources and how to use them to initiate design work and provide direction for further research. In addition, sources of inspiration serve an important role in the development of the design process by activating, prompting, and guiding designers? activities. This article is a case study of a collaborative project undertaken to develop a web-based app, Textiles Archive Design Application (TADA), to provide both a source for inspiration and a foundation for theoretical and conceptual knowledge in textile pattern design among students taking their first textile design course at the undergraduate level.