What’s Wearable Tech? And more coding questions with Campus curriculum designer, Liza Stark!
Technology is getting smarter all of the time — and it’s a big part of most people’s daily lives! But what is wearable tech? Can anybody create it? We asked these questions and more of one of our favorite women in tech, Liza Stark! Liza is a designer, educator, and multi-disciplinary artist based in New York whose work explores how craft, technology, and play impact how we learn as individuals and communities. Plus, she created the curriculum for our Girls Who Code Campus Wearable Technology and Fashion Design course!
Read on for a Q&A with Liza, and check out our video interview as well!
Learn more about Wearable Tech in this YouTube video!
Okay, first thing’s first: What is “Wearable Tech”? What does that mean and can you give me some examples?
Phew, that’s a big question! I would define wearable tech as technology that is worn on the body as clothes, accessories, or other objects. The awesome thing about wearable tech is that it brings together so many different fields: textiles, design, fashion, craft, music, performance, wellness, healthcare, education, electronics, programming, defense (as in the military), and more. It can look like a fitness tracker you use to measure your steps or a light-emitting garment you wear to visualize music or a jacket that keeps you warm. It gives people new ways to express themselves, communicate with each other, and interact with the world around them.
For me, the term “wearable tech” is a broad term that can mean a few specific practices. People also use terms like fashion technology, smart materials, soft circuits, electronic textiles, and electronic craft to describe their process, projects, or products.
How did you get involved in the “Wearable Tech” field?
I became interested in wearable tech and, more specifically, electronic textiles, about 8 years ago when I was studying programming and electronics in grad school. Since I had zero background in coding, I had trouble wrapping my head around many of the more abstract concepts. Then I took a physical computing (i.e. building and programming circuits) and soft circuit course at the same time. When I learned I could combine sewing and programming, it totally transformed how I thought about creating with technology. I could craft my own sensors instead of buying them. I could use smart materials to make wires move and paint change color with heat. I could teach other people how code in an accessible way. I started looking for people with similar interests and found a wonderful community of artists, designers, engineers, programmers, performers, educators, and entrepreneurs. Since there wasn’t a textbook to tell you how to make these things, we shared ideas and designs to help each other learn.
What do you think is exciting about this new field? Why is it different than other types of tech or coding work?
Absolutely everything. Wearable tech has been around since the 1900s, but we are still trying to find a meaningful use for it. As a result, people are constantly experimenting to see what resonates. Some researchers and artists are focused on combining conductive thread and fabric with smart materials to build embroidered computers, knitted buttons, sewn speakers, and custom sensors. Some are exploring where and how those sensors are placed on the body for comfort, durability, and aesthetics. Others are developing products to support specific industry needs in healthcare, assistive technology, and sports. Still others are interested in merging high and low tech as a tool for storytelling or social justice.
Two of the biggest issues at the forefront of the field right now are data privacy and sustainability. This is an industry that will be collecting massive amounts of biometric data from millions of people, each of whom might throw away piece of wearable tech each year. How can we create more secure data practices? What does privacy mean when you wear technology? How can we design wearable tech that people won’t throw away? Personally, I think these are some of the most exciting questions anyone who wants to get into wearable tech should ask themselves.
You designed the Girls Who Code Wearable Tech curriculum. What are you most excited for the girls to experience and learn?
Giving them a new set of tools to design and build things that interest them. Learning a new tool opens new worlds. I can’t wait to see the designs they create and the new stories they tell!
When you learned to code, what was most surprising to you?
How much I liked it! It is absolutely magical to write a program that makes something move, blink, or senses the world. After a while, I was really suprised by how similar it was to other creative practices I was already doing. Take sewing for example: I sketch out a design, then work through the steps I need to execute the design. Sometimes I have to cut multiples of the same pattern, other times I’ll just cut one. If I don’t want anyone to see a seam, then I use a specific stitch. To make sure I don’t mess up the entire thing, I’ll sew small pieces together into groups, then sew the groups together. Basically, I was already applying the ideas behind variables, loops, conditionals, and functions.
The second thing that was surprising to me was how much I needed to deprogram myself. Coming from a humanities background, I had trained myself to believe I was not good at logic or math or physics or electronics. In small ways and big ways, society discriminates along gender, race, ethnic, and class lines when it comes to working with technology. It took me a while to stop listening to other people and believe I could actually be good at coding. I am still not the best and I don’t want to be. In fact, I take pride in my humanities background because I think it makes the technology I create more humane.
Do you have any advice for girls looking to merge their interests in creative arts with their interest in tech?
- Break things to see how they work.
- Harness your curiosity. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.
- Embrace failure and learn from it. Then iterate.
- Experiment with simple and wild ideas alike. You never know.
- Be patient. Learning new skills take time.
- Find or build a community who shares your interests. They can help you build your ideas and learn new skills. Then you share with someone else.
- Don’t listen to haters or trolls. You determine what feedback you think is important.
- Own your voice.
- It doesn’t have to be complex to be awesome.
- Have {~*~~> fun <~~*~} with it!
Ready to learn more? Register for our Wearable Tech and Fashion Design course at girlswhocode.com/campus! Use code “LIZA” to save $100 on registration for any of our Campus courses!
Originally published at imagirlwhocodes.com on May 3, 2018.
