The paper explores the implications of advancing sustainability through user-including methodologies and body scan technologies. The paper contributes new understandings of how designers may engage new technologies in their design processes to address end-user inclusivity and representation in their work. The study is qualitative and exploratory. It is based on the EU-funded Erasmus+ project Me-You-Us (2023–2025), which aims to develop the application of 3D digital prototyping in undergraduate curricula towards sustainability, inclusion, and diversity in the fashion industry. The empirical material encompasses design briefs, prototypes and participant reflections. Analytic methods include annotated portfolio and thematic analysis. The paper identifies and demonstrates three design approaches to using scanning technology that may enable end-user inclusion: 1. Inclusion of end-user needs through generalised avatar representation. 2. Inclusion of end-user lifeworld through conceptual digital body representation. 3. The inclusion of end-user needs through direct collaborative end-user participation. Further, six themes emerge: Understanding new technology, Handling data; Building empathy and user understanding; Representation and/or participation; Challenging the designer role; and, Tech-devices as personal vs. interpersonal spaces. The study is limited to the tutor’s perspective. A natural progression of this work is to study the designer and end-user perspectives. Overall, this study strengthens the idea that scanning technology, in combination with user-including design methodologies, can enhance designers’ end-user awareness and empathy, which may lead to user-inclusive design practices.
To comply with the recently enacted EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation, the fashion sector must orientate towards innovative methodologies to develop circularity and longevity business models, production methods, and value chains to a greater extent. This paper discusses design for longevity and how fashion and textile designers can support sustainable transition through their design practice. Purpose: We conducted a scoping review to provide a literature overview and identify existing gaps in knowledge of the field of fashion and textile design practice for sustainability; in order to obtain a holistic understanding of recent research developments about design practice and the role of the designer in this connection. Approach: A five-step framework has been followed to generate, read, and analyze the literature, and to embrace a diverse scoping review methodology. The paper collates the literature of selected studies of fashion and textile design practice for sustainability. Findings: The review results in an overview of the thematic analysis and gaps in knowledge. It identifies key areas for further research and points to participatory approaches involving multiple stakeholders (fashion companies, end-users, and textile/garment manufacturers). Value: This scoping review provides an outline for practice-based design researchers, fashion and textile designers, and other stakeholders to support creative fashion innovation through research informed fashion and stakeholder methodologies.
This lead paper introduces a special issue, with seven papers included, that investigates how game-based formats can enhance creativity and innovation funnels, with a focus on four cross-cutting themes: (1) the purpose of the applied use of games and the epistemological reasoning behind organisational change concerns, (2) a deeper focus on specific interactions, interpersonal relations and participant power dynamics as part of the games, (3) the connection to organisational culture and transferability to practice and (4) an expansion of the applied context and diversity of game formats. The lead paper also presents three trajectories by examining how and why researchers and practitioners in the past decade chose to apply game-based formats in creativity and innovation management. In the first trajectory, we focus on current definitions, suggesting a shift from an element-centric to a configurational ontology. The second trajectory illustrates, through selected frameworks, the dimensions that are vital to how researchers and practitioners choose to apply game-based formats, and we call for a higher degree of open-ended game formats. The last trajectory traces recent movements and suggests three avenues for the directions of future research.
Population ageing is increasing demand for long-term care (LTC) across many countries, placing growing pressure on healthcare systems. Urinary incontinence (UI) is a major contributor, and its management, typically reliant on disposable containment products, creates significant socio-economic and environmental impacts.Responding to the need for more systemic and holistic approaches, this review explores opportunities for developing sustainable continence care systems across environmental and socio-economic dimensions, considering both technological innovations and care practice strategies, including prevention and treatment. Following PRISMA guidelines, literature from 2014 to 2024 was analyzed to assess whether current research enables sustainable solutions and to identify opportunities for integrated socio-technical systems.Findings reveal a fragmented research landscape: 53% of included studies focus on environmental, 38% on social and 15% on economic aspects. Techno-focused approaches emphasize bio-based and biodegradable materials, resource recovery and organic fraction valorization. Care practice-focused approaches highlight absorbent product use practice, prompted voiding, and emerging digital health technologies, with prevention-oriented interventions comparatively underrepresented. Both areas show a lack of comprehensive environmental and economic assessments, leaving feasibility and impact of proposed solutions uncertain. Only four of the 306 included studies addressed system-level approaches.Overall, the challenge is not the absence of technological or care practice options but a lack of system integration. Developing sustainable continence care systems requires socio-technical solutions informed by interdisciplinary and stakeholder involvement. Strengthening UI prevention, early and tailored interventions and more and better trained staff may enhance sustainability on a social and environmental level while benefiting the whole healthcare system.
