Fabric perceptions in digital contexts: exploring the correlation between certainty and accuracy

Abstract As the fashion industry increasingly adopts digital platforms, fashion designers face challenges in digitally exploring and selecting fabrics. This transition underscores the complexities in digitally capturing fabrics. Extending our previous research, this study specifically examined the relationship between designers' certainty and their perceptual accuracy in digital fabric evaluations because uncertainty can diminish confidence in digital assessments, leading to an over-reliance on physical samples and slowing digital progress. The research employed a comparative analysis, engaging designers in both digital and physical fabric evaluations. The objectives of this study were: to evaluate the precision of digital fabric representations against physical assessments; to assess designers' psychological certainty and its correlation with assessment accuracy; and to identify fabric attributes that are most prone to misrepresentation digitally. The findings indicated that there is no direct correlation between evaluation accuracy and psychological certainty. Notably, for drapability, digital evaluations exhibited both high levels of certainty and accuracy, implying potential enhancements in digital representations of other textile attributes. The results of this study will contribute to the development of advanced digital fabric evaluation systems that can accurately replicate the physical fabric experience, thus ensuring a high level of certainty. This, in turn, will enhance the reliability and effectiveness of fabric selection on digital platforms.