Virtual fashion and avatar design: A survey of consumers and designers

Jeffrey Bardzell, Tyler Pace, Jennifer Terrell

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

As virtual worlds evolve, so does the visual language of avatars inside them. In Second Life, an emergent virtual fashion industry supports amateur fashion/avatar design. This fashion industry includes both emergent (i.e., user-created) social institutions as well as a network of technologies, including Second Life's virtual environment itself, which support a sophisticated fusion of technical and cultural practices. This paper presents the results of a survey, offering an empirical overview of virtual fashionistas' shopping and content creation behaviors in Second Life. The results suggest relationships between technology and culture, giving rise to concrete forms of sociality, style, embodiment and gender in the virtual world. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of usability (both in fashion creation and consumption) in driving the desirability of fashion products, bodies, and even gender performances in virtual environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationNordiCHI 2010
Subtitle of host publicationExtending Boundaries - Proceedings of the 6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
Pages599-602
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010
Event6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Extending Boundaries, NordiCHI 2010 - Reykjavik, Iceland
Duration: Oct 16 2010Oct 20 2010

Publication series

NameNordiCHI 2010: Extending Boundaries - Proceedings of the 6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction

Other

Other6th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Extending Boundaries, NordiCHI 2010
Country/TerritoryIceland
CityReykjavik
Period10/16/1010/20/10

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Virtual fashion and avatar design: A survey of consumers and designers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this