FabricBoards: Utilizing Craft Techniques for Inclusive Prototyping of E-Textile LED Circuits with Fabric-Based Breadboards

The prototyping process for e-textile circuits presents unique challenges, as traditional electronic prototyping tools are often rigid and incompatible with the flexible nature of fabric. In this paper, we document the iterative design of FabricBoards, a set of fabric-based breadboards designed for e-textile LED circuits. FabricBoards reimagine the solderless breadboard in a textile-based form, using tools and materials native to textile crafting, inviting and accessible to historically underrepresented makers. We experimented with various textile crafts including machine-sewing, felting, knitting, crocheting, digital embroidery, and weaving a breadboard. Our user study with 18 participants consisted of group workshops for ideation and individual interviews. A thematic analysis revealed four themes on the user experience of FabricBoards in terms of familiarity, materiality, and layout; the inherent incompatibility of electronic components with textiles; and the curiosity and engagement that FabricBoards evoke. Finally, we reflect with generalizable insights on computational making when reimagining e-textile breadboards.