Design and Product Development

Examining Functional Unisex Gardening Apron for Master Gardeners

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Abstract

The Master Gardener Program is a recognized Extension volunteer program active in all 50 states in the United States. Master Gardener volunteers are specially trained in a variety of horticulture topics and volunteer their time teaching and contributing gardening skills to their community (Roti,2018). The purpose of this project was to explore current Master Gardeners’ needs and develop a functional unisex gardening apron suited to a baby boomer market.This study is based on a sequential exploratory mixed method (Creswell, 2009) which consists of three phases: a) market research and a focus group interview of certified Master Gardeners to devise strategies for prototype development; b) a prototype was developed for online survey stimulus and fit testing; and c) an online survey was distributed to the current Master Gardeners (N=175) by Extension Program Coordinators to examine how current Master Gardeners evaluate and perceive the prototype. The design process followed an overall user-centered design (UCD) framework (Watkins & Dunne, 2015).

How to Cite:

Salusso, C. J., Hwang, C. G., Liu, H. & Schmidt, J., (2019) “Examining Functional Unisex Gardening Apron for Master Gardeners”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8400