Expert versus Novice Assessment of Clothing Fit; an Exploratory Study Using Eye Tracking Technology

An analysis was conducted of the differences between expert and novice apparel practitioner's areas of attention and criteria when assessing the fit of a shirt, using goggle type eye-trackers and a questionnaire. The areas of interest (AOIs) which the expert group viewed longer than the novice group during fit assessment were at the collar, waist, side seam line, and dart; the novice group viewed across the front, the waist, and the hem area longer. Also, experts viewed the armhole more frequently than novices. Heat map records of viewing time showed that the gaze of the experts was distributed, viewing the waist, hem, side seam line, dart, and armhole, but the novices generally spent concentrated time assessing the front of the shirts. In the assessment items that were identified through questionnaires, the novices did not acknowledge fit criteria such as the verticality and balance of the front and back of the shirt at the side seam, hem balance, depth and width of the armholes, slope of the shoulders, bicep height, or grainline. The study identified AOIs and fit criteria that differed between the expert and novice groups providing results to inform training needs for novices in fit analysis.