This is the fifth in a series of posts concerning a survey that I conducted among some digital sewing pattern testers a few weeks ago. The initial post is here: https://fruitfrommyhands.com/2016/04/14/a-survey-for-sewists There was another post that prefaced this whole journey here: https://fruitfrommyhands.com/2016/04/11/what-digital-pattern-customers-want/.
My fifth question changed courses and veered away from the printing path. It asks “If you view patterns on a device, what type device do you use most often?” The choice of devices were “Desktop pc”, “laptop or tablet”, an iPad, Amazon Fire, Kindle or similar e-reader”, “Smartphone such as an iPhone or Galaxy” and an open-ended “Other” category.
A very small percentage, approximately 19%, view their .pdf patterns on a desktop pc. All other sewists responding to this survey view their digital patterns on a mobile device of varying size. They use everything from a smartphone to an e-book reader to a laptop or tablet.
I find these numbers astounding. What does this say? We, sewists, are as much a part of the whole mobile world as anyone in modern society. We use our phones to check our email, post to Facebook, snap pics and post to Instagram. We are completely and totally mobile and modern.
Points to ponder: We are viewing our patterns on devices propped up next to our sewing machines and cutting tables and on shelves in our sewing rooms. We are mobile, sewing up Step 7 in a pattern while posting our efforts to social media. What should pattern designers take from this? Should we not, as mentioned in a previous post, take this behavior into consideration when writing patterns? Shouldn’t designers write patterns for a smaller screen with different aspect ratios?
Fruit From My Hands 
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