Bridging material science and affordance theory: An expert-consensus framework for mechanochromic rehabilitation smartwear

High technical complexity in electronic wearables significantly hinders patient adherence in unsupervised home rehabilitation. While mechanochromic materials represent a feasible, passive, and battery-free alternative, there is a lack of a systematic logic for translating these material properties into products developing protocols that meet clinical design requirements. Addressing this gap, we employed a mixed-methods approach comprising a PRISMA-ScR scoping review to map design determinants and a two-round Delphi study to develop a novel “Affordance-Feedback Design Framework.” Rather than providing generic guidelines, the framework establishes a systematic logic for Color-Angle Mapping products development by identifying 12 prioritized core design factors categorized into Critical, High, and Desirable tiers. This roadmap bridges the ‘perceptual gap’ by guiding the translation of material properties into user-centered smartwear through a validated three-phase engineering process. Quantitative analysis of the second-round Delphi demonstrated strong expert consensus (I−CVI>0.78; overall mean score = 4.72/5.0; Kendall’s W =0.72), validating the framework’s feasibility and clinical relevance. Specifically, the framework defines a systematic logic Color-Angle Mapping products developing logic, which converts complex biomechanical data into intuitive visual cues, thereby potential reducing the patient’s cognitive monitoring load during exercises.