LoomHer QC App
The LoomHer QC App is a browser-based prototype developed as part of the LoomHer Empowerment capstone project. It supports structured textile review, digital traceability, and clearer quality-control records for women-led production in cross-border supply chains.
Overview
The LoomHer QC App compares a reference textile design with a finished woven piece using color clustering, pattern comparison, and threshold-based pass/fail logic. If an item passes, the system generates a traceability-linked record. If it does not, the tool flags likely color or design mismatches for further review. The app is designed to support structured inspection and documentation, not to replace human judgment.
How It Works
The app follows a four-step review workflow:
Upload — A reference design is uploaded, including the approved color palette and pattern expectations.
Produce — The textile is woven based on the approved design.
Capture — A photo of the finished piece is uploaded into the app for review.
Compare — The app compares the finished textile against the reference image and returns a structured match analysis for color and design, using 95% pass thresholds for both
Quality Verification
The QC App helps make final inspection more structured and consistent. It can flag likely differences in color or design and create a digital record for acceptance, rejection, or rework decisions. Under the hood, the prototype uses color clustering, Pantone-based matching, and image comparison to support visual review, but it should be understood as a verification aid used alongside human judgment rather than as a standalone certification tool.
What the App Does Not Do
The QC App does not verify fiber content, durability, labor conditions, or full product acceptability on its own. It cannot fully normalize uncontrolled lighting, camera variation, or natural handwoven irregularity. Its value lies in reducing ambiguity, standardizing comparison, and documenting review outcomes, not in replacing final human quality assurance.
Traceability
The system creates a digital record that links the approved design, the finished piece, and the review outcome, with each assessed item able to generate a QR-linked traceability certificate. This strengthens documentation for buyers and partners, but the broader governance principle is that traceability should support producer credibility without giving away uncontrolled access to underlying production data.
Why It Matters
Artisan textile production depends on trust, but that trust is often built through informal review and visual judgment alone. The LoomHer QC App helps strengthen the trust infrastructure that many producers lack by making inspection more structured, records more consistent, and traceability easier to document. Used carefully, it can support buyer confidence, clearer feedback for producers, and stronger evidence of process reliability without overstating what the technology can do.