Design Research Foundations – serie

This volume presents 25 essays on the philosophy of design. With contributions originating from philosophy and design research, and from product design to architecture, it gives a rich spectrum of state of the art research and brings together studies on philosophical topics in which design plays a key role and design research to which philosophy contributes. Coverage zooms in on specific and more well-known design disciplines but also includes less-studied disciplines, such as graphic design, interior architecture and exhibition design. In addition, contributors take up traditional philosophical issues, such as epistemology, politics, phenomenology and philosophy of science. Some essays cover philosophical issues that emerge in design, for instance what design can do in addressing societal problems, while other essays analyze main-stream philosophical issues in which design is part of the argument, as for instance abduction and aesthetics.  Readers will discovernew research with insightful analyses of design research, design thinking and the specificity of design. Overall, this comprehensive overview of an emerging topic in philosophy will be of great interest to researchers and students.

Design Cybernetics: Navigating the NewDesign cybernetics offers a way of looking at ourselves – curious, creative, and ethical humans – as self-organising systems that negotiate their own goals in open-ended explorations of the previously unknown. It is a theory of and for epistemic practices (learning, designing, researching) that is deeply committed to the autonomy of others and hence offers no prescriptive methodology. Design cybernetics describes design practice as inextricable from conversation – a way of enquiring, developing shared understanding and reaching the new that harnesses reliable control as well as error and serendipity. Recognising circular causality, observer-dependency and non-determinability, design cybernetics extends beyond tenets of scientific research into the creative, ethical and aesthetic domain. From this perspective, design is not an ill-conceived subset of scientific research. Instead, scientific research emerges as a particularly restricted subset of the broader human activity of design.This volume offers a cross-section of design cybernetic theory and practice with contributions ranging across architecture, interior lighting studies, product design, embedded systems, design pedagogy, design theory, social transformation design, research epistemology, art and poetics, as well as theatre and acting. Addressing designers, design educators and researchers interested in a rigorous, practice-based epistemology, it establishes design cybernetics as a foundational perspective of design research. “This is a conceptually elegant, well structured, and comprehensive presentation of design cybernetics. It fills a gap in the literature of the field.”Ken Friedman, Chair Professor, Tongji University “This book offers a valuable and timely introduction to second-order cybernetics as society grapples with complex issues like climate change and rising inequality.”Joichi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab

Design Cybernetics: Navigating the NewDesign cybernetics offers a way of looking at ourselves – curious, creative, and ethical humans – as self-organising systems that negotiate their own goals in open-ended explorations of the previously unknown. It is a theory of and for epistemic practices (learning, designing, researching) that is deeply committed to the autonomy of others and hence offers no prescriptive methodology. Design cybernetics describes design practice as inextricable from conversation – a way of enquiring, developing shared understanding and reaching the new that harnesses reliable control as well as error and serendipity. Recognising circular causality, observer-dependency and non-determinability, design cybernetics extends beyond tenets of scientific research into the creative, ethical and aesthetic domain. From this perspective, design is not an ill-conceived subset of scientific research. Instead, scientific research emerges as a particularly restricted subset of the broader human activity of design.This volume offers a cross-section of design cybernetic theory and practice with contributions ranging across architecture, interior lighting studies, product design, embedded systems, design pedagogy, design theory, social transformation design, research epistemology, art and poetics, as well as theatre and acting. Addressing designers, design educators and researchers interested in a rigorous, practice-based epistemology, it establishes design cybernetics as a foundational perspective of design research. “This is a conceptually elegant, well structured, and comprehensive presentation of design cybernetics. It fills a gap in the literature of the field.”Ken Friedman, Chair Professor, Tongji University “This book offers a valuable and timely introduction to second-order cybernetics as society grapples with complex issues like climate change and rising inequality.”Joichi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab

Constructive design research, is an exploratory endeavor building exemplars, arguments, and evidence. In this monograph, it is shown how acts of designing builds relevance and articulates knowledge in combination. Using design acts to build new knowledge, invite reframing of questions and new perceptions to build up. Respecting the emergence of new knowledge in the process invite change of cause and action. The authors' term for this change is drifting; designers drift; and they drift intentionally, knowing what they do. The book details how drifting is a methodic practice of its own and provides examples of how and where it happens. This volume explores how to do it effectively, and how it depends on the concept of knowledge. The authors identify four epistemic traditions in constructive design research. By introducing a Knowledge/Relevance model they clarify how design experiments create knowledge and what kinds of challenges and contributions designers face when drifting. Along the lines of experimental design work the authors identify five main ways in which constructive experiments drift. Only one of them borrows its practices from experimental science, others build on precedents including arts and craft practices. As the book reveals, constructive design research builds on a rich body of research that finds its origins in some of the most important intellectual movements of 20th century. This background further expands constructive design research from a scientific model towards a more welcoming understanding of research and knowledge.    This monograph provides novel actionable models for steering and navigating processes of constructive design research. It helps skill the design researcher in participating in the general language games of research and helps the design researcher build research relations beyond the discipline.

Constructive design research, is an exploratory endeavor building exemplars, arguments, and evidence. In this monograph, it is shown how acts of designing builds relevance and articulates knowledge in combination. Using design acts to build new knowledge, invite reframing of questions and new perceptions to build up. Respecting the emergence of new knowledge in the process invite change of cause and action. The authors' term for this change is drifting; designers drift; and they drift intentionally, knowing what they do. The book details how drifting is a methodic practice of its own and provides examples of how and where it happens. This volume explores how to do it effectively, and how it depends on the concept of knowledge. The authors identify four epistemic traditions in constructive design research. By introducing a Knowledge/Relevance model they clarify how design experiments create knowledge and what kinds of challenges and contributions designers face when drifting. Along the lines of experimental design work the authors identify five main ways in which constructive experiments drift. Only one of them borrows its practices from experimental science, others build on precedents including arts and craft practices. As the book reveals, constructive design research builds on a rich body of research that finds its origins in some of the most important intellectual movements of 20th century. This background further expands constructive design research from a scientific model towards a more welcoming understanding of research and knowledge.    This monograph provides novel actionable models for steering and navigating processes of constructive design research. It helps skill the design researcher in participating in the general language games of research and helps the design researcher build research relations beyond the discipline.

Over the last four decades, John Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy has formed an intellectual core in design research, underpinning Donald Schön’s theory of reflective practice, the experiential perspective in HCI and the democratic commitments of participatory design. Taking these existing connections as a starting point, Brian Dixon explores how deeper alignments may be drawn between Dewey’s insights and contemporary design research’s concern with practice, meaning and collaboration. Chapter by chapter, a fresh intellectual approach is revealed, one which recognises the transformative power of doing, making and knowing as a force for positive change in the world. We see that, for Dewey, experience comes first. It connects us to surrounding world and the society of which we are part; good things can happen and new realities are possible—we just have to work for them. The implications for design research are vast. We are offered a new way of understanding designerly knowledge production, as well as the methodological implications of adopting Deweyan pragmatism in design research. Taken as a whole, Dewey and Design not only draws out the value of Dewey’s work for design research but also, crucially, offers a clear articulation of the value of design itself.

Over the last four decades, John Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy has formed an intellectual core in design research, underpinning Donald Schön’s theory of reflective practice, the experiential perspective in HCI and the democratic commitments of participatory design. Taking these existing connections as a starting point, Brian Dixon explores how deeper alignments may be drawn between Dewey’s insights and contemporary design research’s concern with practice, meaning and collaboration. Chapter by chapter, a fresh intellectual approach is revealed, one which recognises the transformative power of doing, making and knowing as a force for positive change in the world. We see that, for Dewey, experience comes first. It connects us to surrounding world and the society of which we are part; good things can happen and new realities are possible—we just have to work for them. The implications for design research are vast. We are offered a new way of understanding designerly knowledge production, as well as the methodological implications of adopting Deweyan pragmatism in design research. Taken as a whole, Dewey and Design not only draws out the value of Dewey’s work for design research but also, crucially, offers a clear articulation of the value of design itself.

This book directly links the notion of the commons with different design praxes, and explores their social, cultural, and ecological ramifications. It draws out material conditions in four areas of design interest: social design, commons and culture, ecology and transdisciplinary design. As a collection of positions, the diversity of arguments advances the understanding of the commons as both concepts and modes of thinking, and their material translation when contextualised in the domain of design questions. In other words, it moves abstract social science concepts towards concrete design debates. This text appeals to students, researchers and practitioners working on design in architecture, architecture theory, urbanism, and ecology.

This book directly links the notion of the commons with different design praxes, and explores their social, cultural, and ecological ramifications. It draws out material conditions in four areas of design interest: social design, commons and culture, ecology and transdisciplinary design. As a collection of positions, the diversity of arguments advances the understanding of the commons as both concepts and modes of thinking, and their material translation when contextualised in the domain of design questions. In other words, it moves abstract social science concepts towards concrete design debates. This text appeals to students, researchers and practitioners working on design in architecture, architecture theory, urbanism, and ecology.

This monograph provides a new framework for modelling goals and functions of control systems. It demonstrates how to use means-end concepts and various aspects of action to describe the relations between the structure, dispositions, functions, and goals of technical systems and with human action.The author developed this approach as part of his research on Multilevel Flow Modelling (MFM). He based the framework on concepts of action and means-end analysis drawing on existing theories from several areas of study, including philosophical logic, semiotics, and phenomenological approaches to social science. Here, he applies it to three modeling situations related to the interaction of technical artefacts and humans. One involves the relation between designer and artefact, another the relation between technical artefact and its user, and the third the relation between a natural object and its user. All three are relevant for modelling complex automated processes interacting with human operators.The book also discusses challenges when applying the foundations for modelling of technical artefacts. Overall, it provides a cross disciplinary integration of several fields of knowledge. These disciplines include intelligent process control, human machine interaction, and process and automation design. As a result, researchers and graduate students in computer science, engineering, and philosophy of technology will find it a valuable resource.

This monograph provides a new framework for modelling goals and functions of control systems. It demonstrates how to use means-end concepts and various aspects of action to describe the relations between the structure, dispositions, functions, and goals of technical systems and with human action.The author developed this approach as part of his research on Multilevel Flow Modelling (MFM). He based the framework on concepts of action and means-end analysis drawing on existing theories from several areas of study, including philosophical logic, semiotics, and phenomenological approaches to social science. Here, he applies it to three modeling situations related to the interaction of technical artefacts and humans. One involves the relation between designer and artefact, another the relation between technical artefact and its user, and the third the relation between a natural object and its user. All three are relevant for modelling complex automated processes interacting with human operators.The book also discusses challenges when applying the foundations for modelling of technical artefacts. Overall, it provides a cross disciplinary integration of several fields of knowledge. These disciplines include intelligent process control, human machine interaction, and process and automation design. As a result, researchers and graduate students in computer science, engineering, and philosophy of technology will find it a valuable resource.

This open-access book expounds on how service design has been adopted and practiced in Asia, and how it has impacted especially the East and Southeast Asian countries. As service design is a socio-technical practice that is co-produced in context, the contributors focus on how service design has been applied and how it has evolved heterogeneously by interacting with the cultural and social dimensions of Asian countries.As the application domains of service design vary, this book covers adoptions and practices in different areas: Asian governments, the civic and grassroots sectors, and business transformation. The contextual framing of the chapters is ultimately synthesized and analyzed in the concluding Discussion chapter of the book. This chapter takes into consideration the history and objects of service design, the interactions between research and practice, methodologies, and comparisons to practices in the Western World. This book appeals to students, researchers, and professionals in the field.

This open-access book expounds on how service design has been adopted and practiced in Asia, and how it has impacted especially the East and Southeast Asian countries. As service design is a socio-technical practice that is co-produced in context, the contributors focus on how service design has been applied and how it has evolved heterogeneously by interacting with the cultural and social dimensions of Asian countries.As the application domains of service design vary, this book covers adoptions and practices in different areas: Asian governments, the civic and grassroots sectors, and business transformation. The contextual framing of the chapters is ultimately synthesized and analyzed in the concluding Discussion chapter of the book. This chapter takes into consideration the history and objects of service design, the interactions between research and practice, methodologies, and comparisons to practices in the Western World. This book appeals to students, researchers, and professionals in the field.

This book presents a curated collection of pictorials from various academic venues, accompanied by new commentary. Pictorials are a new, rigorously peer-reviewed academic format that has gained traction within the fields of interaction design and human-computer interaction (HCI). This format has become popular for communicating artistic processes, design practices, and experiential content—topics that are often difficult to convey through text alone.  This volume showcases the pictorial format with examples from applied topical areas. It shows how pictorials have proven their value in several contexts, introduced novel ways of connecting visual and textual content, and expanded the scope of academic literature to many previously hard-to-communicate areas of design and HCI. This volume is of interest to students and researchers working in HCI and especially within the fields of Art and Design. It proves the potentials of the format, classifies forms of production, inspires novel uses, and opens up the thinking behind it.

This collection focuses on the revolutionary philosophy of Archeworks: ethics is embedded in all architecture and design and all architecture and design should serve a social good. Stanley Tigerman and Eva Maddox, the cofounders of Archeworks and its postgraduate educational program, embodied this philosophy in their teaching and work. Through action learning, students further developed this philosophy, which is found in their descriptions of the topics they perused at Archeworks. Although Archeworks closed in 2015, the revolutionary nature of its founders and their thinking lives on today, not simply in the United States but also around the globe as demonstrated in the final chapter of the book.

Design is a conceptive activity which is usually presented as a sensible, sequential process and action. This book claims that design cannot be reduced to the rational, effective planning and organization that most models (such as design thinking) present.  The author suggests another type of rationality which is based on what the humanities call aesthetics, writing, composition, and style: a rationality based in imaginary elaboration and coherence. The chapters, therefore, demonstrate that design practice is about creating not only functional tools, but planes of reflections that challenge norms. To support this claim, this book analyzes research programs, art works, and design projects that produced new information and communication technologies (ICT). This is detailed using examples in each chapter. From these examples, two types of conclusions are derived: a first level considers the lessons that we can draw from these examples in terms of design practice whilethe second level starts a theoretical discussion based on these analyses of use cases. The goal is to develop an understanding of conception in its different forms. This book brings the use of these neglected methods to the foreground as a way to explicate the design process. Taking into consideration the humanities within design contributes to the discussion on pluridisciplinarity. The book posits that design as a historical and situated activity is a truly multidisciplinary endeavor that bridges the gap between engineering sciences and the humanities.

This volume presents 25 essays on the philosophy of design. With contributions originating from philosophy and design research, and from product design to architecture, it gives a rich spectrum of state of the art research and brings together studies on philosophical topics in which design plays a key role and design research to which philosophy contributes. Coverage zooms in on specific and more well-known design disciplines but also includes less-studied disciplines, such as graphic design, interior architecture and exhibition design. In addition, contributors take up traditional philosophical issues, such as epistemology, politics, phenomenology and philosophy of science. Some essays cover philosophical issues that emerge in design, for instance what design can do in addressing societal problems, while other essays analyze main-stream philosophical issues in which design is part of the argument, as for instance abduction and aesthetics.  Readers will discovernew research with insightful analyses of design research, design thinking and the specificity of design. Overall, this comprehensive overview of an emerging topic in philosophy will be of great interest to researchers and students.