#mydesignlogbook

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Taken from the seminar presentation: Module Scenarientechnik with Pro. Dr. Adrian Müller/ZHdK/MAD/Trends/May 2016

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Trendforecasting seminar March 2016/ZHdK/MAD/Trends

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Logbook entry 6: Project development. Day 3: articulate, interpret, communicate

Day 3: ARTICULATE: INTERPRETATION AND COMMUNICATION

Knowledge production: designers are not only concerned with the design practice, in the sense of making nice products, but also about taking the discipline further. Individual design research: define what elements of design research field are important for your research. Research proposal: enhance knowledge and understanding to the question, issues, or problems to be addressed. How will you apply this to your research? How will you enhance knowledge (knowledge about what exactly) and understanding of your theme? What is the best approach? What is the state of the art: in order to find out where the boundaries of knowledge and understanding are regarding your theme, look at examples from design but also from other fields like art, social sciences, biology, etc.

Free-writing: the goal is to generate raw material fast. We are showed interesting techniques for writing. The first technique discusses is called Elfchen. The goal is to capture the raw material into to one point. With the verbs & nouns technique, the aim is to activate our passive vocabulary.

Key take-away: write daily, to start thinking in ‘writing’, to make ideas understandable and precise.

There are three types of writing and writing strategies: structural type, struktureschaffer, mix.

Writing is design: Different types of writing: thesis-oriented writing genre-oriented writing audience-oriented writing

About writing an ABSTRACT? Ask yourself these questions: what will you research? what is the question? in which disciplinary, theoretical context is your question embedded? at which gap in research is your work focused? what is the basic hypothesis in your research? which methods will you employ? what do other thinkers think about your subject of research (change perspective)

HOW to read? Ask yourself these questions: why am i reading this text? what knowledge will i get? how can i use this knowledge? where?

After you finish the article make a summery of the text and reflect what the text means for you, is it relevant for your research?

Still to answer questions: was Design zur wissenschaftlichen Forschungsdisziplin macht wie eine Forschungsfrage entsteht (Zielsetzung) wie man sich dem aktuellen Wissenstand annähert (State of the Art) wie eine Forschungsfrage gestellt wird durch welche Haltung/Sichtweise man sich als Designforscher positioniert mit welchen Strategien und Methoden man geeigneter Weise vorgehen kann, - wie man, diszipliniert, selbstkritisch und nachvollziehbar bleibt wie Forschungsergebnisse interpretiert werden (Erkenntnis) welche Kriterien bei der Evaluation von forschungsorientierten Projekten angewendet werden solide wissen basis adequate strategie

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Logbook entry 5: Project development. Day 2 - Framework, perspective, position

Day 2: FRAMEWORK: PERSPECTIVE AND POSITION

We watched documentary about Pruitt Igoe. Pruitt Igoe is set as an example of how to ask wrong questions in architectural and design discipline. During the problem formulation it is important to approach the problem from different perspectives. Designers analyse what the problem is, not so much what the solution is.

Martin Baker on different types of research

explanatory archival narrative textual analytic argumentative scholarly critical conceptual methodological model-building case-study hypothesis testing, etc.

HOW do we research something that we do not know? 

HOW will we know we have found what we want to know?

Crotty 1988: research process Crotty discusses shifting perspectives in research: ontological perspective epistemological perspective theoretical perspective methodological perspective methods

Ontological perspective is how you see things and how you order things, which changes the problem.

Bjorn Franke: design research discipline There is no design research field, but designers who do research. Designers take perspectives from other disciplines. We are asked to reflect about this. What is the premise of other disciplines and how different is it from your premise. We are asked to position our own ontological perspective and our research (question) within the context of these different perspectives (from other disciplines like for example medicine or science). We are asked to make our own intellectual puzzle and research question.

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Logbook entry 4: Project development day 1 - vision

Day I. VISION

Collins 2010: Design context consists of theory, practice, and reflection. We are asked to take Collins' framework as a basic setting during this weeks' workshop. Reflection especially is an important aspect in the design process. We are asked to be critical, question each step and every position we take.Collins 2010: Design research is not a linear process.

Goals of this weeks' workshop are: to examine design as a research discipline to think about how to enter our research projects through various points to develop and focus our research question to develop a perspective for how to position our research in theory and practice to develop discipline towards working structurally and comprehensibly

Some characteristics of design as research

design for, and in, a specific context, situation explorative, iterative, and collaborative approach interest in product and knowledge involved as designer and researcher generation of knowledge through an active design relevance for design practice and research community

Fallman (2005, 2007): research-orientat vs. design-oriented research

Gray and Mallins 2004: the research process WHAT: the identification of a ‘hunch’ or tentative research proposition, leading eventually to a defined and viable research question WHY: the need for your research in relation to the wider context, in order to test out the value of your propositions, locate your research position, and explore a range of research strategies HOW: the importance of developing an appropriate methodology and specific methods for gathering and generating information relevant to your research question, and evaluating, analysing and interpreting research evidence SO WHAT: this provocative question challenges you to think about the significance and value of your research contribution, not only to your practice but to the wider research context, and how this is best communicated and disseminated

Continue reading about Day 2: Framework, perspective, position

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Trend forecasting seminar March 2016/ZHdK/MAD/Trends

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Logbook entry 2: An introduction to trend research

In the first week of the semester we were introduced to the our area of specialisation, Trends. One of the key take-aways is to not only look at mega-trends, they certainly are important, but also keep an eye on smaller, local, weaker signals of emerging developments in society. Another key takeaway was not to start with an abstract, theoretical work, but to start with visualising and designing right away. Research and design are parallel processes.

'De ware ontdekkingsreis is niet te zoeken naar nieuwe landschappen, maar om de wereld met nieuwe ogen te zien.' We are encouraged to - learn to recognise conflicting developments - to discover small manifestation, often these small phenomena have significant potential to develop to switch between research and design often to reflect

Trends are categorised into long and medium trend (5 > years) short, less than 1 year scenario’s (5 > years)

Our area of interest focuses on trends relevant for individuals and societies.

Questions to ask ourselves are: how is something developed? how can i understand that from its function and form?

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Logbook entry 1: An introduction to minor

This is the first of a series of logbook entries documenting my design journey within my Masters of Art in Design. 

One of our first lectures kicking off the 1. semester of the Masters in Design programme was hosted by Michael Krohn and Stefano Vannotti. Here are my takeaways from the seminar:

WHAT is the meaning of research in design? Michael refers  to Nigel Cross who says 'design research contributes to knowledge for design'.

WHAT is design? 

The point of departure is that design is a discipline, it is a method and a 'Wissenskategorie'. Nigel Cross defines 'Designwissen' as a specific arrangement of people, processes, products, and contexts. 'Designwissen' according to Michael is positioned between natural sciences and social sciences. It contains the culture of things, their production, function and experience. A significant point that Michael makes is that 'Designwissen' is not theory. 'Designwissen' only uses scientific and design methods to generate new knowledge.

WHAT is the purpose of design research? 

Design research should lead to innovation, new results and knowledge, further development of design as a discipline, and relevance to society. Design research examines the world through the perspective of designers. The research should develop criteria that would help designer in their design process and that would validate design.

WHAT are the steps in the design research? Intuition, Assumption Research, Analysis, Observations Conceptualisation Experiment, Examination, Test, Prototype Validation, Conclusions, Theory

WHAT types of design research can we identify?

In design there are three broad categories of design research namely: 'research about design', 'research through design', 'research for design'. 'Research about design examines the general effects of design on its environment and society. 'Research for design' examines the technical, economic, historic or societal fundaments which influence design. The purpose of this type of research is to develop new methods, solutions, processes and applications. 'Research through design' uses the methods and tools from design to gain new results. It is characterised by an iterative process. Experiments and documentation of the process is important. Design is explained as a process.

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Design is a relatively young discipline. It is still defining itself. The question we need to ask ourselves is are we designers or researchers. Stefanos' advice is to to look at each issue, problem, question from the designer perspective.

Tim Brennen 1990: The General assumption that people have about design is that it is about decoration. This is a misconception about design, but it also offer opportunities.

The design process is iterative in nature. It is important to consider how many times you need to review your design process. This seems like a chaotic process, but even chaotic processes can be done in a systematic way.

Design complexity encompasses all aspects that are associated with your approach to the project. The goals of your project, obstacles you come across, strategies you choose to follow. How did traditional designers cope with complexity? In what way are modern design problems more complicated that traditional design problems? What are the interpersonal obstacles to solving the scope of the traditional design process?

Nigel Cross identifies different types of design research: PURPOSIVE: based on the identification of an issue or problem worthy and capable of investigation INQUISITIVE: seeking to acquire new knowledge INFORMED: conducted from an awareness of previous, related research METHODICAL: planned and carried out in a disciplinary manner COMMUNICABLE: generating and reporting results which are testable and accessible by others

Dieter Rams has formulated ten principles of ‘good design’: INNOVATIVE USEFUL: ‘A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.’ AESTHETIC: ‘The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well- executed objects can be beautiful.' MAKES A PRODUCT UNDERSTANDABLE: ‘It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory. UNOBTRUSIVE: ‘Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.’ HONEST: It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept. LONG-LASTING: It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society. THOROUGH DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL: Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product. AS LITTLE DESIGN AS POSSIBLE: Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

According to Ken Friedman (2003) design theory is about understanding how things work and why requires us to analyze and explain everything. That is the design theory.

Nigel Cross: design epistemology: the study of how people deisgn design praxiology: the study of processes of design design phenomenology: the study of the form and configuration of artefacts

Design (thinking) process in 5 phases: discovery: i have a challenge. How do I approach it? interpretation: i learned something. how do i interpret it? ideation: i see an opportunity. what do i create? experimentation: i have an idea: how do i built it? evolution: i tried something. how do i evolve it?