Dear Beryl,
Having a coffee break, so I gave a thought to The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly! (Warning: my birth sign is Aquarius usually, and Pisces occasionally,
depending on the stars!)
Debate has been about the processes and outcomes of the PhD. However, the
research topic is perhaps the most crucial aspect in defining what is a fun
'designerly' doctorate - it must be appropriate for the field.
On the standards issue, the sciences and humanities of the old established
international Universities have well oiled production lines for PhD studies
compared to UK 'Art & Design' Faculties, and can turn them out like cans of
baked beans. Research students in these 'old ivory towers' are often freebie
research assistants, where they can do a fast-track PhD in some
circumstances. For example they can do the leg work for their Prof. on a pet
project by doing some mindless data-mining and mind-numbing,
number-crunching, data doodling for 18 months or so. You may like to try and
collect some good examples of these 'baked beans' to compare with 'gourmet'
practice-centred PhD's.
Below I tentatively suggest hypothetical topics indicating the possible
differences between the 'good' inventions of a PhD.Des, a D.Des and D.Res.
PhD.Des
An investigation aimed to formulate through designing a new form of artefact
- product, process, service, system or experience, which advances
design-knowledge and has general implications for artefacts.
Eg. The design of an innovative envelop for three incompatible
pharmaceutical products, with wrappers and tokens, for use by elderly
females, with particular reference to the incorporation of 'smart'
technologies within designs.
D.Des
A project aimed to produce a 'case study' through designing an artefact -
product, process, service, system or experience for a specific contemporary
need, which improves the public knowledge-base of design and its processes.
Eg. The design of an envelop for three incompatible pharmaceutical products,
with wrappers and tokens, for use by a paraplegic, partially sighted and
illiterate elderly female Aborigine called Doris living in Perth.
D.Res
An investigation aimed to create a new method for designing an artefact -
product, process, service, system or experience, which advances the
processes of design generally.
Eg. The design of a method for 'co-designing' an innovative envelop for
three incompatible pharmaceutical products, with wrappers and tokens, for
use by elderly females, with particular reference to Doris living in Perth -
a paraplegic, partially sighted and illiterate elderly female Aborigine.
Regards
Alec.
PS. T-Shirts will be available soon :
1) with a picture on the front of a Polo Mint upon which the words are
inscribed 'Old PhD in Design?', and on the back, a picture of a 'Stick of
Candy Rock' with the words 'PhD.Des = New Form' running through it.
2) with a picture of a 'Can of Baked Beans' on the front, with words on the
label -' Some Oldie Old PhD's?', and on the back , a picture of a 'Smilie
face' and the words 'Mm..mmm Gourmet PhD.Des.'
(For those not familiar with the Polo Mint, it is a small mint with the form
of a tyre - it has a hole at its heart, in the middle. Candy Rock is an
extruded rod of candy with words visible at the end but present throughout
the length of the rod.)
Copyright © 2000 by Alec Robertson. All rights reserved. Permission to quote
in part or in full granted with proper attribution and acknowledgment of
sources, as always.
___________________________________________________
Alec Robertson, Vice Chair, Design Research Society.
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