> On 04/08/2007, at 3:08 AM, Victor Margolin wrote:
> > Why is so much research attention given to the process of design
> > and so little to its results - the products that are the outcomes
> > of designing, their value and social consequences.
One to look out for, from Elizabeth Shove's practice-centred
socio-tech perspective (in particular the Design and Consuming
research project: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/projects/dnc/), is:
The Design of Everyday Life:
http://www.bergpublishers.com/uk/book_page.asp?BKTitle=The%20Design%20of%20Everyday%20Life
Reviews
'This book uses the everyday artefact to break new intellectual ground for consumption studies, design analysis, and the
field of material culture. Based in close empirical observation of social practice, it helps bring a new sociology of the
artefact into being. It is creative, fresh, and original.'
Harvey Molotch, New York University
Description
How do common household items such as basic plastic house wares or high-tech digital cameras transform our daily
lives? The Design of Everyday Life considers this question in detail, from the design of products through to their use in
the home.
Drawing on interviews with consumers themselves, the authors look at how everyday objects, ranging from screwdrivers
to photo management software, are used on a practical level. Closely investigating the design, production and use of
mass-market goods, the authors offer new interpretations of how consumers' needs are met and manufactured. They
examine the dynamic interaction of products with everyday practices.
The Design of Everyday Life presents a pathbreaking analysis of the sociology of objects, illuminating the connections
between design and consumption.
About the author(s)
Elizabeth Shove is Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University.
Matthew Watson is Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at Durham University.
Jack Ingram is Professor of Product Design at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, UCE.
Martin Hand is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Queen's University in Canada.
Contents
1. The Design of Everyday Life
2. Having and Doing: The Case of the 'Restless Kitchen'
3. Consumption and Competence: DIY Projects
4. Reproducing Digital Photography
5. The Materials of Material Culture: Plastic
6. Theories and Practices of Product Design
7. Products, Processes and Practices
Bibliography
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