Ken wrote:
> One reasonable purpose of design research is service to the design
> profession by studying the design process. When this is stated as the
> only purpose or the primary purpose of design research, the logical
> outcome is that "the outcomes of designing, their value and social
> consequences" are not an appropriate form of design research.
I disagree with Ken on this one point.
One way to evaluate a design process is with respect to the
appropriateness (however defined) of its outcomes, including the social
consequences and all that. All else being equal, the process that
produces the best outcomes is the best process.
So, in my view, design research can (a) still be in service by studying
design processes, while (b) addressing things like the process outcomes.
This notwithstanding, I agree with the rest of Ken's post.
Cheers.
Fil
--
Filippo A. Salustri, PhD, PEng
on sabbatical until 17 August 2007 at:
Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, UK
Email: [log in to unmask]
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