Hi Lubomir,
How you going. Good to hear from you.
Three issues seem to be overlooked. The first is the most obvious:
1. For research into improving design, design practice skills are irrelevant.
Also overlooked are two other tightly linked problem issues:
2. The use of 'reflection/reflective practice' based on design practice
3. Seeing 'design practice' through the skills and culture of 'design practice'.
If the aim is to improve how design is undertaken, the investigating design requires looking at the practice of design as a socio-technical system involving people and technology together.
The culture of design practice, however, focuses primarily on: the designed object and its properties, what goes on in people's heads and what emotions they experience.
What is missing are the research tools and focal interests that see design practice as the subject of study.
To research design practice - people and technology together as a complex process - requires a different, broader approach that ids capable of dealing with complexity, social issues, psychological issues and technical issues in a dynamic whole.
Using design practice and reflective practice bounded by the culture of design practice is insufficient for research into design practice.
Best wishes,
Terry
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lubomir Savov Popov
Sent: Tuesday, 18 May 2010 9:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Help please: Practice as a Method of Data Collection
Dear Michelle,
I regret I don't have enough time to get into details. However, I can talk in principle. I will simplify the whole process and its description for reasons of brevity.
It is all about reflection over the act of design and casting this reflection in the academic format. Some of the things that have to be done are done implicitly in the design process. When you start design, you have to conceptualize a design problem. Then you have to make a literature search for analogues, new technologies, etc. After that you can present your design methodology. This presentation is usually written after the artifact is designed and successfully tested. After the artifact is designed, you might have to test it and to compare it to analogous artifacts. Conduct the test procedures in a scholarly way. This is a written account of the process, method, and procedures for designing a new artifact. By the way, at least several design solutions in this artifact have to be patented by you in order to prove contribution. Or if you create a process for designing and artifact, the very process is a product by itself. Treat it as an artifact and follow the steps mentioned above.
Best wishes,
Lubomir
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