Dear Don and Colleagues
Three days ago you wrote:
"
> ...the scientific method is a noverarching philosophy. It gets executed
> very differently in the many disciplines and sub disciplines, but the
> overarching principles still remain. And they are very simple, having two
> major principles:
>
> Principle One: reproducibility.
>
> Principle Two: Replication, confirmation or disconfirmation. (...)"
>
Perhaps one other way to calm those 'yelling' would be to draw attention
particularly to pp. 93-98 in your most recent publication: "Living with
Complexity" *. But, I think you'll need to provide more clarifications in
order to calm the crowd, including many among us just mumbling...
By pure coincidence, I have just started reading this book and have right
now arrived at the sub-chapter on "Cultural Complexity", in Chapter 4
dealing with designing (for) "Social Signifiers".
On p. 95, you ascertain that:
"A good designer thinks about these things and provides clues - signifiers
- as to appropriate use. This requires a special talent: empathy. Designers
must place themselves in the position of those who use their designs, and
then provide the information required for proper usage, but without
destroying the aesthetic beauty or the functions, or increasing the cost.
That is the design challenge: managing the tensions."
Yes indeed, the socially assigned role to professionals called 'designers',
both University trained as well as graduates from vocational/technical
schools, is to 'manage the tensions' arising out of confrontation of
different stakeholders' concerns (Bruno Latour &Co.), and come up with
artifacts acceptable (i.e. suitable to use) to all. To manage and ease
those various tensions, of aesthetic, functional, financial, political,
environmental, and many other concerns, University graduates are expected
to proceed through 'scientific research'; whereas technicians are requested
to exert the best of their skills and abilities. And you are right, both
kind of professionals need to be endowed with "a special talent: empathy"
towards all those concerned stakeholders.
A question that comes right into mind is the following: how the scientific
method, as you succinctly stated above as well as in your subsequent post
two days ago as a mere "tool", would bring those trained to use it (i.e.
University trained designers) to being more empathic?
While waiting for your response, let me go back into the book, so
captivating thus far! Hopefully the answer to my question lies in pages
ahead??
Francois
Montreal
* Living with complexity. Donald A. Norman. The MIT Press, 2011.
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