Hi Don
Yes, schemata of course. Sorry.
I don't believe schemata are the same as patterns, categories, taxonomies, maps, or models etc. When I worked with Alexander at Berkeley I found that his patterns were used more like theories than design schemata. They were not generative in any sense other than as a recipe. For example they were treated as givens rather than aids to imagination and action as occurs with schemata. I see design as different from applied science so design schemata for me serve a fundamentally different purpose than does formal theory. Primarily the difference is that design inquiry is focused on action as an outcome rather than description and explanation. At a deep fundamental level, formal theories may be a special case of schemata but at the practical level they are teleologically different—complimentary but different. Design schemata enable intentional design action to take place thus they are fundamental to design practice.
I came to the idea of schemata through Kant (Critique of Pure Reason) but have found other paths (and other concepts such as parti) leading to a growing appreciation for a more intentional approach to the creation and application of schemata in design. This is an ongoing dialogue among colleagues that is slowly revealing some interesting concepts.
Regards
Harold
TheDesignWay.net
AccidentalVagrant.blogspot.com
AdvancedDesignInstitute.blogspot.com/
OrganizationalDesignCompetence.com/
On Aug 12, 2013, at 3:21 PM, Don Norman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 11:37 AM, Harold Nelson
> <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
>> An interesting link between theory and design for me is that theories, at
>> least scientific 'theories', are specialized forms of schema. Schema of all
>> types are seminal to design. I don't believe design is possible without the
>> use of design schema,
>>
>
> Thanks, harold
>
> But i can't resist the opportunity for a citation (especially given the
> origins of this discussion).
>
> Schemas are basically the same as "patterns," first introduced by
> Christopher Alexander for architecture and now widely used in programming.
>
> Moreover, schema theory has a long and rich history in psychology and AI
> (variously called schemas, frames or scripts). So you are correct, and they
> can form -- and have been used -- as a fundamental component of some
> theories.
>
> Note: The word schema is singular, and the plural is either schemas (my
> preference) or schemata (for the purists)
>
> Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. (1977). *A pattern language:
> towns, buildings, construction*. New York: Oxford University Press.
>
> Don
>
> --
> Don Norman
> Nielsen Norman Group, IDEO Fellow
> [log in to unmask] www.jnd.org http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/
> Book: "Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded<http://amzn.to/ZOMyys>"
> (DOET2). Pub date: November 2013
> Course: Udacity On-Line course based on
> DOET2<https://www.udacity.com/course/design101> (free).
> Nov 2013.
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
> Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|