Hello everyone,
Sorry for coming a bit late to this discussion. I see that the concept of specification is treated somewhat broadly here or at least it seems to me that way. I see two different meanings: (a) the design is a specification for production; and (b) the design is a response to user specifications (needs). If I interpret correctly the ideas of the previous speakers, these two situations are different. They refer to different stages of the artifact delivery process (from inception to manufacturing).
I have a different question, related to this discussion and for that purpose I keep the subject line as it is. But if you prefer, we can change the subject line to Programming RE Design or something like this.
What is your opinion about the relative separation of design programming/briefing and design? Should we look towards narrower specialization in those areas which presupposes two allied professions with different knowledge and skills, educational programs, and professional associations? I still emphasize that programming/briefing is related to design. However, it is heavily loaded with research (user research) and research skills are crucial for high quality programing.
I am aware that different design fields have different traditions in this respect. The nature of product development process is different. This might produce significant variations regarding the relationship of programming and design, ranging from the view that programming is design to the opposite position that programming should be delineated as a separate although related and complementary profession. In some design fields, the separation of programming from design leads to "lost in translation" problems. In other fields, the programming phase is loaded heavily with research and despite of the loss in translation, it is better to commission it to interdisciplinary teams or experts with very strong research skills.
Best wishes,
Lubomir
-----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 Klaus Krippendorff
Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2014 7:26 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Specifying something to be made or done
as i suggested,
stefanie
the metaphor of translation is too narrow, at least for me and my experiences. even with your more liberal interpretation of "translation," it always starts from a given, from something that justifies its translation. in engineering, when you are given a design brief that spells out a function, translation that design brief into a specification might well work. i would agree with you if you were to say that designers' ability to listen is important, but i would add, not to what someone says he or she wants, but to the environment in which a design is to be used with novel, unanticipated, and varied benefits to its stakeholders. i guess your emphasis is on the articulations of wants or needs, mine would be on innovations that allow people to move where they may not have thought they could travel.
think about the iphone. had steve jobs ask people what they wanted from a phone and translated their articulated desires into a design, there would not have been much of a change. his contribution was not a translation of what telephone users desired rather a radical reframing of what could be done and it enabled very beneficial uses not imagined before.
klaus
-----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 stefanie di russo
Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2014 6:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Specifying something to be made or done
Hi Klaus,
Thank you for your comment. There are a few points id like to respond to
*but metaphorically including someone's conceptions, during a process of expressing it in another language*
- Is there not an element of this embedded in design practice? Whether the conception comes from a brief, or from human/user centered research, there is a process of obtaining information (conceptions) and translating this into a viable outcome to satisfy the need or problem at hand. These conceptions are often 'translated' and expressed in a visual language
*translator wants to be accurate, omit little or nothing, and would be considered a bad translator if he or she would add something of his or her
own.*
*-*This is perhaps a little too literal for what i am clumsily trying to communicate. A quick definition from Google reflects what i mean:
"the conversion of something from one form or medium into another.
"the translation of research findings into clinical practice"
synonyms:change<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+change&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEAQ_SowAA>
, conversion<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+conversion&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQ_SowAA>
, transformation<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+transformation&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQ_SowAA>
, alteration<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+alteration&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEMQ_SowAA>
, adaptation<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+adaptation&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEQQ_SowAA>
, turning<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+turning&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEUQ_SowAA>
,metamorphosis<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+metamorphosis&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQ_SowAA>
, transmutation<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+transmutation&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEcQ_SowAA>
, transfiguration<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+transfiguration&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEgQ_SowAA>
, rendering<https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=active&biw=1682&bih=892&q=define+rendering&sa=X&ei=VzHPUuboIMq3kgW57YGYBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQ_SowAA>
; "
You also add
"but designers, at least professional designers, need to go beyond merely taking dictations from their clients. in my view, designers need to propose something that their clients could not envisioned on their own and present their work in ways that it is embraced for the opportunities it makes available. if designers were limited to merely translate what they are told, they might well be replaced by an algorithm. designers can justify their profession only if they contribute something extraordinary to the lives of others."
-I dont think designers simply translate information in a way that reflects dictation. My perspective is that in order to design effectively that meets the needs of a user/client, the ability to absorb, interpret, transform and then translate information and insights is integral. This translation exists through different mediums and artefacts in the design process (prototyping, visual representations, sketches, etc). These processes could be argued as acts of translation, no?
-Stefanie
*Stefanie Di Russo*
PhD Student
Faculty of Design
Swinburne University
*twitter:* @stefdirusso <https://twitter.com/#!/stefdirusso>
*linkedin: public
*profile<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/stefanie-di-russo/35/16/a84>
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