I like this summary (assuming the participants agree with this
characterization) because it points to the different perspectives on
research.
On 6 September 2015 at 04:28, andré neves <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> André Neves question:
> Can machines design?
>
This is the overarching "philosophical" question, framed in conventional
terms. It may irk researchers with deep expertise in specific areas because
of its generality, but it still forms a fundamental query (I think).
>
> Gunnar Swanson question:
> What actions that we assume are only done by human designers can be done
> by machines?
>
This one turns things a bit more towards our understanding of human
cognition. Actions are (presumably) driven by thinking, so for me this
highlights the specific point of having to understand what humans can do in
the absence of machines (assuming, of course, one doesn't think of humans
as just a particular type of machine) as a prerequisite for answering the
broader question.
>
> Terence Love question:
> How can we design automated design systems to design BETTER than humans
> can?
>
This version, it seems to me, focuses on the future rather than the
present. André's and Gunnar's questions are phrased so as to imply a
grounding in "how things currently are," whereas this phrasing of Terry's
question is more about some preferred (future) state. Key here, I think, is
how we define "better."
> Don Norman question:
> How can we build technology so that people plus technology is better than
> either alone?
>
This version seems to speak to the broader social impact of human/tech
symbiosis. Part of this claim is that "people" will be better if we do
this right; not just designers, but everyone.
These are, in my mind, all valuable aspects of design research.
\V/_ /fas
*Prof. Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.*
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/
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