David,
No you are not alone.
If there is anything, (anything at all) we can take with us to work from
the field of Design Research, that improves our work as a designer, then I
totally concur.
The enquiries and analysis of the way in which design problems are tackled
seem sometimes more suited to superior 'Design Brief' development and
substantially better post design event analysis - with a feedback loop in
the form of focus group study.
Maybe the field should be more accurately termed 'Pre and Post' Design
Research, or to coin a lovely phrase 'Research into Briefs'.
(Sorry couldn't resist it)
Glenn Johnson
Industrial Design Manager
Industrial Design Studio, B/E Aerospace Inc.
1455 Fairchild Rd. Winston-Salem NC 27105-4588 USA
Tel. (1) 336 744 3143 Fax. (1) 336 744 6934
http://www.beaerospace.com/
davidsless
<d.sless@COMMUNICAT To: [log in to unmask]
ION.ORG.AU> cc:
Sent by: PhD-Design Subject: Abstractions
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<PHD-DESIGN@JISCMAI
L.AC.UK>
09/26/02 12:58 AM
Please respond to
davidsless
Dear Colleagues
I don't have the time to make long or sustained contributions, but I do try
to read as many of the posts as I can. As the threads after 'common ground'
progressed, I have become increasingly irritated (perhaps an effect of
travelling 12,000 miles from UK to oz, or something I ate). As this is
general irritation, I don't want to single out any individual for special
mention. If the cap fits....
When I made a modest contribution earlier, I said
> in our field of information design there are
> PROVEN ways in which we can improve our ability
> to design, and we have, along with others,
> done research which provides that proof. And we
> continue to do such research.
I had no particular expectations, but I did think that someone might have
honed in on specifics, such as research data, case studies etc. Instead,
the
list seems to have gone off on yet another spiral of opinionated
abstractions involving, among other things, hypothetical fried eggs.
As a designer and, indeed as a researcher, I deal in very concrete things,
whether they are artefacts, methods, or ways of thinking. These are the
objects and tools of my trade. It worries me greatly that the kinds of
debates going on on this list seem to spiral into abstractions rather than
focusing on the concrete aspects of our trade and the apprenticeships we
hope to encourage, as it were.
I'm anxious to grow our field by sharing research and design experience
with
others, particularly the next generation of researchers and designers. But
I
seriously wonder whether the spirals of abstraction help?
Am I alone?
David
--
Professor David Sless
BA MSc FRSA
Co-Chair Information Design Association
Senior Research Fellow Coventry University
Director
Communication Research Institute of Australia
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