Hi all,

The exchange of thoughts, ideas, expressions and attitudes happening in the
common ground arena is interesting though not many new or unknown facts of
Design are being thrown up in the processes. Looks like the story of design
( Research , Academic  and Practice) is the same all over the world
including India from where , being unable to resist, I am  joining the
discussions.
Many designers, design teachers and design students (I have observed this
all over the world), look down upon research as an activity alien to Design.
Design schools , even today, at the PG or research level make no attempt to
hone the students' " research" skills systematically. Other disciplines have
Research Methodology courses which all research students have to take . A
specific course in Design Research will help nip the confusion regarding "
freedom" " expression" , " truth", " validity", " blind reweaving" "
research reporting" and  wild accusations.  This is for the design community
to formulate. I believe this was the intention of the organizers of the
Common ground conference.

Design as a discipline has been in existence since time immemorial. It is
only now that it is exerting itself and trying to find a place in the
academic  sunshine as an independent body of knowledge. Till such time as it
has its own rules and  its own knowledge base, one has to follow established
norms of creating a knowledge base. The scientific tradition has the most
experience in creating Knowledge bases. The scientific community rules the
academic world. We better follow their strict norms of creating
knowledge.Alternatively  we must formulate norms that stand scrutiny of
other established disciplines. If we do not  there is a danger of the entire
academic community  ( sciences, arts and the social sciences) not allowing
Design to flower as a discipline and force it to remain a "skilled" trade.
They would not like to share the ever dwindling cake with another
"discipline". If we do not have our "design research" heroes, others from
non designer disciplines will gladly take up the leadership !
Design as a discipline, I am afraid is not in existence despite what
Designers would like to think. We have no internationally accepted
definitions of  words used in design, leave alone the most explosive word
"design" itself. Do we have an updated internationally  accepted definition
for design ? Please enlighten me.  We have no nomenclature / lexicon/
dictionary /  that has been scientifically validated and adopted across the
design discipline . We do not have sufficient journals, or media to exchange
Knowledge bases in Design as  compared to other disciplines. Efforts in this
direction are too feeble to make any dent in the professional fields.All
efforts in this regard need to be encouraged without passing judgement.

 I submit that ICSID or DRS should publish an index of definitions, areas,
nomenclature of terms etc for world wide reference.( endorsed by ICSID &
other bodies).  While we are debating  about the word "common ground"   I
wonder if we have much time left for establishing Design as a separate
discipline  of its own - i:e  not belonging to Science, or Arts or
Engineering or the Humanities ( Social Science) but being on its own. Take
for instance the debate currently in India regarding Information Design (
Human computer interaction). Qualified designers working with GUI,
Information architecture, Cognitive Ergonomics  and trained in the "Design"
schools  are increasingly being challenged by software professionals and
others who are claiming to be the decision makers and professionals in the
HCI field.  Due to dearth of PhD's in Design ,  new schools of Design at the
Post graduate and research level are coming up in India which offer the
Design degree by name ( M.Des) as the traditional Design institutes in
India.  These new schools neither have any faculty trained in what we all
call  "Design" nor are they offering any education in Design. PhD's from
other disciplines are increasingly finding large portions of the Design
cheese ( should I say cake?)  very tasty. There is lots of unexplored,
untasted design cake around. What is more  they have started defining
Design ( Industrial, graphic etc) for us !  If we dont define it ourselves
others will do it for us !.   I am sure this story of cornering funds, and
conquering fertile unexplored areas such as in  Design, is happening else
where in academic institutions in the world.  Only we  designers and design
academicians are to blame ( Who stole my cheese ? story comes to my mind !).

I have not attended the common ground conference but three cheers to the
organizers who have attempted to establish a common ground and are patiently
answering  / responding in the best traditions of academic debates and
discussions. At least let us agree that there is no common ground and we
need to urgently establish one or let us list the common ground if at all
there is one.  I am afraid the ground itslef is sliiping away!
I am waiting for the day when designers can boldly state that Design is an
independent discipline in its own right with its own norms, nomenclature and
knowledge base with its vast army of academics, scholars, researchers and
professional practitioners no less than the well established Arts ,
Engineering and Sciences disciplines.

Pradeep Yammiyavar
_______________________________________________________
Dr. Pradeep Yammiyavar
Industrial Designer
Principal Research Scientist- Product Design
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore.  560012. INDIA
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