Thomas,

You speak clearly and well by pointing out that design researchers should be
researching what occurs in practice but not so well in speaking about
carrying basic research into practice. If we simply wait until designers
with some academic background in research carry it into practice we will
have an unnecessarily long wait. All basic researchers and theorists, in
particular, should map out how their findings and theories should be
implemented and evaluated in practice.

Keep going!
Chuck

On 1/3/07 3:09 PM, "Thomas Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> This is funny. Design should be about finding new solutions for different
> kinds of problems.
> 
> How come, then, that we seek THE way of integrating theory and practice?
> 
> As long as we stop trying to pull off practice as research... and realize,
> that we must respect research as much as we want research to respect design...
> then there should be local solutions for local problems.
> 
> In my experience, it is not too difficult to get professionals involved in
> research... or to tell them about the benefits of research. In fact, what
> separates amateurs from professionals is exactly that. The etymology is clear:
> the root of amateur is lover whereas professional goes back to sacred vows of
> religious orders.
> 
> In other words - the amateur has the luxury of referring only to himself.
> Whereas the professional plays by rules that are bigger than herself. Amateurs
> don't listen, because they donøt have to. Professionals listen because wising
> up on the stuff you don't know will help you do the stuff you do know.
> 
> A professional designer i 007 knows her compentences - and she knows where and
> how to get help to develop. Research could be one option.
> 
> There might be two reasons why design research has had little luck in reaching
> practitioners.
> 
> 1)
> If you go to practicing designers and try to sell them protocol or formalized
> methods - they might not be very interested because they already have their
> methods. Maybe we should reconsider practicing designers as the target group
> for design research.
> 
> In stead we could address larger fields. I have conducted investigations into
> the Danish fashion industry - and right now I am investigation the building
> industry's interest in textiles. And the picture is pretty clear: if you go to
> the key players in bigger fields and ask them what they want to know - what
> their strategic and designrelated challenges are... then you see potentials
> for design research.
> 
> This research might not be suited for designers. Maybe anthropology and
> cultural studies address fashion - and maybe architects and ingeneers should
> work with technological textiles and constructions.
> 
> This will benefit design in a multitude of ways. Bringing professional
> researchers into design fields - and into design schools - and have them work
> with design teachers, design students, and design companies etc. creates new
> potential for deisgners. It also teaches students to relate and communicate
> with non-designers. And it creates new information streams.
> 
> It might also lead to joint research projects - including practitiones and
> researchers. And it might even lead to doctoral education for design teachers.
> 
> 2)
> Of course designers should research protocol and generalize methodology. Only
> we should not wonder why practicing designers want nothing of it. In stead we
> should teach it to our students. We should make sure that the next generations
> of designers are taught in such a way that they have the intellectual and
> analytical capacity to extract knowledge from other fields and disciplines.
> 
> If they leave our schools as real academics.... then they will find good jobs
> in design or whereever - and they will use our research in their future work.
> Because they will know that the whole point about research is to find and
> adapt ways of solving problems. Take it from the general and apply it to the
> specific.
> 
> This is also why we need more basic research - and, perhaps, a bit less
> applied and practice based research - in design. We need the basic research
> because it informs the applied and the practice based research. And we need to
> drag more competent theory-people into design... and to make sure that we feed
> them the design knowledge they need in order to hitch their theoretical waggon
> to our star.
> 
> No need to be modest. Design is the future.
> 
> Best,
> 
> thomas
> 
> 
> : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
> Thomas RASMUSSEN
> Head of Research / Danmarks Designskole
> Strandboulevarden 47 / 2100 Copenhagen
> Phone +45 3527 7593 / Mobile +45 2523 1215
> : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :