Dear Parag, Klaus, Johann and list,
In this post I rebut Parag's claim and give epistemological reasons for my argument. I also suggest that some areas of design research can be situated within a constructionist theoretical perspective, which would position some forms of design as valid ways to carry out research.
Parag's post has raised an interesting discussion. Parag wrote: 'The researcher does not interfere with what is being observed since the objective of research is to explain the phenomenon as it is'. Firstly, note that Parag's claim seems to be black and white and includes all research, as there is no clear differentiation.
Such claim entails a well defined epistemological position. If it was possible to draw a continuum with pure objectivism on one side, and subjectivism on the other side, Parag's post situates all research in the objectivist side. This side used to be defended by positivists who claimed that there are pure truths in the world and that the role of the researcher is to uncover them, and that the world can be seen 'as it is'. Researchers working with the scientific method used to make such claims.
However, even the most objective scientists who have a grasp of epistemology now admit that it is impossible to know the world 'as it is'. As Johann mentions, 'the subjectivity of the human being that is the researcher has interfered with the so-called objective reporting of the phenomena'. Moreover, the researcher makes sense of their observations through their own mind and consciousness, and with an unavoidable influence from their cultural background, even in scientific experiments. This means that whatever knowledge the researcher produces, it has been filtered through their mind, and can't be 'the world as it is'. Post-positivism caters for those scientists that still attempt to understand the world as close as possible as it is, but acknowledge that such feat is impossible and that knowledge is produced in their minds.
In social research, which relates to many areas of design, a constructionist approach (or a variation of it) is often used. Constructionism suggests that we construct knowledge from the 'bricks' in the world that we can find. In Social research, such bricks can be interviews, participant observation, artefacts, archives, and any data about the object of study. The construction of knowledge happens in our minds, and thus we can't negate a subjective part. However, it is not only subjective, given that the bricks from which knowledge is constructed are gathered from the 'object' under study, which gives it an objective balance. There are many variations of constructionism. For instance, constructivism would suggest a slightly more subjective approach.
This suggests two points. Firstly, Parag's claim that 'the objective of research is to explain the phenomenon as it is' cannot be maintained as it ignores many areas of research that acknowledge subjective influences.
Secondly, it poses a question. Constructionism suggests that data from the object of study can be gathered, and then digested in our minds in the process of constructing knowledge. Is this too different from a designer gathering data from for example (and not limited to) users, and then synthesising the knowledge acquired into a product? Isn't this a similar construction of knowledge? Such knowledge may not be written in text form, but can be read by other designers and researchers, it can offer potential answers to research questions, and it can pose new questions. It may not be replicable in detail as a scientific experiment would, but that's not the point of constructionism, as long as the knowledge produced and illustrated through the design is replicable 'in principle'.
I am not suggesting that all design is research. I am talking about design research projects that gather data in a systematic way in the search to address a research question, and construct knowledge through the use of design processes. This can be seen as the so called research through/by design process. Constructionism may offer an epistemological backbone to such approach.
Best regards,
edgar rodríguez
edgrrr
industrial designer
lecturer
phd candidate
school of design
victoria university of wellington
po box 600, wellington
aotearoa | new zealand
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