There are several models for testing theoretical constructs.
Among them are:
Quantitative
Observational
Observer participant
For the last two, it is helpful to have a predetermined rubric.
It's also important to observe human rights and to go through
an institutional review board if one is going to use quotes or
anything that will identify, even indirectly, the focus group.
It's also important for any participants to be able to contact
the researcher afterwards.
I usually use the quantitative methods although my research
using online participants calls for extra precaution and a different
type of interviewing as participants may desire non-identification
for personal reasons.
Ferris
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Smithers <[log in to unmask]>
To: PHD-DESIGN <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, Dec 17, 2012 12:33 pm
Subject: Re: design theory testing
Dear Jurgen,
Here (attached a PDF) is an article I published on an attempt
to test a theory of designing. I wonder if this counts as an
example of the kind of thing you are looking for?
The bibliographic data are:
Smithers, Tim, 2000. Designing a font to test a theory, in
J S Gero (ed.) Artificial Intelligence in Design ’00, pp
3–22, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Perhaps a few remarks are in order. I was the principle
author of the tested theory. I was motivated to try to test
it after a colleague told me that my theory was untestable,
and so not a theory. After publishing this work, the same
person said that the author of a theory could not properly
test his or her own theory, so my test was invalid. In
contrast, a different design researcher told me that he saw
value in showing how a theory of designing might be tested,
independent of the outcome, and that perhaps I, as the author
of the theory, was best placed to show how this might be done.
This was not intended to be, and not surprisingly didn't turn
out to be a conclusive test of the theory. The main outcome
was to identify some needed refinements.
I'd be interested in any thoughts or comments you have on this
work. And of course those of anybody else who cares to take a
look at this. It does, I think, serve to illustrate that
theory testing is usually not as simple and clean a matter as
verifying logical correctness and showing there to be no
contradictory evidence. Rather it is often questionable,
controversial, and a lot to do with the personalities
involved. As, of course, is all serious human endeavor.
Best regards,
Tim
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On Dec 17, 2012, at 11:59 , Prof. Jurgen Faust wrote:
> Hi All,
>
>
> I was looking into the possibility to find some articles about
'testing of design theory' and I haven't found too many articles.
> As we all know that some of the active participants have written
about the possible nature of design theory and its limits, they may
have as well some suggestions how design theory, which isn't developed
as a pure science of design, which is more developed as a design
science may be tested?
>
> Jurgen
>
>
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