Synthesizing Knowledge in Design Research

Abstract

This chapter discusses knowledge synthesis in Design Research, bringing together the perspectives of experimental Design Research, or Research in Design Context that is treated extensively elsewhere in this book, with Design Inclusive Research as well as Practice-Based Design Research. Specific attention is paid to the question of how practice-based or problem-driven Design Research processes can be rigorous and yield contributions to knowledge. The main argument in this chapter is that a key to knowledge synthesis and scientific contribution is setting explicit design propositions that are instantiated within design artefacts and evaluated rigorously. This chapter starts with a discussion of knowledge creation and synthesis within Design Research. Following this, the chapter moves on to focus on setting a methodological framework for deriving design propositions. Lastly, this chapter elaborates on empirical aspects of evaluation of design artefacts and propositions and the associated knowledge claims.