Design Scholars Research Articles

Situated Computations: Bridging Craft and Computation in the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival

Hand crafts, and the people who practice them, are typically seen as opposite to digital technologies. This paper challenges this split, and proposes eight principles for developing computational design tools that facilitate productive interactions across hand crafts and computational media. I derive these principles from my ethnographic and design studies of the wire-bending craft, which has been practiced in the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival since the 1930s, as well as from my development of an experimental digital design tool to build 3-D lines in space, informed by these studies. The tool, which enables users to generate linear designs and fabricate them using linear materials such as wire, is presented as an instrument to codify, reflect upon, and extend the Trinidadian wire-bending tradition. This paper acknowledges the Trinidad Carnival as a contested design space, political arena, and creative outlet through which individuals and communities express their imagination, innovation, and craftsmanship. Building on scholarship in computational design, science and technology studies (STS), and human-computer interaction (HCI), the paper delineates ‘Situated Computations’ as an approach to computational design tool-making that grounds these technologies in the social world by acknowledging the historical, cultural, and material contexts of designing and making.

Designing policy for the long term: agency, policy feedback and policy change

Policy feedback research faces a potential pivot point owing to recent theoretical and substantive advances. Concerted attention now spans new scientific communities, such as climate focused socio-technical transitions literature, as well as reinvigorated attention to environmental politics or policy. Rather than being interested in abstractly explaining policy stability and change, this latest turn turns feedback theory in order to help find practical answers to long-term policy challenges. This introduction to our special issue of Policy Sciences aims to take stock of recent developments in policy feedback research and highlight some areas that could be addressed to move the field forward. We argue for taking seriously the original dictum of policy feedback as a loop in which policy is treated as both the start and end point of analysis. This requires integrating advances in policy design scholarship through shared conceptualizations of ‘policy,’ ‘actors’ and ‘agency’. Doing so, we posit, will champion more comprehensive understandings of the effectiveness of policy design choices in general, and long-term oriented policy change in particular.

Apparel Design Scholarship Practices: Analysis of ITAA Professionals’ Design Abstract Proceedings From 1999 to 2017

We explored the topical trends of the International Textile and Apparel Association professionals’ Design Abstract Proceedings (DAP) and how apparel design scholarship has been cited in the discipline for the past two decades. Using a content analysis, three research objectives were as follows: to examine (a) designer-identified keywords trends of the DAP, (b) to examine DAP directly cited in scholarly works, and (c) to examine DAP not directly cited but related to designers’ scholarship. Six overarching themes (inspirational references, apparel design, technology, sustainability practices, textiles, and nonapparel) were identified through the keywords analysis and used for further analyses. We found that design scholars were not used to cite other relevant scholarly works or their own works in their scholarly design work. The study findings provide an awareness for the strong need to establish citation practices for design scholars, which will add to the body of knowledge in clothing and textiles and increase the impact of design scholarship beyond the discipline.

Apparel and Textile Design Scholarship: Shared Knowledge, Dissemination, and Evaluation

Apparel and textile (AT) design scholarship can be classified in diverse ways. As a professional organization, International Textile and Apparel Association is in a unique position to lead in identifying what constitutes contributions to research in the field. Defining, presenting, and evaluating design production as scholarship is critical, especially as the broader design disciplines become more rigorous and academic institutions become more focused on evaluation metrics. Our purpose was to examine AT design scholarship through the lens of three critical components of research: shared knowledge, dissemination, and evaluation. These three components of research should be points of reference for AT design scholarship in moving forward to establish a unified vision of research that focuses on designed objects as valuable forms of scholarship. Additional work is necessary to identify core values that represent AT design knowledge, disseminate in formats that facilitate contributions to research, and measure the impact of design scholarship.

Policy formulation redesigned: A new understanding of policy design and its implications for instruction

Despite the fact that our knowledge on how policies are designed has substantially improved during the last two decades, prescriptive literature on policy formulation remains largely disconnected from these new findings. The article examines five major assumptions upon which policy formulation is still predominantly based: (a) there is one way policies are and should be formulated; (b) effective formulation of policies is more about the right application of methods than of the substance of a policy domain; (c) policy formulation is about choosing from mutually exclusive alternatives; (d) problem definition has priority over problem solution; (e) there is a clear distinction between policy formulation, adoption and implementation. This article shows why these assumptions are outdated and that they lead to many practical problems in the teaching of policy analysis. It is argued that policy formulation guidelines and training in policy formulation should be based on current policy design scholarship that stresses, for instance, the importance of local knowledge, deep understanding of actors’ perspectives and the need to formulate policy packages. The article concludes with preliminary recommendations on how to move forward, illustrated with concrete examples from practice.

Deconstructing Community-Based Collaborative Design

Participatory Design (PD) is envisioned as an approach to democratizing innovation in the design process by shifting the power dynamics between researcher and participant. Recent scholarship in HCI and design has analyzed the ways collaborative design engagements, such as PD situated in the design workshop can amplify voices and empower underserved populations. Yet, we argue that PD as instantiated in the design workshop is very much an affluent and privileged activity that often neglects the challenges associated with envisioning equitable design solutions among underserved populations. Based on two series of community-based PD workshops with underserved populations in the U.S., we highlight key areas of tension and considerations for a more equitable PD approach: historical context of the research environment, community access, perceptions of materials and activities, and unintentional harm in collecting full accounts of personal narratives. By reflecting on these tensions as a call-to-action, we hope to deconstruct the privilege of the PD workshop within HCI and re-center the focus of design on individuals who are historically underserved.

Unequal Ideas: Reflections on Designing Politics, an Urban Ideas Competition in Rio de Janeiro

This article initiates a discussion about the unequal geography of the labor that challenges institutions and processes of public scholarship in design. The comparison between the urban competitions in New York, London, and Rio de Janeiro demonstrates that it was only in the Global South that challenges to the technology of the competition were raised. These challenges were based on issues of power imbalances between institutions both within and between the Global North and Global South, and around questions of the social inequalities embedded in the structures of the competition itself (the submissions, the jury, the exhibition). Through this analysis, the article suggests that the burden of labor for decolonizing rests on those already oppressed by systems embedded in the continuous presence of colonialism.

Beyond Student as User: Rhetoric, Multimodality, and User-Centered Design

Abstract User-centered design (UCD) as a concept has begun to enter composition studies, particularly through scholar-teachers of technical communication. We question further incorporation—specifically, the collision course of industry-driven language such as “efficiency” and “expediency” and the potential positioning of students as “users” in the composition classroom. We argue that this positioning places us in unproductive opposition to multimodal composition. Rather than a wholesale incorporation of UCD into the composition classroom, we outline a “theory + play” approach that combines scholarship in rhetoric, speculative design, and multimodal composition. This approach, we argue, better aligns with the political and social investments of Johnson’s (1998) theory of user-centered technology, in which our students are critical makers and engaged citizens in the public sphere.

Design Objects and the Museum

Design Objects and the Museum, edited by Liz Farrelly and Joanna Weddell, is an anthology of essays considering the ways in which design has been displayed, interpreted and institutionally collected, both historically and in contemporary times, and particularly in comparison to displays and collections of art. As Jonathan Woodham points out in the preface, the field of design scholarship is relatively new, and this is the first book to consider the relationship between design objects and the museum in a scholarly context. Its contribution to the field is limited, however, by the many and varied approaches, perspectives, definitions and areas of focus the authors present. In the introduction, Farrelly and Weddell refer to ‘tensions around the definition of design’ (p. xx), and these tensions are manifest throughout the book. ‘Design’ within the essays most often refers to consumer objects, but some essays touch on digital design, critical design, Design Art and even objects of material culture. A wide range of approaches to design within an anthology like this is acceptable, even welcome; but with so many authors disagreeing over the definition, the essays lacked any common ground from which to present points of comparison. This confusion is augmented by the looseness with which the authors address the idea of ‘museums’: chapters discuss actual institutions, as well as government exhibitions, airports, private foundations, world’s fairs and events such as the Olympics. I wish at least one of the variables had been kept constant.

A laboratory for design-directed research. Building design scholarship and academic possibility through designing

<p>Designing is an experimental practice. Eschewing traditional concepts of designing as simply solving problems, and ideas of research as a positivist pursuit of truth, Landscope DesignLab embraces an expansive perspective of design-directed research. Using the tools of questioning, collaborating, designing, grounding and communicating, the DesignLab explores the terrains of possibility. Working within an inter-disciplinary milieu fosters strong connections, and seizes the generative possibilities of problems, questions, absences, and data. </p>

Whose mammogram is this anyway? Perspectives on technology, breast health and mammography

ABSTRACTThere is an increasing demand to ensure that emerging health technologies are patient-centred. Yet, understanding what constitutes patient-centredness can be a complex task, particularly in relation to screening technologies, where lack of patient-centred design can result in decreased compliance with screening recommendations. This holds true for breast cancer screening, where nearly 80% of women do not comply with screening mammography recommendations. To support patient-centred design of breast screening systems, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who could provide diverse perspectives on breast screening, including mammographers, breast cancer survivors, and self-identified mammography avoiders. Interviews explored opinions and attitudes surrounding current screening technology and systems, and ways in which screening might be conducted in the future. Using an inductive, constructivist approach, we identified several themes that should be considered when designing breast screening technology and systems. Concerns regarding the current processes and needs for support in relation to self-advocacy were revealed. Interest in improved technology was wide-spread, but feelings of inadequacy limited acceptance of self-screening designs. This study showcased the opportunities for design scholarship to improve the breast cancer screening process and, potentially enhance the patient–provider relationship.

Making and its promises

A fundamental goal of Participatory Design (PD) scholarship has long been the democratisation of technology production. To democratise technology production in PD is a political project, driven in part by the desire to protect and create democratic societies by virtue of opening up computing and design. Recently, DIY (do it yourself) making has come to be seen by PD scholars as rejuvenating such ideals at the heart of their project. Beyond just PD, the idea that making is an ideal avenue to implement societal and political change has been endorsed by a variety of actors from politicians, corporates and activists, across regions. In this paper, we draw from long-term ethnographic research in China and Indonesia to show how making’s global appeal does not arise from its supposedly inherent logic of democratisation. Rather, work goes into aligning making with particular political ideals. We found that the political projects and promises people attached to making were highly situated. We propose that by recognising this multitude of promises attached to making we can better understand opportunities for intervention, rather than assume that making will by virtue of its commitment to open-ness and participation inherently lead to a more democratic and participatory society.

Design Pedagogy for an Unknown Future: A View from the Expanding Field of Design Scholarship and Professional Practice

AbstractThis article draws on current research investigating the notion of design for an unknown future. It reflects on recent thinking about the role of creativity in design practice and discusses implications for the development and assessment of creativity in the design studio. It begins with a review of literature on the issues and challenges associated with the assessment of creativity in design education. It then discusses and distinguishes three significant assessment models in design and creative arts education and emphasises the importance of opening debate on notions of creativity within the discipline. Following this, the article examines recent developments in the way that creativity is being practised, driven, fostered and implemented in contemporary design practice, and argues that these recent developments must feature in current scholarship about the development and assessment of creativity in design education. The article recommends areas for future research that pay close attention to developments in the rapidly expanding field of design practice.

Comparing Tenure and Promotion Policies on Creative Scholarship in Textile and Apparel Design: Public versus Private Institutions of Higher Education in the United States

Comparing Tenure and Promotion Policies on Creative Scholarship in Textile and Apparel Design: Public versus Private Institutions of Higher Education in the United States

Identification of Academic Value for Interior Design Scholarship: A Survey of Journal Ranking

Identification of Academic Value for Interior Design Scholarship: A Survey of Journal Ranking

Design + Culture: Charting New Directions for Interior Design Scholarship and Pedagogy

Design + Culture: Charting New Directions for Interior Design Scholarship and Pedagogy

The Roles of Technical Communication Researchers in Design Scholarship

Design has come to be understood as an essential aspect of the work that technical communicators claim. As a result, research in the field of technical communication has approached studies of design in numerous ways. This article showcases how technical communication researchers assume the roles of observers, testers, critics, creators, and consultants in their handling of design artifacts. Such a model regarding these roles may help us to better understand the design relationships researchers presume as they further knowledge of design within our field. This article offers a framework to leverage into a comprehensive and integrated model for explaining our work on design to others outside of technical communication.

The Placeness of Sex Trafficking—Instilling Consciousness through Minnesota's Experience

Collaboration has long been lauded as an effective means of bringing about change. In the case of sex trafficking, one of the greatest social ills of our time, collaborations with designers can shed light on the ways that sex trafficking remains hidden from public consciousness thereby allowing it to proliferate. By joining forces with others working to end trafficking in Minnesota, we explore the types of places implicated in sex trafficking and the potential role of design solutions, adding new dimensions to dialogues that call for an end to modern–is a call to action. In these efforts, we immerse interior design scholarship, pedagogies, and practice in the placeness of trafficking. “Placeness” connotes the state of being tied to a place, a physical space with material and social/behavioral qualities. We use a Multi–Disciplinary, Multi–Sectoral, Collaborative Engagement approach to unravel the mysteries surrounding the placeness of sex trafficking. This required a synthesis of interdisciplinary knowledge and collaboration with other university units, as well as close work with local institutions, organizations, and community members. Our team visited places identified by our collaborators that allowed us to experience them firsthand and begin to narrow down the design parameters that might make these specific spaces amenable to trafficking. Findings point to sex trafficking of women and girls in Minnesota happening everywhere around us: from cyberspace to hotel rooms and bathrooms in transit spaces, from public to private places, from the obvious to the unexpected. Design parameters we identified as conducive to trafficking or not, include space planning, color choices, and code regulations. Attention to design opportunities that emerge through collaborative energies can build consciousness and position design as a medium for social justice.

Becoming More Reflective about the Role of Design in Communication

Robert Craig's constitutive meta-model of communication reminds us that while communication scholarship may feel like discovery of communication's natural properties, it is also often (if not always) on a path to invention of new possibilities and reconstitution. The constitutive meta-model suggests that every theory of communication is also a design language for communication, and that design itself may be a path to theory development. Design inquiry can be conducted in all subdisciplines of communication, incorporating and contributing to widely disparate communication theories. Design work itself takes many forms, producing artifacts as diverse as individual messages, persuasive campaigns, interaction protocols, large-scale participation frameworks for public decision-making, and more. This special issue explores design scholarship in the field of communication, with five original essays representing different subfields and different theoretical approaches. In this introduction, we argue that design work is more than application of theory; design itself is a theory-building enterprise. It is a distinct form of inquiry that builds new knowledge, complementary to, but different in kind from, empirical and critical scholarship.

Transforming International Institutions: Renewal and Global Institutional Change

By highlighting the role of tipping points and coalitional politics in institutional change, this paper analyzes when and how institutional actors respond to under-performance and dysfunction in international institutions. I explore the impact of distributive considerations, as well as the interaction between exogenous and endogenous factors in determining patterns of cooperation and equilibrium change. An assessment of the timing and shape of transformations can enrich our understanding of obstacles to change. The paper draws extensively on historical institutionalist, rational design, negotiation analytic, and institutional economics scholarship. To assess the plausibility of this framework, I compare and contrast efforts to reform the United Nations environmental regime from 1972-1992. I focus on the principal drivers of, and hindrances to, change at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the 1982 United Nations Environment Programme Session of a Special Character, the United Nations General Assembly’s response to the institutional reform recommendations of the World Commission on Environment and Development, and the institutional changes that followed the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.