Design Research Practice Research Articles

Design Practice Research: Conditions and Outcomes

There is no agreed framework for classifying what is, and is not, design practice research. This is a problem at a time when funders are interested in supporting practice research in the university context and look at design research as an example. This article addresses this challenge. Based on the key themes identified from a literature review—situated understanding, networked knowledge production, community of validation, and the knowledge status of objects produced through designing—we propose two frameworks. Collectively, the classificatory framework (specifying conditions) and the analytical framework (identifying outcomes) distinguish practice research in design from just practice on the one hand, and just research on the other. While allowing for historical and contextual variation, the approach offers a way of classifying practice research in design that is supported by practice researchers and that funders understand, without having to insist that there is something “ineffable” or ultimately inexpressible about practice research.

Towards resilient communities through prototypes for human-centered public spaces

MARCELLA DEL SIGNORE Architect, urbanist, educator, scholar, and the principal of X-Topia, a design-research practice that explores the intersection of architecture and urbanism with technology and the public, social, cultural, and cognitive realm. She has been involved in evidence-based research and applied-design projects investigating the intersection of architecture, urbanism,emerging technology, livability, and emotional/cognitive spaces. She is an Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Architecture, Urban Design at New York Institute of Technology. Since 2007, she has taught Architecture and Urban Design in international institutions of higher education in the USA and Europe, and in 2019 she received the NYIT Presidential Award for the integration of Technology and in 2023 the Outstanding Faculty Research Award. She has published five books on urbanism, human-centered design, and emerging technologies, including Urban Machines: Public Space in a Digital Culture (LISTLab, 2018; OROEditions 2020) and "Data, Matter, and Design" (Routledge, 2020). She co-curated the Data and Matter exhibition during the 2018 Architecture Venice Biennale. She was invited to exhibit at the 17th Architecture Venice Biennale in 2021 in the Italian Pavilion Resilient Communities, and she was the deputy curator of the NYIT Students as Researchers Collateral Event at the 18th Architecture Venice Biennale in 2023.

Bridging the research-practice gap: understanding the knowledge exchange between design research and social design practices

Design academics struggle in effectively reaching out to design practice, while design practitioners have difficulties in appropriating academic output. In their turn, design practitioners create new local knowledge that may not be recognised (as such) by design academics. This situation is seen as suboptimal and problematised as the research-practice gap. This paper addresses how knowledge exchange between design research and practice can be understood and improved. We therefore introduce and investigate a social co-design case study which bridged the gap between research and practice and which shows how knowledge development within academia, professional design practice, and non-professional design practice are interwoven. We analyse the case through an alternative template analysis incorporating four perspectives on ‘the gap’: abstraction, communication, alignment of knowledge needs, supporting local knowledge production. We compare and interrelate these four perspectives. This refines our theoretical understanding of the research-practice gap and provides implications and actionable insights about practitioner-centred knowledge production for design academics who want to contribute to design practice.

Editorial

Welcome to the first edition of the LINK Praxis Practice-led Design Research and Global South Journal. Established as an open-access academic journal, LINK Praxis aims to foster critical and innovative thought on practice-led design research practices emanating from the Global South. By bridging practice with academic integrity, we are committed to publishing high-quality, peerreviewed work centred on novelty, soundness, impact, and ethics. In our inaugural issue, we present ten articles that highlight the significance of practice as both an inquiry mode and a result of scholarly research, positioned from Aotearoa New Zealand. This edition celebrates a diverse range of contributors: eight Māori, one Pasifika, and two South American researchers who have collaborated closely with Māori counterparts. Journeying through this volume, readers are invited to engage with the multifaceted layers of Indigenous thought — from the realms of filmmaking and photography to the art of storytelling and performance. Each narrative provides a perspective into Global South’s and the use of creative practice as a methodological approach to scholarly research. The issue serves as an homage to the trailblazers – those who, through innovation and critical thinking, are reshaping the contours of design research with relationships with indigenous knowledge. We invite you to embrace the inevitable metamorphoses, challenges, and prospects that lie on the horizon, working to mould a design future that harmonises ancestral sagacity with design practice.

Engagement by Design Cards: A tool to involve designers and non-experts in the design of crowdsourcing initiatives

In today’s world, crowdsourcing initiatives have gained wide adoption. However, in crowdsourcing initiatives, sporadic use alone is not enough for the application to be successful, achieve its results, and have a critical mass of information. Users need to be actively engaged. Users’ engagement (UE) behavior refers to continuous interaction with a solution after adoption. Failing to engage users can have detrimental effects on the overall solution. To address this, we have created an 18-card deck offering designers domain-specific insights on boosting user engagement in crowdsourcing initiatives. We utilized the cards in ten collaborative online design workshops to provide participants with valuable information. We reflected on the workshop’s perceptions and the use of the cards. The findings derived from these workshops were then discussed, emphasizing their contribution to advancing design research and design practices in crowdsourcing initiatives, particularly in the context of user engagement at design time.

Constructing a Reconstructed Philosophy: A Deweyan Philosophy-Through-Design

Abstract This article works outward from John Dewey's proposals in the 1920s for a reconstruction in philosophy and considers this proposal in direct relation to recent advancements in design research practice. First, it explores the current level of design philosophy engagement and looks to Dewey's original reconstruction-in-philosophy proposals. Second, it examines the potential of positioning the methodological approach of research through design as a means by which a new design philosophy horizon may be traced. What is required, we propose, is the emergence of “designer philosophers”—those who design in relation to and with respect for philosophy.

Computational empowerment of children: Design research on empowering and impactful designs by children

Prioritizing children’s empowerment in and through design has been on the agenda of child–computer interaction (CCI) research for a long time. Recently, the notion of the computational empowerment of children has received attention. However, there are still open issues in our understanding and advocacy of it. A related development is the recent interest in the longer-term impacts of our work. Fast and furious participation of children in design sessions is considered inadequate. We should advocate for longer-term trajectories and possibilities for children to make changes that will influence our world. However, the literature is limited in addressing longer-term impacts. This study taps into these two research gaps and showcases how we have addressed the computational empowerment of children in a project tackling bullying at school through critical design and making. In this paper, we examine in detail the children’s designs and their trajectories from the viewpoint of empowerment and impact: whether and how these children’s designs show potential for the empowerment of those bullied and whether and how their designs have had an impact in the realm of digital technology development. Our study has interesting conceptual and methodological implications for CCI research and practice on the computational empowerment of children and on our design research practice.

Rethinking greening the building façade under extreme climate: Attributes consideration for typo-morphological green envelope retrofit

• There is a need for a systematic approach to greening the built habitat. • Concepts co-relating health and green infrastructure are included in the framework. • We developed a systemic dimensional thinking for green-health-wellbeing in community. • The criteria comprise within the environment-social factors. • The systemic framework can be used for urban planning and assessment. Overpopulated cities have practiced trading available land for the necessary livelihood resources, depleting accessible green assets in the densely developed urban habitat. Facing climate change as a risk multiplier, cities must reckon for alternative mitigation strategies. This study ascertains that green has proven to increase one's psychological well-being, it is also one of the most important factors to intercede the effects of air pollution and temperature. For communities necessitating viable green resources, the addition of vertical greening retrofit on building façade can satisfy the need as an intermediary media to engage meaningful interaction with the urban green-scape. Thus, proper urban planning must re-think how to incorporate these measures for public health consideration. The assessment of these criteria is important to accomplish the planning of vertical green to enhance the residents’ well-being state. A central focus is placed on the benefits to health and wellbeing and the increase in physical activity and social interaction at the neighborhood scale. This article presents the systemic analysis to vertical green-scape attainment in central Taipei, allowing the locality and place to be incorporated into the exploration framework. The case studies presented in this paper focuses on analytical exploration of vertical green-scape attainment framework with the sub-tropic Taipei in mind. The attributes assessment framework is established; the research concludes that: (1) in line with human-nature connection and raising its priority level within both design research and design practice should consider the environmental, social, economic and spatial criteria for the design thinking exploration; (2) the analysis confirmed that desired green-scape could be attained either indoor or outdoor, with tissue, support, and infill attributes as a probable solution suited for the locality; (3) integration with urban context is highly capable in encouraging the social well-being for the urban system.

Designing for local policy: exploring preferable futures in the UK

The appetite for design in local government saw a rise in the late 2000s with the global financial crisis and the resulting economic austerity that required local government services to innovate. This appetite has been exacerbated by the awakening to the global climate emergency and inclusion of action plans to reduce carbon emissions at a local scale; and of course, the global health crisis caused by Covid-19. Local governments are responsible for responding to these unprecedented challenges ensuring continued and equitable access to public services for residents. Yet, design for local public policy is a nascent field of practice. This paper presents an approach to design for local policy characterized by “world-building preferable futures through Critical Service Design” which proposes a novel approach to participatory place-based local policymaking. This design-led methodology has been developed through theory and practice, informed by critical reflection on the successes and shortcomings of collaborative design practice research with public servants in England and developed iteratively at Service Futures Lab, as part of the postgraduate service design curriculum at London College of Communication. The paper aims to contribute to a growing a body of academic literature on design for local governance, supporting collaboration between design education and local government and the development of dedicated training programmes on design for policy.

Architectural design research: Drivers of practice

Research, professional practice, and learning in architecture are becoming increasingly integrated as the understanding of research and practice is transforming and research assessment criteria are expanding. This changing research landscape has created more diverse iterative and cyclical design research processes and opened new areas of exploration and experimentation in architecture. Building on existing tripartite design research models, such as research ‘into’, ‘for’, and ‘through’ or research stages of ‘processes’, ‘products/outcome’, and ‘performance/impact’, this paper uses the concepts of ‘process-driven’, ‘output-driven’, and ‘impact’ to analyse and classify current architectural design research practices. This framework is used to clarify how research criteria are differently understood in academia and practice, explore the challenges arising from translation between them, and analyse the methods commonly used. While focusing on the UK context, the paper offers transferable insights while using some international case studies.

Cloth face mask fit and function for children part one: design exploration

Commercially available children’s cloth masks range widely in material type and fabric structures, methods of construction, layering, and shape, and there is a lack of sizing systems, anthropometric data or guidelines specifically targeting the fit assessment and design of cloth face masks for children 4-6 years old. To better identify and understand the cloth face mask fit and functional needs of children ages 4-6 years old, the researchers embarked on interdisciplinary in-depth study to investigate commercial market offerings of children’s face masks, identify consumer perspectives, and explore mask design improvements through design research. By triangulating results from survey feedback, commercial market content analysis, and wear trial observations, the researchers were able to identify important design criteria that can be used in the improvement of children’s cloth face mask design: size, comfort, dexterity, movement, and thermal comfort. These criteria were used to iteratively develop new mask prototypes involving a 3D printed head form, traditional sewing and hand patternmaking skills, and the creation of multiple mask versions to explore the design criteria listed above. The designs were interpreted through Bye’s (2010) Problem-Based Design Research (PBDR) framework, which identifies common design research practices in the field on a spectrum and situates PBDR as a process centered on a problem as impetus for design through which artifacts are developed.

Cracks in the Success Narrative: Rethinking Failure in Design Research through a Retrospective Trioethnography

What can design researchers learn from our own and each other's failures? We explore “failure” expansively—turning away from tidy success narratives toward messy unfoldings and reflexive discomfort—through retrospective trioethnography. Our findings reflect on failures we identified in six past design research projects: issues of relational labor of deployment, mismatched designer/participant imaginaries, burden of participation, and invisibility of researcher labor. Our discussion contributes to broader reflections on shifting design research practice: (a) methodological considerations inviting others to engage failures through retrospective trioethnography, (b) letting go as a mode of research care, (c) possibilities for more candid research reporting, and (d) how centering failure may contribute to design justice by providing a technique for attending to harm and healing in design research practices. Throughout, we call for challenging success narratives in design research, and underscore the need for systemic changes in design research practice.

Prioritising Storage Practices: A New Approach to Housing Design Thinking

Inhabitants of UK housing have more possessions than ever, whilst space for living in standardised houses is at a premium. The acquisition of material possessions, and how it affects both space and inhabitants’ wellbeing, has not previously been considered in architectural practice or housing policy research fields. This paper addresses this gap, by exploring how practising architects design for the storage of material possessions in housing. For the first time, it places storage practices at the centre of housing design thinking, by engaging practising architects in a design intervention to explore original design solutions that support inhabitants’ lives and lifestyles, and therefore their wellbeing. The study uses a new storage-focused conceptual design framework to seek design knowledge, to better understand how storage practices could be considered when designing. The findings have implications for design practice research, providing an account of how architects consider storage in housing design, drawing on novel design intervention methods.

Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap

Many of the choices that designers and engineers make during a design process impact not only the functionality, usability, or aesthetics of a technology, but also impact the values that might be supported or undermined via the technology design. Designers can actively design for values, and this awareness has led to the development of various ‘ethics by design' approaches. One such approach is capability sensitive design (CSD). Thus far, CSD is only developed from a theoretical-ethical point of view. This article aims to bridge the theory-practice gap by entering into dialogue with various design-experts on ethics by design in general and CSD in particular. An empirical study, consisting of thematic interviews with nine design-experts, was conducted in order to explore design-experts' experiences with designing for values, what they regard as the strengths and weaknesses of CSD, and if CSD could be of practical use to their design (research) practice.

TAKING NOTE: Annotated Portfolio as a Method to Analyse the Experience of Design Research Practice

This paper builds on traditional portfolio annotation to aid the design researcher to capture and interpret practice-based research through design. Going beyond an object to understand the researcher’s observing, designing and making experiences the method spans systems, processes and materials. The approach is discussed through a short literature review followed by a case study which uses traditional field research methods such as conversation and note-taking, as well as placing a particular emphasis on photography. Using a zoomed in photographic technique, this generates the ‘portfolio of images’ ready for annotation. Drawing on Kolb’s experiential learning theory, accentuating reflection and abstraction in the research process, this adapted annotated portfolio method crosses three progressive stages; Reflective, Thematic and Holistic. This involves the capturing and organising of complex data in a visual way that broadens and deepens insights and facilitates peer communication. This provides an approach to enable researchers to bridge the gap between academic research and design practice. It is hoped that the method proposed in this paper not only aids the abstraction through to creation of new knowledge for the design researcher but could also have relevance to other disciplines.

ON THE HIERARCHICAL LEVELS OF DESIGN KNOWLEDGE

AbstractHierarchies of knowledge represent a popular formalism for conceptualizing beliefs, justifications, and truth statements. To capitalize on the opportunity for formulating effective maps of design knowledge, this article introduces the hierarchical context–design development–high-level (CDH) model that stratifies different bodies of design-specific knowledge into ranked levels. We compare it with existing hierarchical models of knowledge, and describe its unique uses and benefits for both design research and design practice.

Dynamic Cutting Using Material Engagement with Textiles in Pattern Cutting for Fashion Design Practice

Material engagement in fashion and textile design practice using pattern cutting is an overlooked aspect of creative development in the design of garments. This creative practice research is based in my artisanal practice of fashion and textile design, which involves designing and making garments through all stages of development by hand. Material engagement describes the relationship between materials and their handling by practitioners. This complex relationship connects the intentions of the practitioner and their embodied interactions with what materials afford through their handling. Research in the practice of creative pattern cutting is concerned with identifying how creativity occurs through pattern cutting. However, the criticality of material engagement in the pattern cutting process has been minimally expanded upon by fashion designers. In my research, I have identified that material engagement is foregrounded through questioning the conventional notion of the pattern as a plan or template. In this article, I suggest how theories that critique the classical separation of form and material can support this foregrounding of material engagement in garment cutting. Dynamic Cutting is a new method of experimental cutting for fashion and textile design which emphasizes designing the surface and form of the garment at the same time. Dynamic Cutting evidences that textiles are an integral part of cut-led garment design and designer accounts can evidence the variety in approaches using materials when cutting. This research applies a creative practice research methodology which combines design practice research, critical design and reflective practice perspectives. This methodology serves to surface tacit understandings of materials and how material engagement and material affordances are integral to dynamic form creation processes when cutting garments.

Landscape Lifecycles as a Speculative Design Research Practice for Transforming Waste Conditions

Landscape Lifecycles as a Speculative Design Research Practice for Transforming Waste Conditions

Mobile Mental Health Technologies: Unique Challenges and Solutions for an effective User Centered Design Methodology

Mobile technologies are rapidly becoming a tool for collaborative health care and increasing access to health information and treatment. Mental health is one area of healthcare that may be particularly suited to mobile health technologies because of barriers including insufficient numbers of providers and access concerns such as lack of insurance coverage. Previous research has found that many people are interested in utilizing mobile health technologies for mental health (Shand, Ridani, Tighe, & Christensen, 2013; McManama, LeCloux, Ross, Gironda, & Wharff, 2017; Pauwels et al., 2017). Many mental health applications currently available have been found to be unengaging, difficult to use, and some may even be detrimental to the user (Aguirre, McCoy, & Roan, 2013; Larsen, Nicholas, and Christensen, 2016). Research has also shown that traditional usability standards and guidelines for design do not apply to persons with mental health concerns (Rotondi, et al., 2007). The most effective way to develop mobile applications for mental health that are both effective and user friendly is to take a user centered design approach incorporating those with mental health issues into the design process. One barrier to this has been the perception that those with mental health concerns are incapable of participating in research or that it may be harmful for them to do so. More recent research has shown that not only is it possible for those with even severe mental health issues to participate in research, but that it can be beneficial to those participants (Gibson, Boden, Benson, & Brand, 2014; Hutchinson, Wilson, & Wilson 1994, Biddle, et al., 2013). Involving individuals with mental health concerns in application development has become increasingly prevalent and important, thus making it appropriate to consider, the special needs of the population and the potential adaptations that may need to be made to traditional research protocols and user centered design methods. Population While the population of those with mental health concerns is as diverse as the general population at large, certain characteristics are over-represented in the population of those with mental health concerns. These can include a lower than average amount of education, lower socio-economic status, and diminished cognitive functioning (Yu and Williams, 1999; Vick, Jones, & Mitra, 2012, Rock, Rosier, Riedel, & Blackwell, 2014). These characteristics can impact participation in usability research in several ways that necessitate adaptations to commonly used design methods and research practices. Additionally, due to the high levels of stigma and increased needs for privacy present with this population further considerations are warranted. Methods Recommended adaptations include both adaptations to the overall research protocol as well as those pertaining to specific methods. One example of an adaptation to the overall research protocol is a reduced expectation for duration and frequency of participation because of decreased frustration tolerance related to mental health concerns (Ellis, Vanderlind, & Beevers 2013). Another example would be adjustments to the consent process such as ongoing assessment of ability to consent (Tee & Lathlean, 2004) due to changes in intensity of mental health symptomology. Other general considerations include use of collaborative and culturally sensitive language (Kelly, Wakeman, & Saitz, 2015; Granello & Gibbs, 2016; Bonevski, et al. 2014), avoiding the use of content that may be insensitive or may unnecessarily exacerbate symptoms, (Bonevski, et al., 2014), and paying attention to the layout and content of study materials so as to meet the need of those who are experiencing cognitive difficulties resulting from their mental health symptoms (Friedman and Bryen, 2007; Rotondi, et al., 2013, and Rotondi, et al., 2007). An example of an adaptation more specific to method would be considering one on one interview instead of a focus group due to increased privacy concerns and potential for anxiety related to disclosing in groups. Conclusion Taking into consideration the unique needs of the population of those with mental health concerns will allow for the design of applications that better serve them. This will improve the utility, accessibility, and propagation of such applications and has the potential to both improve existing services and to expand access. Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge Capstone Behavioral Healthcare for their ongoing support of usability research with those with mental health concerns.

Toward Donut‐Centered Design: A Design Research Toolkit for the 21st Century

The social and ecological challenges of the 21st century require a design research process that contributes to viable economic solutions. This paper proposes donut centered design as a hybrid of service design and ecological design that works within the donut economic model. It describes how private and public sector ethnographers can weld the best of these two processes by providing a holistic, empirical research foundation that seeks to provide distributed service innovation value to all within the limits of the planet. Donut‐centered design addresses lacunae of the current innovation models by advocating multi‐site assessments, multi‐species ethnography, ecosocial blueprints and holistics metrics as important components of a regenerative design research practice.