Abstract

Design theory of the 1970s tried to map generalised approaches to design action (Cross et al. 1984), an endeavour which seems to have more or less evaporated in postmodern contextualisation. Can some common ground for making still be sketched – or will a future ground of designing only imply diversification? In my doctoral thesis (Capjon 2004) I have tried to map an effective landscape of design action which is shared by all collaborating actors regardless of background and have called its metaphorical depiction the Plant of Emerging Materiality– or PoEM. Its development is based on the capabilities of Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology, which for the first time in history has made it possible to materialise complex human imagination quickly, cheaply and exactly. This tool is today primarily used for production of finished design concepts, but the challenge of this research project was to explore its potential as a basic tool for creative conceptualisation. To do so it appeared necessary to get a grasp of how materiality interacts with mentality in a human conceptualisation process. Portraying basic individual or collaborative action patterns and evaluating tool capabilities for supporting such patterns became the two leading threads of this exploration.

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Nov 17th, 12:00 AM

Trial-and-Error-Based Innovation: Rapid Materialisation as Catalyser of Perception and Communication in Design.

Design theory of the 1970s tried to map generalised approaches to design action (Cross et al. 1984), an endeavour which seems to have more or less evaporated in postmodern contextualisation. Can some common ground for making still be sketched – or will a future ground of designing only imply diversification? In my doctoral thesis (Capjon 2004) I have tried to map an effective landscape of design action which is shared by all collaborating actors regardless of background and have called its metaphorical depiction the Plant of Emerging Materiality– or PoEM. Its development is based on the capabilities of Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology, which for the first time in history has made it possible to materialise complex human imagination quickly, cheaply and exactly. This tool is today primarily used for production of finished design concepts, but the challenge of this research project was to explore its potential as a basic tool for creative conceptualisation. To do so it appeared necessary to get a grasp of how materiality interacts with mentality in a human conceptualisation process. Portraying basic individual or collaborative action patterns and evaluating tool capabilities for supporting such patterns became the two leading threads of this exploration.

 

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