Abstract

Communities of practice that focus on research or professional practice within the same discipline are often distinct and can easily fail to intersect. Each forms its own discourse and protects specific territory. An example of such a separation is research and practice in design. With the growth of graduate programs and particularly Ph.D.s in design, it is reasonable to expect the development of research useful to design and expect an increase in sophisticated performance-in-practice based on research. Or is it? Varieties of research are not only based on different presuppositions, they also function in different ways. Research based on history and criticism form a backdrop for performance – such research does not lend itself to direct application in practice. Empirical research based on case studies is rather limited in its application, but it also provides general context for practice. However, empirical research based on experimentation and research development relating to methods, theory, or tools lend their results to practical performance. These are the research results on which this paper focuses.

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Nov 17th, 12:00 AM

Invisibility of Design Research in Practice.

Communities of practice that focus on research or professional practice within the same discipline are often distinct and can easily fail to intersect. Each forms its own discourse and protects specific territory. An example of such a separation is research and practice in design. With the growth of graduate programs and particularly Ph.D.s in design, it is reasonable to expect the development of research useful to design and expect an increase in sophisticated performance-in-practice based on research. Or is it? Varieties of research are not only based on different presuppositions, they also function in different ways. Research based on history and criticism form a backdrop for performance – such research does not lend itself to direct application in practice. Empirical research based on case studies is rather limited in its application, but it also provides general context for practice. However, empirical research based on experimentation and research development relating to methods, theory, or tools lend their results to practical performance. These are the research results on which this paper focuses.

 

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