Abstract
The development of an artefact is inherently bound up with meanings, relationships, and value systems relative to the individuals creating them, and to the context of their immediate and external environments. This paper begins to explore the sociocultural affects on the design process through two field studies within two industrial design education studios. Two separate design groups and projects are followed for extended periods of time in order to collect naturally occurring ‘references’. These are analyzed revealing central themes and categories that are presented here as indicators of the varying context of artefact design. In doing so, a model called the design process milieu has been developed and is presented as a framework to understanding the multiple levels of the design environment. The design process milieu includes the local and universal, emic (inside) and (etic) outside. Some surprising results are revealed about how the sociocultural context and an individual’s sociocultural capital may be affecting the design process.
Keywords
analysis of design processes, design and culture, design education, ethnographically oriented methods, sociocultural aspects of design
Citation
Strickfaden, M., Rodgers, P., and Langdon, P. (2006) Referencing the sociocultural during designing, in Friedman, K., Love, T., Côrte-Real, E. and Rust, C. (eds.), Wonderground - DRS International Conference 2006, 1-4 November, Lisbon, Portugal. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2006/researchpapers/62
Referencing the sociocultural during designing
The development of an artefact is inherently bound up with meanings, relationships, and value systems relative to the individuals creating them, and to the context of their immediate and external environments. This paper begins to explore the sociocultural affects on the design process through two field studies within two industrial design education studios. Two separate design groups and projects are followed for extended periods of time in order to collect naturally occurring ‘references’. These are analyzed revealing central themes and categories that are presented here as indicators of the varying context of artefact design. In doing so, a model called the design process milieu has been developed and is presented as a framework to understanding the multiple levels of the design environment. The design process milieu includes the local and universal, emic (inside) and (etic) outside. Some surprising results are revealed about how the sociocultural context and an individual’s sociocultural capital may be affecting the design process.