Abstract
Design practice exists as a complex and varied ecology of practitioners, methodologies and outcomes, one that harbors varying internal biases, tangents and conceptual stances. As designers interface with outside practitioners in science, engineering and theory, they are confronted with both problems and opportunities from these external domains that can appear quite foreign in both approach and outcome. Design process and its resultant biases are distinct and yet malleable and these unique aspects should be emphasized when confronting and collaborating with outside disciplines. In acknowledging our own disciplinary and project specific values, we must remain mindful of the risk of ceding authority to more pragmatic or quantifiable concerns from collaborators outside of the design discipline. Negotiating these collaborations requires a careful attention to communication, methodologies and how project goals are defined and articulated. In analyzing the procedures, methodology and resulting projects from an interdisciplinary design led research group, this paper will offer insight into the nature of interdisciplinary conversations and translations within the context of design education and offer examples of design-led collaborative research. This paper will argue that identifying, amplifying and communicating the conceptual, aesthetic, intellectual and emotional goals of a project is a crucial component to fruitful design-led research collaboration.
Citation
Koltick, N. (2014) Design ecologies, locating and amplifying individual motivations in a collaborative research environment, in Lim, Y., Niedderer, K., Redström, J., Stolterman, E. and Valtonen, A. (eds.), Design's Big Debates - DRS International Conference 2014, 16-19 June, Umeå, Sweden. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2014/researchpapers/116
Design ecologies, locating and amplifying individual motivations in a collaborative research environment
Design practice exists as a complex and varied ecology of practitioners, methodologies and outcomes, one that harbors varying internal biases, tangents and conceptual stances. As designers interface with outside practitioners in science, engineering and theory, they are confronted with both problems and opportunities from these external domains that can appear quite foreign in both approach and outcome. Design process and its resultant biases are distinct and yet malleable and these unique aspects should be emphasized when confronting and collaborating with outside disciplines. In acknowledging our own disciplinary and project specific values, we must remain mindful of the risk of ceding authority to more pragmatic or quantifiable concerns from collaborators outside of the design discipline. Negotiating these collaborations requires a careful attention to communication, methodologies and how project goals are defined and articulated. In analyzing the procedures, methodology and resulting projects from an interdisciplinary design led research group, this paper will offer insight into the nature of interdisciplinary conversations and translations within the context of design education and offer examples of design-led collaborative research. This paper will argue that identifying, amplifying and communicating the conceptual, aesthetic, intellectual and emotional goals of a project is a crucial component to fruitful design-led research collaboration.