Abstract
The paper presents a historical flashback and analysis of how design research traditions have developed. They have comprised both theoretical and practical methods, and has undergone several stages, with shifting emphasis on the two. Our own era’s belief that it has been mainly based on experience and a discourse through products, is a myth that has created unnecessary barriers towards traditional academic research. The profession has been dominated by a holistic view that combines human culture and the natural environment. The paper demonstrates how design research in a multidisciplinary setting may become a decisive factor in the development of sustainability of culture and environment.
Keywords
Design research; Historiography; Multidisciplinarity; Sustainability
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.180
Citation
Skjerven, A. (2016) Design Research for Sustainability: Historic Origin and Development, in Lloyd, P. and Bohemia, E. (eds.), Future Focused Thinking - DRS International Conference 2016, 27 - 30 June, Brighton, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.180
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Design Research for Sustainability: Historic Origin and Development
The paper presents a historical flashback and analysis of how design research traditions have developed. They have comprised both theoretical and practical methods, and has undergone several stages, with shifting emphasis on the two. Our own era’s belief that it has been mainly based on experience and a discourse through products, is a myth that has created unnecessary barriers towards traditional academic research. The profession has been dominated by a holistic view that combines human culture and the natural environment. The paper demonstrates how design research in a multidisciplinary setting may become a decisive factor in the development of sustainability of culture and environment.