Abstract
The search for an imaginative vocabulary that encourages mind and behaviour shifts is not an easy task in processes of formulating design trajectories towards profound systems change. At the same time many design concerns are embedded in larger ecological, social, economical or political systemic crises and call for generating systems change across multiple dimensions. A prolonged terminology search when describing the theoretical and practical results of a PhD research into Pakistan’s craft sector through the systems lens triggered the interest in penning this paper about the entanglements of language and expanded design horizons and methods. While it can only offer initial thoughts the topic might extend into a larger interest. So how enabling or limiting are established terminologies in fields such as development aid, grassroots empowerment, design and systems thinking? What impact does the use of a particular vocabulary have on design attitudes and practices?
Keywords
design and development, shared vocabularies, systems change
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.769
Citation
Kulick, G. (2022) Musings on vocabulary choices when proposing design towards profound systems change, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June - 3 July, Bilbao, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.769
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
Musings on vocabulary choices when proposing design towards profound systems change
The search for an imaginative vocabulary that encourages mind and behaviour shifts is not an easy task in processes of formulating design trajectories towards profound systems change. At the same time many design concerns are embedded in larger ecological, social, economical or political systemic crises and call for generating systems change across multiple dimensions. A prolonged terminology search when describing the theoretical and practical results of a PhD research into Pakistan’s craft sector through the systems lens triggered the interest in penning this paper about the entanglements of language and expanded design horizons and methods. While it can only offer initial thoughts the topic might extend into a larger interest. So how enabling or limiting are established terminologies in fields such as development aid, grassroots empowerment, design and systems thinking? What impact does the use of a particular vocabulary have on design attitudes and practices?