Abstract
The nature of design education is changing and must continue to change in response to increasing complexity and uncertainty. This paper presents a conversation between two UK-based design educators who explore how these contemporary societal challenges are being tackled in two interdisciplinary Masters courses aimed at relational and complexity-led approaches to design. The conversation reveals the importance for complex and collaborative practices to embrace relational, visual, reflexive and flexible modalities. This in turn highlights the need for teaching to evolve beyond fixed design processes in order to develop flexible practitioners with the critical capacities for navigating uncertain futures.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.124
Citation
Wallace, N.,and Knight, L.(2025) When Methods Create Space: A Conversation on Intertwining Disciplines, Cultures and Communities in Design Education, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.124
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Conversation
When Methods Create Space: A Conversation on Intertwining Disciplines, Cultures and Communities in Design Education
The nature of design education is changing and must continue to change in response to increasing complexity and uncertainty. This paper presents a conversation between two UK-based design educators who explore how these contemporary societal challenges are being tackled in two interdisciplinary Masters courses aimed at relational and complexity-led approaches to design. The conversation reveals the importance for complex and collaborative practices to embrace relational, visual, reflexive and flexible modalities. This in turn highlights the need for teaching to evolve beyond fixed design processes in order to develop flexible practitioners with the critical capacities for navigating uncertain futures.