CADI#2 Design research journal "Co-creation"

8/7/2019 CADI#2 Design research journal "Co-creation"

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RESEA RCH JOURNAL OF L’ÉCOLE DE DESIGN NANTES ATLANTI QUE

Number 2 – 3.50 €FEBRUARY 2011

CO-CR

EATION



04

FROM ART HISTORY

TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

HISTORY

09

TOWARDS A DESIGN

DRIVEN

BY MODESTY ANDSHARING

13

SOCIOLOGISTS AND

DESIGNERSARE THE GEOLOGISTS

OF SOCIAL ISSUES AND

DEVELOPMENT

TABLE OF CONTENT02



1

Jocelyne Le Bœuf is also Director of Studies at the Ecole

de design Nantes Atlantique and member of CADI’s Edi-

torial committee.

2

Extract of a t ext fi rst presented at th e 2nd session of

Ateliers de la Recherche en Design® held in Nancy

(France) in May 2007.3

cadi.lecolededesign.com

How is it that a project-based activity resembling more a practice thana science and founded on empirical case studies manages to generateknowledge? How can research in design and research efforts on designconducted by scholars in other disciplines enrich each other? The 5thsession of Ateliers de la Recherche en Design® held in Nantes in June 2008addressed these key issues.

The current issue of CADI, our research journal, settles into the continuity

of these refl ections via three contributions pertaining to the topic of cross-disciplining. Jocelyne Le Boeuf 1, Design Historian, sheds light on herspecialty by referencing the major thought movements of which hers hasbecome a part over history. She also addresses the current multidisciplinaryresearch trends, and delves deeper into the role that design history playsnot only in understanding our material environment, but also in designerpractices. Gilles Rougon, Design Manager at Électricité de France (EDF),elaborates upon design transversality within a company where the primaryproduct is immaterial 2. Finally, Eloi Le Mouël, Sociologist within the designdepartment of the RATP (Paris City Transit Authority), underlines duringan interview the similarities and differences between an anthropologicalapproach with regard to “mobility fl ows” and the design project practice

from his standpoint as a researcher in the fi eld of social science.

This second issue will be the last of its kind for the journal which has, upuntil now, been diffused in printed format. The pursuit of knowledge sharingwill, nonetheless, carry on electronically via the online blog 3. We hope,therefore, to bring together on a more regular basis, through aneasy-to-access and interactive format, the thoughts, exchanges and workthat nourish our role as active players in design education. Looking forwardto your comments online…

Frédéric DegouzonHead of Strategy, Research and International Development

[email protected]

03FOREWORD

CO-CREATION, CROSS-DISCIPLINING

AND RESEARCH IN DESIGN



Design Histories up for Debate

The 2nd session of Ateliers de la Recherche en Design® held in Nancy in May2007 had given me the opportunity to approach the history of of industrialdesign through an historiographic lens.

The fi rst par t of my contribution was focused on registering this disciplinewithin the fi elds of art and architectural history, history of technical culture,

and lastly, in the multifaceted territory of material history, while imposing avisit on the relationships between history and social sciences. Many bookson the matter came out during the seventies and eighties. Their goal wasnot to be exhaustive, but rather purposeful by proposing food for thought.Neither were they interested in exposing things on an international level.The material produced in France, however, alluded to research conductedin other countries, and in particular, the English-speaking world. There arepioneering writings whose messages resonate abroad as well as researchand debates that come into view at practically the same time in othercountries… It is not always easy to decipher where the boundaries lie.The second part draws our attention to the interest of an historicalinvestigation of which the main door 1 could be the design project in its

interdisciplinary dimension, from elaboration to follow-through.This article tackles conclusions in the form of questions surroundinghistoriographic work, but does not go into detail concerning all of thebibliographic references.

It fi nishes up with a few references to recent articles published in “Journal ofDesign History and Design Issues”.

Just as in any classifi cation at tempt, this one is no different in that it, too,has its limits, is debatable and is to be considered as the outline of a work tofurther pursue.

Design history as a branch of art and architectural history

The theories, objects and actors in a design history as a branch of art andarchitectural history have helped shape our world on both the material scalein terms of projects carried out to completion as well as on that concerningrepresentations. They remain permanent sources of refl ection, mediationand questioning regarding the way in which mankind builds its relationshipwith the world. The two emerging fi gures there within are the icon and thecreator. The iconic character, referring back to art history and applied arts,favors an aesthetic take of objects in relationship to works of art. It alsoleads the design historian into a kind of polarization on the author whichdoes not make a lot of sense considering the majority of industrialization-bred products.

ARTICLE 01

FROM ART HISTORY

TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN HISTORY Jocelyne Le Bœuf, Design Historian

04

1

This second part was cut out due to format purposes. It

was part of a research about 20 th century French design

trend l'esthétique industrielle , fi rst step towards a mo -nography about Jacques Viénot by J. Le Boeuf.

www.pur-editions.fr/detail.php?idOuv=1078



The history of emblematic design objects, presented as works of art, isseldom explained in greater detail with regard to economical aspects,manufacturing contexts and mediations specifi c to industrial design. It failsto realize the diversity of design solutions responsible for building a worldwhich is far from being solely inhabited by icons.

In this regard, J.A. Walker (Design History and the History of Design) brings

up a relevant question regarding symptomatic silences and dead-ends ofan industrial design history subjected to the ideology of “good design” (nohistory on the design of concentration camps, gas chambers and torturedevices, for example): “what would we think of general histories which only described good people and happy events? 2”Design history, contained within the scope of a history of icons, is tied toa romantic vision where the fi gure of the charismatic “grand designer” isjust as present. The reference to the creator makes one believe in a possiblereconciliation between individual creative potential and mass production,praising those companies having what it took to call upon renowneddesigners. The design historian is also forced to look more closely athis/her role amid the media circus.

Design history as a branch of the history of technicalculture and industrial history

The history of large-scale technical systems, materials and innovationsstudied in the context of their impact on companies and mindsets providesthe industrial design historian with key elements of knowledge. Buthis/her aim is not to examine the design process, a crucial factor with regardto how form and usage are defi ned and approached.

When the Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Heritage Inventory sets out toimplement a national tracking program of industrial heritage sites in the

eighties, the study of industrial architecture, plants and manufacturingmachinery becomes the object of a growing interest compared to previousyears3. Deindustrialization leads to a movement where cultural landmarksreplace manufacturing plants and to an increasing interest in the historyof techniques. Historians tackle major syntheses in industrial architecture,putting architecture at the heart of social works, mentalities and economicphenomena4. In these works, industrial design is not perceived as such. Thatsaid, they tweak the overall historical framework and leave signifi cant roomfor growth.

In an initial monograph from 19745, Jocelyn de Noblet casts a critical eyeon an artistic take on design, and ends up asserting the link between the

history of technical culture and design. He creates the Centre de Recherche sur la Culture technique (CRCT) in 1978 in conjunction with directors ofstudies from large French and foreign companies and universities. Forfourteen years, the magazine Culture technique provided the means todiffuse research conducted at the CRCT (http: //documents.irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/28357). In another work, Design : le geste et le compas 6, Jocelyn de Noblet examines different sectors from the viewpoint ofsocial and technological evolution (home, offi ce space, military design,transportation), and exposes new perspectives in historical research. Italso happens to be a time where design questions become more and moreprevalent in engineering science literature, and the famous colloquium heldin Cerisy, France, entitled Les nouveaux régimes de la conception, langages,théories, métiers exhibits a readiness, willingness and commitment amongthe areas concerned to dialogue7.

2

John A. Walker, Design History and the History of De-

sign, Chicago, Pluto Press, 1989, p. 33.

3

Maurice Daumas, L’Archéologie industrielle enFrance , Paris, Laffont, 1980. Jacques Pinard, Le patri-

moine industriel, Paris, PUF, 1985. Jean-Yves Andrieux,

Le patrimoine industriel, Paris, PUF, coll. Que sais-je?

no. 2657, 1992. Louis Bergeron and Gracia Dorel-Fer-

ré, Le patrimoine industriel, un nouveau territoire, ed.

Liris, 1996.

4

Refer to François Loyer, Le siècle de l’industrie, 1789-

1914, Paris, Skira, coll. De Architectura, 1983.

5

Jocelyn de Noblet, Design, Paris, Stock-Chêne, 1974.

6

Jocelyn de Noblet, Design: le geste et le compas , Pa-

ris, Somogy, 1988.

7

Directed by Armand Hatchuel and Benoît Weil, Les nouveaux régimes de la conception, langages, théories,

métiers , Vuibert, coll. Entreprendre, 2009.

ARTICLE 01 05

Esthétique Industrielle n° 2, 1951



Design history as a branch of history of material andimmaterial culture (transversal approaches in history and

social sciences)

In an article published in Design Issues 8, design historian Victor Margolinstates that material culture often gets the short end of the stick with regardto history. He recalls the term "product milieu" that he had originally coined

back in 1990 in order to promote research on “the human-made material and immaterial objects, activities, and services; and complex systems or environments that constitute the domain of artifi cial .” He also providesa very detailed study on the contemporary historiographic landscape,pleading for a design history bound to other history research fi elds. Thenotions of “world history of design” (Victor Margolin) and “global designhistory” (Glenn Adamson, Giorgio Riello and Sarah Teasley) have for manyyears paved the way for research that brings into question the theoreticaland epistemic framework of a design history based on Western values.

In this vast territory of material culture, the transversal approaches in thedifferent disciplines of history and between history and social sciences

uncover very diverse paths that are tricky to summarize:– relationships between the arts and techniques within the framework of asociological art form,– studies of the object in its historical context on a broad scale (institutional,economical, social): one of the preferred areas is that of domestic arts andcrafts which accompanied the entire social thought movement on design-related progress,– sociological and anthropological approaches of social mechanisms andrelationships between man and his material environment.

The exploratory fi eld leads to new design histories / s tories in designwhere the notion of immaterial culture 9 encompasses numerous writings

inspired by semiology and sociology, and most notably where a wholewave of anthropological views on consumption settles in. Different levels ofunderstanding come into contact. The rumors and values conveyed by themedia, which have an impact on design production, are also analyzed.

In her article, “The Production-Consumption-Mediation Paradigm” 10,Grace Lees Maffei explains that consumer study approaches took on a newscope starting in the nineties in both history and social sciences. The newdimension brought with it work from other French intellects of the time,Jean Baudrillard and various structuralist and post-structuralist studiesas well as research stemming from British cultural studies. Grace Lees-Maffei’s presentation identifi es three leading types of reading at various

stages in design history (production-consumption-mediation), where formerapproaches are not replaced but rather enhanced by those that follow. Withregard to the last type (mediation), three aspects are envisioned: the talksand representations driven by the media, and thus, their role as intermediarybetween production and consumption, the study of media itself, and fi nally,the study of products as an expression of mediation. In the book-magazine,MEI (Mediation & Information), issues 30-31 an article by Gavin Mellessuggests that design be viewed as a “cultural intermediary” likely to instillvalues that go beyond strict commercial objectives11.

The obvious purpose of all of this research for design history is to questionthe boundaries of disciplinary fi elds and to make readers aware that thoseboundaries might be blurry.

8

vol. XXV n° 2., Spring 2009, p. 94 -105

9

The session entitled, “Immaterial Culture? Things, Arti-

facts and Meanings” (AAH, A ssociation of Art Historians,

Annual Conference - University of Ulster, Belfast, 12-14

April 2007), presented by Deborah Sugg Ryan (Journal of

Design History, UK) and Timo de Rijk ( Delft University of

Technology, Netherlands), highlights a new design histo-

ry inspired among others by the written works of Pierre

Bourdieu (how cultural productions reveal and trigger re-

productive mechanisms of social hierarchies) and Da-

niel Miller (anthropological approach of consumption).

It also made reference to the written works of both Judy

Attfi eld, pioneer in this type of research, and soc io- an-

thropologist, Bruno Latour, (“sociology of the actor-

network theory” which considers social players to be

not only human beings, but also objects and organiza-

tions, and which examines the social setting as a se-

ries of consecutive interactions enforced by heteroge-

neous players).

10

The Production-Consumption-Mediation Paradigm,

Journal of Design History, Special Issue : The Current

State of Design History, ed. by Hazel Clark and David

Brody, vol. 22, n° 4, 2009, p. 351-376.

11

Objets & Communication, under the supervision ofBernard Darras and Sarah Belkhama, L’Harmattan, MEI,

no. 30-31, Paris, 2009, p. 269.

ARTICLE 0106



The questions raised from the necessary focus on history and socialsciences and the equally indispensable dialogue that must arise betweenthem match the interdisciplinary character of any project in industrialdesign.

Whether we side with the programs and actors or with usage andrepresentations, the act of theorizing is expected to discern what will come

specifi cally from this discipline (industrial design histor y) so as to bettergrasp how to sound out other disciplinary fi elds.

The historian’s second glance 12

If the notion of project is at the very heart of design-related thinking andactivities, it would appear to me that this notion offers up a relevant threadfor historical research. The extensive work conducted by Jean-PierreBoutinet13 on what a “project” actually entails in our Western societies,assessed in its multidimensional perspective provides particularlyadvantageous subject matter wherein to try out our methods and tools.The consequences that our design actions have on the environment

coupled with innovation-induced economic and social issues put designin contradictory territory. A look back in time putting into perspectivethe forces at work and the role of different actors could stimulate newthought on current practices. Which education14, culture, design philosophy(founding theories15, accompanying ones, captivating speech patterns16)were infl uential? In what vision of humanity is the project embedded? Ata certain point, what kinds of echoes are followed by “accompanying”speeches concerning the practice of design?

The philosopher Paul Ricoeur, alluded to “transhistorical invariants”to express that “… history is not the only thing separating us from thepast (s trangeness of history) …” but that “… it is also what we are going

through, […] what brings us closer to what history seems to be takingaway.”17 In addition, there is this proposal of a history linked to currentresearch and practices18 shedding light on the complexity of situations,their diversity and responsibility issues that we would like to see emerge.

12

Expression borrowed from Edgar Morin who talks about

the epistemic viewpoint that stresses the importance of

the present in the reconstruction of the past, Relier les

connaissa nces, le défi du XXe siècle , specially-desig-

ned days hosted by Edgar Morin, 16-24 March 1998, Pa-

ris, ed. Du Seuil, 1999, p. 351.

13

Jean-Pierre Boutinet, Anthropologie du projet, PUF,

coll. Psychologie d’aujourd’hui, 1st edition 1990. This

work has been edited many times. See also Ed Qua-

drige, 2005. Jean-Pierre Boutinet, Grammaire des

conduites à projet, Formation et pratiques profes-

sionnelles , PUF, 2009.

14

Alain Findeli’s book, Le Bauhaus de Chicago, l’œuvre

pédagogique de Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Les éditions

du Septentrion, Québec, (Klincksieck for the European

broadcast), 1995, as expressed by Franck Popper in his

preface, th is is a fi ne example of putting into context

“the problems between design and the technology of

our generation as well as that of the instruction of future

artists and designers.”

15

Refer to the conference text, L’Éclipse de l’objet dans

les théories du design, Alain Findeli and Rabah Bous-

baci, topic proposed at the 6th international colloquium

and biennial of the Académie européenne de design (Eu-

ropean Academy of design, EAD) , Bremen, March 2005,on the theme of Design-Système-Évolution.

16

We refer here to the very practical and relevant analysis

proposed by Anne Cauquelin in Les Théories de l’art,

Paris, PUF, (1998) 1999.

17

Paul Ricoeur, Le passé avait un futur , Relier les connais-

sances, le défi du XXe siècle, speciall y-d esigned days

hosted by Edgar Morin, 16-24 Marchmars 1998, Paris,

ed. Du Seuil, 1999, p. 297-304.

18

Sarah A. Lichtman provides an interesting perspective

on the ties between history and professional applica-

tion through teaching, Reconsidering the History of

Design Survey, Journal of Design History (special is-

sue, The Current State of Design History , edited byHazel Clark and David Brody, volume 22, n° 4, 2009, p.

341-350.

ARTICLE 01 07



What is about to follow is the result of ten years in design management atthe heart of EDF’s Research & Development division… This article takesinto consideration the confrontation between the teaching of an everydaypractice and thoughts on design’s role in the workplace.

Five design qualities…

The public tends to recall but one phase in the design process, and that is its

ability to formalize, very tempting for many due to its visibility.This, equally, is the case for many companies, which call upon theprofession once they have reached the end of their concept phases.

Beneath the visible part, though, lie four other value-added qualities for boththe user and company:

1 constructive criticism that a designer uses to “bounce back” positivelyfrom feedback shared by various project players,2 sound conviction, allowing to objectively back the creative process duringeach phase,3 ability to summarize through visuals (information, complex systems, etc.),

4 mediation triggered by a design project often subjected to divergingissues and limitations.

Each of these fi ve qualities appears in other professions which relate them,as in the case of design, to innovation. . . But it is their combined presence indesign that makes this transversal industry a real tool for change.

A Few Words about Exploratory Design

We will insert here an hypothesis that “upstream design” encompassesstudies in exploratory design, advanced design (ahead of the competition)and communication of new concepts (internal and external to the company).

In numerous sectors, companies propose product/service concepts withvarious objectives in mind. . . Since EDF is not a manufacturer of electricappliances, EDF R&D Design had to rapidly determine and put in place itsexploratory design process.

As shown in fi gure 1, exploratory design bridges the gap between the artworld, that of ”liberal objects” (free from order and often critical) and themarket that is industry-fed with “utilitarian objects.” This exploratory designprocess takes root in creative thinking and aims to come up with new “lifesystems”1 via three types of deliverables:

1 The question object can have a lasting impact on the mode of contactbetween the company and its customers. It goes in search of fruit-bearing

1“Life systems”: expression borrowed from Elsa Frances;

Director of the Cité du Design, Saint-Etienne, France.

COMPANY

MARKETART

CREATION

FIELD

CUSTOMER

FREE

OBJECT

QUESTION

OBJECT

WAY

OBJECT

PRE-

OBJECT

UTILITARIAN

OBJECT

Fig. 1: EDF Design's Exploratory

Design Process

TOWARDS A DESIGN DRIVEN

BY MODESTY AND SHARINGGilles Rougon, Design Manager, EDF R&D

ARTICLE 02 09



endings for the various parts and brings about collective exchange by widelydiffusing these scenarios. 2 The way object provides relevant solutions for the customer and thoseeconomically lucrative for the company, beginning with a well-assessedissue, a question object or other.

3 The pre-object, a true portal to innovation, aims to favor the commercialsuccess of the prospective offer. It is not about a pre-series prototype.

A study in exploratory design will not necessarily go through the three typesof deliverables to the degree where their roles are different… May it also benoted that this exploratory design process implicitly encourages a policy ofwork- and/or result-sharing both in-house and externally.

EDF R&D Design participates in myriad short workshops 2 in addition tolonger exploratory-oriented programs 3.

Design, modesty and sharing?

Industrial design has several paths available, some leading to “celebritystatus” or extreme communication, others to chosen anonymity.

By applying its fi ve qualities to a prospective multi-player creative initiative,design contributes to:– encouraging the sustainability of our companies regardless of whether ithas to do with the environment, ethics or the economy,– generating exploratory visions related to numerous players, in-house andoutside the company,– ensuring prospect transparency to the public and to the majority ofcompany players.

Through this exploratory practice, industrial design invites us to refl ecthumbly upon the notion of co-creation.

We are not only interested in furthering co-creation and open sourceprocesses arising from the technology advances of Web 2.0… If the latteroffers technological solutions allowing an individual (end-user, customeror not) to be associated with how a company puts together an offer, eachcan refl ect on the driving force behind co-creation: is it the internet user,the company… or the tool? We still have in mind that not so long ago, ITmodelization tools (2D, 3D) sometimes prevailed in the designers' mindsover ideas or creativity, which was very detrimental to the variety, depth and

relevance of the concepts thus thought up.

Studies in exploratory design provide an environment for sharinginformation, competencies and experiences. . . They draw us in byaddressing our ability to invent an age of industrial co-creation favored byrecourse to a universal language: drawing (sketches, storyboard, animation,3D, etc.) . . . Thanks to its fi ve qualities, design can play a part there amidan ever-increasingly complex world of service engineering with diverseeconomic and non-economic players.

Unfortunately exploratory design is often hindered: when one has toconfront cultural diffi culties in the workplace, among economic players, orto reinvent the rules of industrial property, or even to overcome temporaland economic slowdowns... But should we refrain from undertaking any

2

Example: Involvement in CREDO (Cooperation in Re-

search and Education for Design Options), organized by

L'École de design Nantes Atlantique - Recto/Verso, “Les

lumières de la Cité idéale”, 19 through 26 April 2008.

3

Joint research program between EDF R&D and the Citédu Design in Saint-Etienne (France), initiated in Novem-

ber 2006.

ARTICLE 0210



ARTICLE 02 11

project just because we are faced with diffi culty?

With its fi ve assets and creative projection in hand, design continuallyreinvents our life spaces. Using the human factor as a springboard, it helpsfoster innovation and cross-disciplining by opening up possibilities betweenindustrial activities and forging new partnerships among customers,companies and institutions.

As if, in the end, economic competition could lead us but to… cooperation!



BIOGRAPHY

With an undergraduate multidisciplinary degree from Centrale Lille (Frenchengineering school) followed by post-graduate studies in Electrical Engi-neering (DEA-USTL) and Industr ial Design (DESS-UTC), Gilles Rougon fi rststarted out with Fichet-Bauche where he redesigned a compact fi reproofwardrobe. In 1999, he joined EDF’s Research & Development division with a

primary focus on “sustainable design.”G. Rougon today heads up the Integrated Design team for EDF’s R&D divi-sion, responsible for conducting exploratory design studies and accompa-nying the company’s technological developments. He is involved with thelaunch of EDF’s Sustainable Design Challenge (http://research.edf.com/re-search-and-innovation-44204.html).Based on his experience, G. Rougon considers design as a strategic asset forcompanies who use information as a raw material.

Publications– G. Rougon, EDF et le design exploratoire , in: Musée des Arts Décoratifs,Paris, 24 May 2007.

– G. Rougon, Design exploratoire , in: Le cercle Design et Marque, ANVIE,host: B. Heilbrun, 7 November 2007.– G. Rougon, Design soutenable et énergie , in: Colloque Écodesign, Centredu Design Rhône Alpes, 16 November 2007.– G. Rougon, Design: donner à voir des futurs , in: Les tables rondes du futur,La Fabrique du Futur, 15 January 2008. http://www.lafabriquedufutur.org/ TablesRondesduFuturDesign.html– G. Rougon, Écologie matérielle: du darwinisme des objets , in: Cycle deconférences Confl uences des savoirs Le XXIe siècle, le siècle du végétal? ,ENS Lyon, 1 April 2008. www.museedesconfl uences.fr.– G. Rougon, Light is more: l’homme et l’environnement, moteurs d’innovation d’usage et technologique , Design Développement v5.0, L'École de de-

sign Nantes Atlantique, 10 December 2009.

ARTICLE 0212



SOCIOLOGISTS AND DESIGNERS

ARE THE GEOLOGISTS OF SOCIAL

ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTAn interview with Éloi Le Mouêl, Sociologist, RATP

Cadi: Eloi Le Mouël, you joined the Design Management team of the RATP(French public transport company) led by Y. Kaminagai in 2006 as SociologyResearcher and Project Manager in cultural engineering and designmanagement. What does your job entail? With whom specifi cally have youworked?

This particular position gives rise to a triple interaction based on permanentknowledge transfer. Firstly, cultural engineering could almost be defi ned as

prospective design: designing from start to fi nish one-of-a-kind train stationswhich serve as testing grounds for innovative materials. […] Next, designprocesses are incorporated into these prospective studies. Each major projectis subject to RFPs (requests for proposals), rigorously laid-out specifi cationsand rough drafts, which are then reviewed not only by artistic commissions,naturally, but also technically-savvy ones (feasibility, safety proceduresspecifi c to public transport, maintenance, etc.), a rarity in the fi eld. Lastly, Idecided to put the current “bridges” connecting sociological research anddesign to the test in the everyday. Sociology, and most likely that of theChicago-bred school of thought, is characterized by an obligation to act andbe acted upon by one's research fi eld. Being physically “tangled up in one’senvironment” is an indispensable antecedent to enabling oneself to resurface

from such a situation and, in turn, examine it closely. As perceived by manydesigners, it relates to a sociology of action, “in the being and in the doing ”,which aims to “identify big issues in small situations” (I. Joseph) as well asenrich the notion of landscape in order to obtain ever-evolving “usage-infusedlandscapes” (J.P. Thibaud), landscapes defi ned by users in motion. Industrialdesign, however, intended to act upon spaces utilized daily by hundreds ofthousands of travelers, is clearly “user-oriented.” It calls for a certain amountof investigation, even if a little, during the project management process. Theinvestigation time is an integral part of risk management for its involvement inthe early stages ensures that specifi cations formulate the right questions priorto seeking the right answers. In parallel, the researcher can no longer remainin observation mode, and is thrust directly into the action. […]

Cadi: The project timeframe is fairly straightforward even if analysis ispresent during each phase.

Yes. We align ourselves accordingly, and adhere to the given timeframe of aproject. I will attempt to clarify the pre-project phase. The work involved withpreparing the functional specifi cations or design document could be viewedas the ideal meeting point with the sketch, preliminary or detailed designphases acting as the hand-over. […] It’s a subtle game.

Design management and sociology methodologies can interact on manylevels. More often than not, large corporations have a tendency to entrusttheir marketing or public relations departments with market studies,consumer research and needs analyses. In my opinion, sociologists and

INTERVIEW 13



designers have alternative answers to give, not better, but without a doubt,different and complimentary. They are, in a way, the “geologists” of bothsocial issues and development: geologists set out to understand the lay ofthe land around them as well as the multitude of reasons surrounding itsformation and its evolution. Sociologists and designers are constantly seekingto understand the world, the city, the street, the place and the componentwhich appear before them; their nature, their functionality, their capacity for

improvement.

Cadi: Here you're talking about action-based research linked with a contextand acting upon real surroundings…

Absolutely. Designers are fortunate to be able to transform into reality theefforts put forth by the RATP in order to optimize both the quality perceivedand experienced by those in the heart of its spaces. The subway systemaccommodates 1.5 billion individuals each year (versus 1 billion in theeighties for nearly equivalent spaces), therefore, the stakes are high and thechallenge an imposing one when it comes to producing accessible, reliableand accommodating spaces. In light of this somewhat slippery ground, it

goes without saying that the viewpoints of both sociologists and designersregarding functional and well-founded space planning are paramount.

Cadi: Given the size of the equipment coupled with an element of strategicdimension, there is actually little room for mistakes.

Yes, and at the same time, what is wonderful about it is that we do makemistakes every single day! It is, no doubt, the sociologist speaking here.Ultimately, I would say that we can never truly predict how travelers will“use and act in” a given space. Beyond a quantitative traffi c fl ow study,we are continually caught off-guard by innovative, unexpected and mind-boggling behavior patterns. […] By incorporating this complexity into the

specifi cations, we shift our approach to no longer setting out to repair, butrather sensing, anticipating and designing spaces that are perpetually inmotion and will still be in service fi fty years from now. […]

Cadi: What is the difference between design and sociology?

The main difference between sociology and design lies in their end result:the design fi eld is less directly interested in what makes a society, lesspolitical and oriented more towards a purpose. It has, in fi ne, more to dowith knowing how to design better in order to live better, or even sell better.Design could best be described as being at the hub of three fi elds:pragmatic social philosophy and human sciences (understanding real

events in action), engineering (understanding the logics of functional designengineering, mechanics, etc.) and marketing (understanding the needs,value and commercial aspect). It could just be the missing link betweenthose areas which continue to ignore each other today, […] reconcilingusage, functionality and sensitivity.

INTERVIEW14



BIOGRAPHY

Eloi Le Mouël holds a PhD in sociology attained at the University of NanterreParis Ouest (France). He specializes in urban sociology. Currently ProjectManager in the Design and Space Identity department of the RATP led byYo Kaminagai, he conducted his research, fi rst under the direction of IsaacJoseph followed by Alain Milon, on the challenges of culture and design in

public transport spaces. Author of various articles and co-author of nume-rous books on the topic, he has since broadened his research scope along-side Alain Milon by taking a closer look, using culture and design, at therelationship among transport, urban and public spaces.

Conscious of the need to complement his work experience with his researchand vice versa, he recognizes not only in his involvement at symposiumsand conferences, but equally in his Master’s program in urbanism, architec-ture and artistic and cultural action, the opportunity to intersect these twosimilar, yet distinct skill sets .

INTERVIEW 15



The “CADI” research journals are published

by L’École de design Nantes Atlantique.

Director of publication: Christian Guellerin

Editorial board: Frédéric Degouzon, Jocelyne Le Bœuf

Translation: Krista Schmidtke

Proofreading & publisher desk: Morgane Saysana

Graphic design: Audrey Templier, Yves Mestrallet, éditions MeMo

Subscriptions & distribution: Judite Galharda Marais

Contributors to this issue: Jocelyne Le Bœuf, Gilles Rougon, Éloi Le Mouël.

Any part of this issue may be reprodu ced under condit ions speci fi ed

in the Creative Commons license.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/fr/

Write to CADI: [email protected]

CADI issue # 2, February 2011. ISSN 1962-3593.

www.lecolededesign.com

Member of the academic cluster PRES L'Université Nantes Angers Le Mans

CADI#2 Design research journal "Co-creation"

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Transcript of CADI#2 Design research journal "Co-creation"