Designing Research Norman

8/9/2019 Designing Research Norman

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Rresearch workshop at DATA 2006 1

DATAs ITE Induction Programme ensuring support for new researchers

Paper published in Issue 1 of D&TE:IJ

Three new publications Readings in Design Education Designerly activity and higher degrees

Design and democracy

Development of DATAs website ITE Induction website

Further web access to journals


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Why Readings in designeducation?

Design problems are described as 'ill-defined' because there is noway of arriving at a provision description merely by the reduction,transformation or optimisation of the data in the requirementspecification. By the same token, it is rarely possible to determinewhether or not the finished design is 'the correct'. 'the only' or 'anecessary' answer to the requirements. It must usually be possible,of course, to establish whether or not the design is a 'proper' or 'anacceptable' answer to the requirements. It may or may not alwaysbe possible to judge whether or not one 'proper' answer to therequirements is better or worse than some other 'proper' answer.

Where such doubts do NOT exist, the problem is not 'ill-defined'and might therefore have been resolvable by scientific ormathematical methods rather than designerly methods. Most real-world problems encountered by most people are 'ill-defined'.

(Archer and Roberts, 1979:55)


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Reasons to look back

Theoretical support

More fluid times in the 1970s

when the design process emerged but not unchallenged


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Why Designerly activity andhigher degrees?

Detailed guidance on:

The nature of research evidence

The supervision of research

Writing a thesis

Etc

The Orange Series publicationconcerned the general approach


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Archers series of 7 seminars

The nature and purpose of undergraduate designeducation in Britain

The nature and purpose of higher degrees and

research degreesThe science tradition of research

The humanities tradition of research

Action research: research through art action,

research through design actionA characteristic project trajectory in academicresearch

Supervision and examination of research degrees


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Why Designerly activity andhigher degrees?

All the normal rules governing research practice apply to actionresearch. It must be knowledge directed. It must be calculated toproduce new knowledge, or be intended to test, and maybe refute,existing knowledge. It must be systematically conducted. Thechief questions to be addressed by the research must beunambiguously expressed. The methods of enquiry and analysismust be transparent. The data employed, and the observationsmade, must be fully and honestly recorded. And the whole must beexposed to critical examination by others.

However, in one important respect, action research is different fromthe other categories of research activity. the investigator isexplicitly taking action in and on the real world in order to devise ortest or shed light upon something.


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Why Design and democracy?Designers and writers on design frequently offer two very familiarinterpretations of the essence of the activity:

that it is to serve human needs; and

that it is about solving problems

This presents design in a very favourable light. It suggests that designersare at the forefront of developing a benign and socially responsiblematerial world. It also suggests that designers are largely able to set theirown agenda: that designers can ensure that in their practice they actuallyserve human needs and solve problems that need solving.

In this publication I want to explore a very different perspective. If, in fact,

contemporary design serves human needs, which needs does it actuallysucceed in satisfying? If it solves problems, whose problems are they?These questions arise and demand an answer because it is quite evidentthat the products of design activity intended to serve human needs andsolve problems are themselves problematic.


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Why Design and democracy?The four perspectives are as follows:

WEALTH

This perspective views designs role in society through the lens of

growing wealth and professional specialization resulting from thedivision of labour in Nineteenth Century industry.

PRODUCTS

This perspective explores the explosion in the manufacture of

products and the nature of commodification in advanced capitalisteconomies and the role that is allocated to design in helping toforward the process of commodification.


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Why Design and democracy?ALTERNATIVES

Here the aim is to identify the nature of some critiques of designs supportfor a market economy and to characterise alternatives. Do any alternatives appear viable? Can the environmental problems facing theworld be solved by an ameliorative strategy or is revolution required? Do

designers have an identifiable role?

PARTICIPATION

This perspective starts from a consideration of democracy and discusseshow far participation is a reality in design decision-making. It looks atdifferent models of management and identifies the design professions

stake in specialization. It describes the nature of the design educationmovement and the radical ambitions of its approach.

A final section summarises some conclusions that may be drawn fromthese speculations.


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DATAs ITE Inductionwebsite: todays workshop


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DATAs ITE Inductionwebsite: todays workshop

Establishing the brief

Negotiating goal statements

Generating the research questions

Planning the enquiry


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Gaps in the research evidence

(Harris and Wilson, 2003:62)

Our general conclusion is that despite the number of

references to D&T in the literature few were research-

based in terms of meeting peer-review standards.

Many of the papers have been written by advocates of

the subject and where research does exist, it tends to

be small-scale or action-based. While we recognise the

importance of involving users, we recommend that the

development of the D&T curriculum and learning andteaching would benefit from more funded and

systematic research in D&T generally.


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Specific issues (Harris and

Wilson, 2003:62)

How do good/effective teachers teach D&T, organisetheir classrooms/workshops, equipment, accessresources and keep up-to-date?

What are the most effective ways of encouragingdesign and creativity in D&T at all stages?

How can ICT be used effectively by pupils andteachers to supportD&T at all stages?

What is the impact of gender/ethnicity/disability onD&T. How can opportunities for all, both pupils andteachers, be extended in D&T?


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Specific issues (Harris and

Wilson, 2003:62)

What does industry/business want from D&T and howcan productive relationships with them be extended?

Do up-to-date resources impact on pupilsachievements?

Can outcomes from schools with different levels ofresources be compared?

Finally, there is now an on-going need to monitor theeffects of removingD&T from core at Key Stage 4


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Task 1 Establishing the brief

Read and discuss the list of specificissues identified by Harris and Wilson

As a group agree which you believe tobe the most important and prepare tosay why


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Negotiating goal statements

If registered for a higher degree thereare minimum and maximum registration

periodsNegotiate what you are to do with anexperienced university supervisor

a task for another day


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Conceptual maps

Essential, because there is too muchliterature and prior art to simply read it

all


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Example 1 The proposition that designers know aboutand use technology in a distinctive designerly way couldlead to the following chief questions to be addressed.

What is design? What is technology? How is design and technological activityinterpreted and understood?

How do designers know about technology? What is the distinction between scienceand technology? Is technological knowledge merely scientific knowledge

reformulated? If so, in what ways? How is knowledge distinguished frominformation? What knowledge and information is internalised? And what simplynoted for reference? Can creativity be inhibited by technological knowledge orinformation?

Is there a technological knowledge base for product designers? For all practitioners(and their respective areas)? For the design field? Which areas of technologicalknowledge are associated with particular product groups? How is this knowledge tobe identified?

How should technological knowledge and information be taught to designers? Howcan/should designers be able to access technological knowledge and information?

What is a designerly approach to the use of technological knowledge andinformation in design?


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Example 2 The proposition that there is a distinctivediscipline that underpins successful design andtechnological activity could lead to these research questions.

What is design and technology? Where is design and technology? Is it only foundwithin the school curriculum subject? How do we recognise it?

What is the precise nature of the subject discipline? What is the role of knowledge?Are there different ways of knowing? Is the making and testing of prototypeproducts important?

How do we justify our claims for it? How is creativity to be fostered? Is there anyconflict between creativity and other aspects of design and technology?

How do we report on its qualities? What is to be assessed? Are teachersperceptions in agreement with the Awarding Bodies? OfSTED? Are the means ofassessment accurately reflecting the nature of the discipline?

What is the distinctive nature of the discipline which underpins design andtechnology?

(The proposition is a paraphrase of the recent research project(RECORD&T)undertaken by Professor Geoffrey Harrison in partnership with theQCA and NESTA)


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Example 3 The proposition that designers change theirdesign decisions to become more sustainable as a result ofusing sustainable design websites could lead to theseresearch questions (Peter Simmons)

What is sustainable design?- What is the understood consensus of sustainability?- What are the principles followed by sustainable design in education?

Where do sustainable design related websites fit into sustainability?- What content do current websites contain?

What is effectiveness in this context?- What parts of current sustainable design websites do designers find useful?- What are the drivers behind designers decisions?

How do you measure the effectiveness of websites?

Is the Sustainable Design Award (SDA) website effective in influencing design

decisions for students aged 16-18?- Is the SDA website more effective with supporting inputs?-At what stages in designing do sustainable design websites influence design decisions?When are they most effective?

Can the findings be applied to different age ranges?-Are the effectiveness principles established for the SDA website applicable to sustainabledesign websites or websites in general?


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Example 4 The proposition that design decision-making canbe improved through improved pedagogy and transferredto other activities could lead to these research questions (Alexandros Mettas)

What types of decisions can we reasonably expect primary andsecondary students to engage in during different parts ofdesigning and making?

What strategies do primary and secondary education pupils

follow in order to make their design choices?

What are the difficulties that primary and secondary educationpupils face in their efforts to make correct decisions in theirdesigns?

In what ways do existing teaching materials support primary andsecondary education pupils decision making?

To what extent can decision making skills learned within the areaof design and technology be transferred to other activities?


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Searching the literatureand prior art

Books

Journal and conference papers (on the

web and elsewhere)

Prior Art

then see what questions are left

that require the gathering of primarydata


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Books eg

Teaching and learning design and technology:a guide to recent research and itsapplications (Eggleston, 2000)

Engineering Council (UK) publications Interaction: the relationship between science and

design and technology in the secondary schoolcurriculum (Barlex and Pitt, 2000)

Open University (UK) publications Understanding practice in design and technology

(Kimbell, Stables and Green, 1996)


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Journal and conference papers some on-line

DATA journals http://www.data.org.uk

IJTDE http://journals.kluweronline.com/

JTE http://iteawww.org

IDATER http://www.lboro.ac.uk/idater

CRIPT http://www.ed.uce.ac.uk/cript/

PATT http://www.iteawww.org/D4c.html


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Prior Art

Everything known about design andtechnology education is not written

down at least in journals and conferencepapers


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Task 3 Searching the literatureand prior art

As a group, search IDATER98, IDATER99 andIDATER2000, and the selected Bibliography

by Phil Roberts to see if there is anythingrelevant to your research topic

Consider if there is any prior art you wouldlook at

Which research questions would requireprimary data?


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Then

all you have to do is to work out howto get it!

David will be looking at this and otherrelated issues after the break

but otherwise you could readArchers advice on the Humanities andScience traditions and action researchas a good starting point.

Designing Research Norman

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