(2/2) Pre-Theme 5: Design research

- What is the 'empirical data' in these two papers?

- Can practical design work in itself be considered a 'knowledge contribution'?

- Are there any differences in design intentions within a research project, compared to design in general?
- Is research in tech domains such as these ever replicable? How may we account for aspects such as time/historical setting, skills of the designers, available tools, etc?
- Are there any important differences with design driven research compared to other research practices?

In the paper by Lundström the empirical data used to develop the design was taken from earlier versions of electric cars. One of these were Nissan Leaf (Lundström).

I think that practical design work can in itself lead to knowledge. Or at least I think that it can lead to concepts about design that were unknown earlier, and therefore present a new form of understanding design. If these concepts are tested later on in the design work and appear to be true then that would mean that the design work would lead to new knowledge about how design can be implemented for different situations and intentions (Fernaeus & Tholander, 2006).

I think that in terms of design intentions within a research project compared to design in general there is a difference. The purpose of design intentions in a research project is to examine how the design is being perceived by users. I think that design in general intend to appeal a certain group of people and do not necessarily focus on other perspectives of perception.

I think that to do the exact same research over again may not always lead to the same conclusions. Time and available tools can affect what the result of the research will be.

To end this blog post:

I would say that the biggest difference of design driven research practices compared to other research practices would be that they in general include studies that concern how a design is perceived. In other words they require a design or design concept in order to be able to take place. In other research practices were quantitative or qualitative methods are being used, the hypothesis or research question at hand are not solely based on the need of a design concept to be discussed throughout the studies. For example a research practice that integrates a quantitative method in form of a questionnaire can ask other questions than those that relate to the design of the questionnaire being used. The other research practices can in other words try to develop knowledge without solely discussing a design concept.

References:

Lundström, A. Differentiated Driving Range: Exploring a Solution to the Problems with the “Guess-O-Meter” in Electric Cars

Fernaeus, Y., Tholander J. (2006). Finding Design Qualities in a Tangible Programming Space