Design Research

Ways of Reading. Visual Music Course Development at OCADU

by Robert Appleton

Ways of Reading. A course at OCAD University conceived and taught by Robert Appleton using sound, text and image.

Encouraging Meditative Experiences through Respiratory-Musical Interaction

by Jay Vidyarthi

Developing Web Prototypes for Mobile-Learning Design Research

by Alan Foley

The TEMPO of Battle: Designing a Temporally Enabled Map for Presentation

by Alan Foley

The discursive practice of figuring diagrams {a paper}

by Lisa Grocott

To be published in Tracey: drawing and visualisation research journal. Special Issue on drawing knowledge.

Design Research & Reflective Practice: the facility of design-oriented research to translate practitioner insights into new understandings of design {a PhD Dissertation}

by Lisa Grocott

Designerly ways of researching: design knowing and the practice of researching {a paper}

by Lisa Grocott

Published in Studies in Material Thinking, http://www.materialthinking.org
Vol. 6 (2012), ISSN 1177-6234, AUT University

Design-led strategies for bushfire preparedness

by Yoko Akama

Co-authored by Yoko Akama, Susan Chaplin, Richard Philips, Keith Toh

Bushfire CRC research team: ‘Effective Communication: Communities and Bushfire’. RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Paper presented at EARTH: FIRE AND RAIN
Australian & New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference, Brisbane, 16 – 18, April 2012

To date, both government and fire authorities in Victoria have deployed a variety of communication messages on... more To date, both government and fire authorities in Victoria have deployed a variety of communication messages on bushfire awareness. Yet, distributing information to a wide audience is not enough to increase people’s preparedness for bushfire. These forms of communication sustain a transmission process that reinforces the power-dynamics of control, making audiences passive. It perpetuates the disempowerment felt by communities who are not engaged in a dialogic process, further broadening the gap between ‘expert’ fire authorities and ‘non-expert’ community. This paper presents co-design methods that were used to facilitate a dialogic form of communication on bushfire preparedness with community members in the Southern Otways, Victoria. The research engaged a group of 20 residents to facilitate co-creation and communication of local knowledge of the geographical environment through visualisation. These methods show potential of bridging relationships between neighbours and the importance of social interactions that can lead to better fire preparation.

THINK ALOUD EXHIBITION FOR INTERACTIVE MEDIA ARTWORKS

by Maxim Bakaev

IASDR 2007, Hong Kong, Nov 2007. P. 1-9.

Visual structure of a Japanese Zen garden

by Michael Lyons

Developing a human-centred and science-based approach to design: the Knowledge Management Platform project

by Georges Romme

Published in: British Journal of Management, 2012 (co-authored with Amandine Pascal and Catherine Thomas)

The gap between theory and practice is a persistent problem in management and organization research. In this respect,... more The gap between theory and practice is a persistent problem in management and organization research. In this respect, several scholars have suggested that ‘design’ is an ideal-typical form of mode 2 knowledge production. Design research develops knowledge in the service of action and problem solving in organizational settings. In this paper, we connect two perspectives on design that can be considered to be largely complementary but have hardly been combined and integrated in practice: science-based design drawing on design propositions grounded in research and human-centred design emphasizing an active and systematic participation by users and other stakeholders. An integrated approach that builds on both perspectives is developed and subsequently applied to designing and developing a portal for mapping competencies in an information technology cluster. This project involves creating problem awareness and articulating design propositions as well as developing scenarios of use, experimenting with prototypes, and organizational transformation. As such, this methodology addresses the dual challenge of rigour and relevance by producing both scientific and practical knowledge.

1. Introduction to Compuational Design

by Sivam Krish

Lecture notes: Introduces students to key aspects of computational design. Lecture notes: Introduces students to key aspects of computational design.

Writing purposefully in art and design: Responding to converging and diverging new academic literacies

by Gavin Melles

Co-Autoren with Julia lockheart from Goldsmiths

In disciplines with long histories in higher education, academic literacies, including writing practices, are less... more In disciplines with long histories in higher education, academic literacies, including writing practices, are less contested than in newer academic fields such as art and design. The relatively recent incorporation of such fields and schools into the university sector has required these fields to create academic writing practices consistent with existing academic models or to justify their distinctive disciplinary practices. Recently, for example, much has been written about the distinctiveness of practice-based, reflective and creative written genres, such as the exegesis and the studio or practice based thesis, as the distinctive voice of art and design. However, such models have yet to gain broad acceptance in the higher education sector, where scientific (e.g. empirical research report) and humanities (e.g. essayist tradition) practices are far more familiar and of overarching significance. Similarly to the sciences and humanities, the field of art and design in fact names a broad grouping of communities of practice, e.g. graphic design, fine arts, fashion design, with a range of expectations regarding practice and writing. Whatever disciplinary consensus is reached regarding legitimate writing practices in art and design, it is important not to obscure these differences and make the same mistake that has hampered clarity in writing instruction for mainstream academic fields, a problem that is at the core of the academic literacies program for change and enlightenment. The Writing Purposefully in Art and Design Network (Writing-PAD) aims to support and disseminate the range of genres associated with writing in art and design. In the second part of this article, an account of the purposes, practices and scope of the Writing-PAD network demonstrates the characteristics of and consensus on forms of academic writing in art and design. Together with our introductory review we hope to promote discussion about the necessary balance of consensus and dissensus that art and design fields require to remain vibrant.

Embodied Reasoning in Architectural Critique

by Jonas Ivarsson

Murphy, K. M., Ivarsson, J. & Lymer, G. Accepted for publication in Design Studies

In this paper we explore the use of analogical reasoning as means for identifying problems in architectural critique... more In this paper we explore the use of analogical reasoning as means for identifying problems in architectural critique interactions. We focus in particular on the conversational invocation of specific architectural references as comparative cases intended to expand, clarify, or challenge details in student presentations. These analogical comparisons are not merely asserted by critics, but are interactively achieved as multimodal forms of action that combine talk with other forms of embodied action. Moreover, taking into account the wider goal structures in which the comparisons are embedded, we argue that in the context of architectural education, reasoning through analogy is a key means for socializing students into certain aspects of professional architecture and testing the limits of architectural knowledge.

Piloting mobile ICT in a developing school in South Africa

by Jacqueline Batchelor

The last of three articles as part of a Masters mini-dissertation

This article reports on the 2nd MobilED intervention set in a under-resourced school. This follows the first iteration... more This article reports on the 2nd MobilED intervention set in a under-resourced school. This follows the first iteration in the design research testing text-to-speech technology and the creation and contribution of new knowledge in the language of choice. The same lesson plan designed and developed for the resourced school in the 1st pilot was used, and the technology platform settings were adjusted slightly to accommodate the pitfalls as identified in the first pilot at a developed school.  All resource materials were provided, as the research focussed primarily on the experience of the learners in a mobile supported collaborative learning event.  Issues such as ownership, time management, accessibility and possible uses are discussed.

Piloting mobile ICT in a developed school in South Africa

by Jacqueline Batchelor

The second of three articles in the series as part of a masters mini-dissertation

This article reports on the design and implementation of a mobile learning event in a privileged school in a... more This article reports on the design and implementation of a mobile learning event in a privileged school in a developing country.  The main objective was to test the technology platform designed by the Meraka Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and to gain a better understanding of its performance, acceptability and viability. The conversation theory of Pask is used to address pedagogic as well as non-pedagogic issues as raised during this pilot.  It was found that the developed MobilED services add specific elements to enhance teaching and learning by creating access to existing content and allowing for new knowledge contributions to be made.  Constrains such as navigation and voice quality, however, needs clarification before being considered as feasible.

Designing information and communication technology to enhance and support mobile learning - a MobilED initiative

by Jacqueline Batchelor

The first of three articles in a series as part of a Masters mini-dissertation

This article reports on the analysis, design and development of a MobilED technology platform in support of mobile... more This article reports on the analysis, design and development of a MobilED technology platform in support of mobile learning in South Africa.  This initiative was conceived, developed and implemented by the Meraka Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). They adapted existing technology to explore the field of mobile learning and developed a prototype to make AudioWiki available to mobile phone users.  As part of the research design, the process followed an iterative cycle and strategies were developed to guide the use of mobile information communications technology (ICT) in a school environment. This part of the project aims to gain a better understanding of the performance, acceptability and viability of mobile learning in schools.  It was found that mapping appropriate outcomes for the various role players, before and during the design phase, contributed significantly to isolating the key factors influencing feasibility.

Mobile Information Communication and Technology Use in Secondary Schools: A Feasibility Study

by Jacqueline Batchelor

Mini-dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Magister Educationis

Mobile technology has allowed the traditional boundaries that exist between formal and informal learning to blend. The... more Mobile technology has allowed the traditional boundaries that exist between formal and informal learning to blend. The purpose of this research is to understand and describe the use of established and new “support networks” and the process of knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation in a formal learning environment. Factors affecting the design, testing and ultimate feasibility of using mobile devises such as cell phones to enhance teaching and learning in well-resourced developed, and under-resourced developing schools are identified. Findings in this study point to the general acceptance of using mobile technology as a readily available vehicle, to provide access to contents and allow learners to contribute to the collective body of knowledge from their own perspective.

Insights into the design, use and implementation of home energy management systems

by Sonja van Dam

Published in Journal of Design Research, March 2012
Van Dam, S.S., Bakker, C.A. and Van Hal, J.D.M. (2012) ‘Insights into the design, use and implementation of home energy management systems’, J. Design Research, Vol. 10, Nos. 1/2, pp.86–101.
Key words: energy monitoring; smart metering; energy efficiency; household energy consumption; feedback; usability; design research; home energy management systems; HEMS; insights; implementation; conceptual modelling.

Between 2008 and 2011, three different home energy management systems (HEMS) that give feedback on energy consumption... more Between 2008 and 2011, three different home energy management systems (HEMS) that give feedback on energy consumption were implemented in households in the Netherlands. Home energy management systems are defined as intermediary devices that can visualise, monitor and/or manage domestic gas and/or electricity consumption. Through a series of questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and usability tests, a wide range of knowledge was gathered on factors influencing the effectiveness of the three systems. The resulting insights were structured with the help of a conceptual model, which outlines the various interactions between users, energy monitors, and their social and physical environments. The insights provide a broad spectrum of factors to be considered for the successful design and implementation of home energy management systems. This paper aims to provoke an open discussion to ascertain the value of the different factors and further the development of effective and useful HEMS.

Understanding the Complexity of Designing Dynamic Textile Patterns

by Anna Vallgårda

Co-authored with Linnéa Nilsson, Mika Satomi, & Linda Worbin

Through a smart textile design project we have identified two sets of complex issues generally relevant for design... more Through a smart textile design project we have identified two sets of complex issues generally relevant for design with state changing materials. Specifically, we show how the temporal dimension of smart textiles increase the complexity of traditional textile design variables such as form and colour. We also show how the composite nature of smart textiles creates a series of interdependencies that make the design of the textile expressions additionally complex. We discuss how these forms of complexity provide opportunities as well as challenges for the textile expressions, and we show how we dealt with them in practice.