Design Research Society Digital Library
Not a member yet
4839 research outputs found
Sort by
Bridging the Gap: Data-Driven Design for Smart Cities
No full textThe concept of smart cities encompasses not just technological advancement but also citizen well-being and sustainability. However, the increasing data availability often leads to a technology-centric focus, neglecting integration with citizen participation. The design could bridge this gap by facilitating data translation and accessibility. Therefore, this study aimed to test a process for co-analyzing mixed data through collaborative activities and data visualization tools, immersing participants in the impact of weather on urban mobility. The data sources included quantitative data from the transport providers, social networks, and qualitative data from a diary study. The process revealed significant potential, with participants reporting ease in analyzing substantial data volumes and finding the proposal innovative and enjoyable. Future steps may involve enhancing interactive visualizations and automating data-narrative integration for broader adaptability. The contribution of this study lies in a co-design process with data storytelling tools, for any project with a large volume of information
Show me what you mean: The case for easy-to-use 3D visualizations of the built environment
No full textVisual communication, particularly realistic visualization, has been found to be effective for facilitating constructive discussion on issues related to the built environment. Here, we make the case that a browser-based, intuitively designed 3D visualization interface could widen access to such approaches increasing opportunities for co-creation. Using this type of easy-to-access tool could allow community members to own the process of creating a shared vision for their city
Playful Speculative Design: Crafting Preposterous Futures Through Playful Tension
No full textThis paper explores the imaginative borderland of speculative design, often re-ferred to as \u27preposterous futures,\u27 and presents a framework for playful specula-tive design building upon carnivalesque play theory. To operationalize the framework, the concept of ‘playful tensions’ employs three continuums of rele-vance: Firstly, designers should address the ‘purpose’ by navigating the interplay between \u27concern and provocation.’ Secondly, the ‘concept’ should be crafted to straddle the boundary between the \u27serious and ridiculous,\u27 and thirdly, integrat-ing both \u27believable and absurd\u27 elements to scaffold the ‘formgiving’ process. To demonstrate the practical efficacy of the framework, three projects by estab-lished artists and designers are analyzed and discussed. The paper contends that playful speculative design not only nurtures the broader field of speculative de-sign, but also serves as a valuable analytical tool for discerning the playful quali-ties embedded in speculative designs, and finally, contributes to qualifying the transformative power of play design research
Designing for Intimate Wellbeing: Aidee, a Qualitative Approach To Urine Home Monitoring
No full textDespite the widespread use of self-tracking technologies for promoting personal wellbeing, there is limited research on the monitoring of intimate data, particularly urine. To shed light on the design possibilities within this unexplored domain we designed Aidee, a prototype system composed of an app and interactive device that assists users in performing urine monitoring through qualitative data expression and ambient physicalization. To evaluate our prototype we conducted an exploratory between-subjects study involving 54 participants. Our findings indicate user acceptance for qualitative data expressions in the domain of personal wellbeing. Moreover, our study underscores that the combination of an app and interactive device helped people in consulting their urine analysis results with serenity and in experiencing feelings of support and companionship. With this paper we discuss the opportunities and challenges for designing monitoring experiences to promote intimate wellbeing by combining innovative ways of representation and interaction with data
Decoding the banana fiber craft of Kerala using a shape grammar
No full textThe craft heritage of Kerala is situated in the usage of natural materials such as banana fiber. Due to the abundant availability of banana plants in Kerala, local craftspeople use the fibers to make products such as baskets, bags, and coasters. However, the number of banana fiber craft persons is acutely declining, posing a threat to this heritage and crafting knowledge. The customary knowledge transfer method, of working in close proximity with the master craftsperson for a significant period, has become impractical and limited now. Thus, we attempt to decode this crafting knowledge using a shape grammar, as a step towards its preservation, transmission, and design development. The methodology involved gaining insights through contextual inquiry and artifact analysis. The resultant shape grammar presents the material vocabulary, the rules for creating patterned units, as well as the function corresponding to different configurations of the units
Strategic Design: The integration of the two fields of Strategy and Design
No full textThis article outlines the evolution of Design in Strategy and Strategy in Design and discusses the differences and similarities. The examination of the evolutions revealed three different perspectives on integrating Strategy and Design in both fields. The article provides a nuanced understanding of Strategic Design by purposefully establishing the vocabulary of each perspective. The first perspective is a planning practice containing strategic tools and design methods to create conceptual plans. The second perspective is a learning practice through collective reflection from intent and action. The last perspective is the enablement of a comprehensive design practice in which tangible design and strategy emerge from the messiness of creative and collaborative design practice. These Strategic Design practices require different organization and design capabilities and produce distinctive outcomes. The integration of Design and Strategy is becoming increasingly imperative as there is the need to address the more complex, interrelated socio-technological and economic-environmental challenges
‘Worn once’: A call to re-imagine the problematic lexicon of pre-loved clothing in fashion retail
No full textThis paper explores the potential for perceptions of the worn clothing resale space to evolve into a proactive and positive space of engagement through changing the associated lexicon in messaging across retail and wider culture. Employing theories of language and symbolic power, I dissect current modes of consumer value in ‘new vs old’ dichotomies in second-hand clothing consumption. I offer that dissolving hierarchies associated with the new is essential in achieving change in value perception for worn clothing. Utilising ideas of pleasure activism and emotional storytelling in worn clothing communications to engage and educate the consumer is proposed. Using a qualitative approach, research was conducted using secondary sources and primary data constituting a survey of 102 participants and 5 semi-structured expert interviews collected for this inquiry. The research aims to add momentum to the discussion around communications and marketing for meaningful engagement in the pre-loved sector in fashion retail
Drawing-philosophy correspondence: Towards transforming from within
No full textThe global call for transformation towards a more just, sustainable and pluriverse world has also materialised within the design field, asking for new design practices that embrace open-ended and relational processes. Several approaches emerged over the last decades, built on different values, and investigating ontological, epistemological, ethical, and practical dimensions. In this pictorial, I explore what these new practices can be and do, through embarking on a drawing-philosophy correspondence journey. This pictorial shows my three-year quest to explore the role of drawing for researching design for societal transformation. By visually researching philosophical concepts such as correspondence, commoning, minor key, and human-technology-world relationships, this work aims to contribute to design-philosophy correspondence, by imagining, questioning, and researching philosophical concepts underlying alternative socio-material practices, and through this support the transformation of the everyday sociomaterial practices of organisation that are addressing the grand societal challenges
Learning from the past: How to apply the circular economy practices of Japan’s Edo period to modern society
No full textJapan\u27s Edo society (1603-1868) is often referred to as the \u27ultimate circular society\u27 and even offers valuable lessons for the modern circular economy. However, Edo practices cannot be directly applied to the modern world due to differences in past and present social conditions. This research aimed to apply Edo practices to modern society through the following steps. First, we constructed a hypothetical model of the Edo circular economy to show how social factors fostered Edo people\u27s mentalities and behaviors for recycling and reusing. Second, using this model as an analytical framework, we examined modern circular economy practices to understand the differences and similarities between the past and the present. Third, based on this understanding, we developed a pattern language to help reproduce Edo\u27s circular model in modern society. The patterns were used in a workshop and validated as effective for generating ideas to improve the circularity of modern products
Empowering urban wellbeing and biodiversity through design-driven citymaking
No full textThis paper presents a practice-based account of the roles that design can play in the realization of a biodiversity-driven approach to citymaking, specifically as part of urban regeneration. The authors first retrace the evolving relationship between design and citymaking in light of contemporary urban regeneration challenges, to identify the potential roles design can play in these contexts. Urban biodiversity is then explored as a factor relevant to urban well-being, ecosystem services, and proactive citizenship, clustering the types of actions that can support a biodiversity-sensitive urban regeneration. Following these premises, a portfolio of initiatives centered on urban biodiversity within a large-scale urban regeneration project in Milan (Italy) is presented to exemplify how design-led interventions can favor the urban natural environment. From these insights, the authors reflect on how designers can work with urban biodiversity to drive sustainable practices while re-establishing people’s relationship with nature and empowering communities\u27 participation in urban transformation