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Transforming Design Museums for Redesigning Design
No full textThere is a need for spaces that can support reflecting on and reimagining design, and redirecting it toward sustainment and justice. Such spaces would necessarily operate with the understanding that design is ontological and has political consequences. We might think of such spaces as metabolic design museums. In this paper, we imagine how metabolic museums might help to redesign design through keeping process at their heart and critically unpacking design’s involvement in urgencies as well as possibilities to envision and move towards more just futures. To do this, we build on intersectional feminist analysis of existing design museums through museum visits and participatory workshops, as well as inspiration from activist spaces; and we speculate about how feminist tactics applied by para-museums could catalyze transformational processes. If those processes were successful, a design museum would then enter into a state of continuous metabolization and become able to contribute to transforming design
MakIN\u27Rome living lab. A case study of design-driven approach for the development of urban community-based projects
No full textDesigning for social innovation in urban context prompts a re-evaluation of urban sociability (dos Santos et al., 2021). This contribution delves into the outcomes of a living lab initiative that tackled the growing prevalence of urban manufacturing (Fasoli & Tassinari, 2017) in Rome\u27s landscape. Eight laboratories have been engaged in a co-design experiment, through a systemic approach guided by a hyper-local tool offering an exemplary case study of how Design can effectively foster community building and introduce novel urban production models (Rietveld, 022). This network encompasses a blend of services, technologies, and skills, aligning with the principles of the 15-minute city (Manzini, 2021) ultimately encouraging both technological and social innovations. While the findings show how Design can advocate for sustainable urban development and vibrant neighbourhoods, the insights, derived by the systemic approach applied, hold value for policymakers, urban planners, and other decision-makers, reflecting the potential for empowered citizenship
Navigating ethics-informed methods at the intersection of design and philosophy of technology
No full textThe idea that technologies influence society—both positively and negatively—is not new. This is mainly the terrain of the philosophy and the ethics of technology research. Similarly, design research aims to help create new technologies in line with individual, social, and societal needs and values. Against this backdrop, it seems essential to expose relations between design and philosophy of technology research, particularly from a methodological perspective. The main goal of this paper is to suggest a preliminary overview of methods and approaches that can inspire and inform interdisciplinary collaboration and, with that, systematic engagement with ethics in design processes. Through interdisciplinary exchange, we propose a preliminary typology of ethics-informed methods and approaches based on two main dimensions, namely theory-grounded approaches to theoretically-flexible techniques and assessment to accompaniment. This mapping intends to help navigate the ethical qualities of selected methods from both disciplines, and it aims to create a platform for fruitful interdisciplinary conversations
Mapping the evolution of design research: a data-driven analysis of interdisciplinary trends and intellectual landscape
No full textDue to its interdisciplinary nature, research in design, more so than other disciplines, has to develop self-awareness to adapt to the inherent complexity of the contemporary world. This requires the use of big data as comprehensive self-descriptors, along with tools borrowed from the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate knowledge that researchers in this field can integrate with their own expertise to guide their research activities. We consider a large-scale set of about 170000 design-related scientific publications and leverage natural language processing, machine learning, and data visualization to explore and capture the evolution of the design community. We identify and visualize recurring themes and discussions that helped shape the field. Our findings suggest that research in design is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and interconnected and that AI-driven approaches can shed light on the future of the discipline and provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the fiel
Governance in Silico: Experimental Sandbox for Policymaking over AI Agents
No full textThe concept of \u27governance in silico\u27 summarizes and questions the design and policy experiments with synthetic data and content in public policy, such as synthetic data simulations, AI agents, and digital twins. While it acknowledges the risks of hallucinations, errors, and biases, often reflected in the parameters and weights of the ML models, it focuses on the prompts. Prompts enable stakeholder negotiation and representation of diverse agendas and perspectives that support experimental and inclusive policymaking. To explore the prompts\u27 engagement qualities, we conducted a pilot study on co-designing AI agents for negotiating contested aspects of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act). The experiments highlight the value of an \u27exploratory sandbox\u27 approach, which fosters political agency through direct representation over AI agent simulations. We conclude that \u27governance in silico\u27 exploratory approach enhances public consultation and engagement and presents a valuable alternative to the frequently overstated promises of evidence-based policy
Drifting by friction: Playing with ontologies of design
No full textIn this paper, I will trace the ‘drift’ that has happened in my PhD project, ‘De-signing for Playful Democratic Frictions’. I argue that it has been driven primarily by the friction that emerged between the diverse components in my ‘research-assemblage’. The aim is not to resolve the friction, but rather to enhance and fol-low it as far as I can. I suggest that a playful attitude is helpful for lingering with this friction, and that such a stance can allow us to see things otherwise ob-scured by tales of historical necessity. This notion of drifting by friction may in-spire strategies for design research that allow us to question the ontologies of design, potentially generating small openings for different conceptions of design to emerge
Mobile interfaces for caregivers and older adults: Iterative design of the LifeTomorrow Ecosystem with aesthetic and functional considerations
No full textAs the population of older adults increases, so does the demand for technology that supports caregiving and aging in place. Smart home technology, wearable health trackers, and mobile applications have all been identified as possible methods of support. Studies on the user interfaces of these technologies have predominantly explored how well their features and functions address the complex needs of older adults and caregivers. However, many of these applications lack adequate consideration of visual design principles and aesthetics. The present study aims to illustrate the iterative design process of the LifeTomorrow Ecosystem which includes two applications: one for caregivers and one for older adult care recipients. The results include high-fidelity screens from the applications that incorporate functional and visual design principles, as well as the feedback of older adults, caregivers, and designers. Finally, we provide recommendations for designers to consider when designing applications targeted at older adults and their caregivers
Reframing Design Maturity: a New Perspective on the Development of Design in Public Organizations
No full textAlthough design is a core activity of public organizations, the dominant perspective to this day is that public organizations are void of design. Existing design maturity models based on this perspective thus do not reflect, nor do justice to the practice of design in public organizations. In this conceptual paper we therefore propose to reframe design maturity as a matter of versatility and alignment - i.e. as an organization’s ability to tailor their design activities to the different design tasks it faces, while establishing productive interactions with other concurrent design activities. This offers a new perspective on how design can be fostered in public organizations. This paper proposes four ways in which this can be done. As such, it contributes to the evolving discourse on design in public organizations
Developing factors of trust for the design of trustworthy Human - Product interactions
No full textTrust is fundamental in our acceptance and decision-making of that which we surround ourselves with. This paper reviews existing frameworks and discourse around types of trust and identifies key factors for trust formation, maintenance and ongoing use. It establishes a need for a framework focusing on the design of trustworthy objects, especially those that are technology-embedded. It identifies a series of factors and recommendations when designing for trust. Stemming from a creative practice-based PhD from Aotearoa, New Zealand, the project seeks to design a product for the horticultural industry that enables more efficient data collection around fruit size. When yield correlates with financial outcomes, growers distrust data from the packhouse not matching estimations. Using digital technologies generates richer datasets safely and efficiently, allowing for a greater understanding of the state of the orchard at a given time. The factors found have relevance and application across a broad range of industries
Designing for playful learning in formal education: a case study of virtual reality field trips
No full textDespite the benefits of playful learning experiences to increase students’ motivation and learning, traditional classrooms lack opportunities to learn through play. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool to bring rich, playful contexts into classrooms, but designing instructional models that make the most of its affordances remains challenging. This paper describes a multi-year design process implementing VR field trips in high school engineering classrooms to highlight the benefits and challenges of using VR to promote playful learning in schools. In both remote and in-person classes we developed virtual field trip lessons using immersive videos and videogame-like environments. Over time, learning goals, activities, and assessments were adjusted to meet students’ needs as part of an iterative design process. The benefits of VR for playful learning are discussed, along with the importance of post-VR reflection and discussion, and the persistent challenges of educational content and class time