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Suchitra
Sheth
National Institute of Design - India
Refocussing
praxis
the problem for design research
This
essay is an attempt to outline what design research should be and the place
it should have in the practice and pedagogy of design. It draws on my experiences
with research in design over the last decade - as a student, as a professional
and now, as a teacher of design. These experiences have convinced me that
the centrality of praxis is the defining characteristic of design and designers
view the world around them with this focus. Therefore to be relevant, research
in design must be rooted in the actual practice of design and must reflect
the process of design, the products of design as well as, of course, the
social and cultural contexts in which design takes place. Only such research
would enrich the practice of design as well as the teaching and learning
of design.
The essay is divided into three parts. Part I briefly analyses the state
of research in design and the reasons why designers in India do not find
it relevant to their work. Part II tries to articulate the differing worldviews
of design researchers and designers and the epistemological challenges posed
by these differences. Following from Parts I and II, Part III explores the
directions design research needs to take in order to be relevant to practice
and sets out the implications of this kind of research for the pedagogy
of design.
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