Designed inquiry : the significance of research education for industrial designers

Abby Mellick Lopes

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paper

    Abstract

    Research does not sit comfortably within industrial design practice in either an educational or professional context. This is largely due to the conventions of the clientdesigner relationship and the constraints of design delivery and cost. There is however an increasing interest in design research capability, particularly in ethnographic research as the experience of the product or service becomes a focal concern. Methods of social inquiry offer a wealth of possibilities for designers to learn more about the global, social and environmental contexts of their work. This paper explores the significance of research education in training industrial designers capable of responsive, realistic and forethoughtful problem solving in increasingly complex socio-cultural and environmental contexts. It argues that the skills supported and extended by research education are invaluable in training designers able to think and design independently.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationNew Perspectives in Design Education, Proceedings of the Engineering and Product Design Education Conference held at Universitat Polytecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, 4-5 September 2008
    PublisherDesign Society
    Number of pages6
    Publication statusPublished - 2008
    EventInternational Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education -
    Duration: 6 Sept 2018 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceInternational Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education
    Period6/09/18 → …

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