Thinking Through Making

STRATEGIC CREATIVITY SERIES
THINKING
THROUGH
MAKING
The Readership
in Strategic Creativity
at Design Academy Eindhoven
Bas Raijmakers
Danille Arets
Collaborating with:
11 Research Associates, many students and tutors at Design Academy Eindhoven
and 60 organisations in the CRISP programme
Research period April 2011 June 2015

2
THINKING
THROUGH
MAKING
Bas Raijmakers
Danille Arets
1
2
Contents
Reflections on CRISP at
Design Academy Eindhoven 5
Bas Raijmakers
A Thinking-through-making
approach to design research 17
Bas Raijmakers
Lessons from nine

Research Associate projects 25
Teaching design research 43

Danille Arets
Sharing design research 50

Danille Arets
Where to go next? 69
Bas Raijmakers and Danille Arets
Contributor biographies 73
Colophon 78
3
Jeroen van Erp
Creative Director Fabrique
Member of the Executive Board of CRISP (2011 - 2015)
How did you get to know the readership?

Through being a member of the Executive Board of CRISP, I learned more about
research at Design Academy Eindhoven. I am very familiar with the research culture
at technical universities and universities of applied sciences, but I was pleasantly
surprised by what was going on at the Witte Dame, where DAE resides.
What is the biggest strength of design

research at DAE in your view?
The Design Academy has a big reputation when it comes to bringing forward star
designers. Thats why it was such a surprising and interesting discovery that its research
is focussed on strategic creativity, and that one of the areas their research focusses on is
how people and parties can collaborate in a more effective way. The insights and results
are published the Strategic Creativity Series. Reading the publications makes you aware
of the Readerships complementary role at the academy. By the way, the traditional
academic world can learn something from the speed with which these were published.
The Design Academy also contributed to the definition of CRISPs overarching themes,
which were defined after the third year. They played a pivotal role in the deepening of the
orchestration and strategic value themes, which are explained in CRISP magazine #5.
What do you see as the legacy of the

work by the readership within CRISP?
One of the driving forces behind the CRISP programme was the willingness of all
parties to step out of their comfort zones. In this case DAE acted bravely. I can imagine
that its participation in CRISP will have a profound influence on the perception of re-
search within the academy. It also helped to encourage the more traditional research
institutes to step out of their comfort zones. In general the contribution was refreshing,
different, challenging, but also collaborative and highly competent. The thinking-
through-making approach created a lot of involvement of other parties and appears to
have been very effective. It was the contribution of the Design Academy that helped to
create an even better balance in the CRISP programme than we had initially aimed for.
I sincerely hope Design Academy Eindhoven stays connected to design research pro-
grammes like CRISP in the future.
4
Reflections on CRISP at
Design Academy Eindhoven
Bas Raijmakers
The Creative Industries Scientific Programme (2011 to 2015) was unique in

several ways. Never had the Dutch government spent so much money (to be
specific, 10m of the 19m CRISP budget) on the creative industries. Never
had the Dutch creative industries been the target of a nationally-funded
innovation programme. Never had so many partners (more than 60) come
together to run a programme within the creative industries. Never had
the three Technical Universities (Delft, Eindhoven and Twente) and Design
Academy Eindhoven (DAE) collaborated on such a scale. Never had DAE
participated in such an ambitious scientific programme. And as a result, a
very large body of knowledge on the strategic role of design in a knowledge
economy and in society has been developed in a coherent manner. So how did
this all become possible?
The rationale behind CRISP was as simple as it was visionary. The Netherlands,
and the wider European context in which CRISP existed, is a society and
economy that depends on developing new knowledge and applying it. In
short, it depends on continuous innovation. The first decade of the millennium
made very clear that creativity plays a crucial role in further developing
knowledge societies and economies, as pointed out in The Rise of the Creative
Class by American sociologist and economist Richard Florida in 2002 [3], and
was further confirmed by the books widespread influence. Soon after the
publication appeared many governmental institutes started to discuss how
to deal with the creative sector because they understood that it would play a
crucial role in the future economy. This is where design comes in. Design as a
discipline, and the people who have worked in the field, have diversified since
the late 20th century: many new design disciplines have emerged such as
interaction design, service design and social design which all have started to
embrace and include other previously separate disciplines such as computer
science, marketing and sociology. One may even wonder if these new design
disciplines are in fact multidisciplinary, rather than design disciplines. On top
of that, design thinking became popular in business circles in the first decade
of this century. Business schools and scholars started to embrace design as a
strategic approach. It is in this context that the Dutch Government started to
5
explore whether the creative industries could be one of its innovation Top
Sectors. An initial study confirmed this in 2010 and CRISP became the first
funded programme written by the sector itself to boost innovation, as stated in
its main objecti ves[2]: Through CRISP, we aim to achieve a long-term durable
shift towards a Dutch creative sector with new knowledge, tools and capabili-
ties, and the strongly improved capacity to: (1) build sustainable partnerships
with their clients at a strategic level [and] (2) substantially contribute to major
social/societal challenges of the 21st century.
New collaborations and coalitions
With regards to the design sector in the Netherlands the scale of CRISP was
unprecedented in both academia and industry and for the ministries of
Economical Affairs (EZ) and Education, Culture and Sciences (OCW) which
sponsored the programme it was also new to deal with such diverse and nu-
merous parties while setting up the programme. Moreover, the ministries had
not yet collaborated on such an innovation programme either. More common
was to have just a few companies that are the major players in a sector, and a
representative body from the sector itself. A minor but telling difference arose
prior to receiving the funding grant, at the final defence of the programme
before a national scientific advisory committee: the CRISP programme com-
mittee was not permitted to support their spoken words with images. These
differences led to more such uneasy exchanges at times, but everyone man-
aged to pull through and create a programme of eight four-year projects, each
run by a joint industry-academic consortium and co-financed by the sector for
almost 50% (9 million).
DAE had a central role in the programme, together with the three Technical
Universities, at the explicit request of the Dutch government who wanted to
bring together the international academic excellence of the design depart-
ments of the Technical Universities with the international Dutch Design repu-
tation of DAE. Staff and students at DAE were acknowledged as creative, con-
ceptual thinkers and makers, as game changers who are crucial for successful
innovation. The other governmental request was to collaborate with societal
and industry partners, large and small. Almost 60 partners came on board,
from small design agencies to design departments of large corporations, and
all sorts of clients of designers, from the care sector to transport to printing to
accounting and many more. Several of the people we worked with comment on
the contribution of Design Academy Eindhoven to design research and CRISP
6
on pages 4, 11, 13, 16, 42, 48 and 71. A jointly chosen theme of Product Service
Systems (a coherent combination of tangible products, intangible services and
intelligent services think public transport for instance) also brought and held
the entire CRISP consortium of more than 60 organisations together. This
choice resonated well with the importance of services in contemporary society
and economy, and the potential for a strategic role for design in addressing
so-called wicked problems[1] that are so complex that only a multidisciplinary
approach can offer meaningful responses and interventions.
Still, the challenge was huge. Once the plan had passed all governmental tests
and was funded, after almost two years of discussing, writing and arguing
for it, we as conceivers of the programme realised there was no precedence
for its execution. We had to invent new instruments to make CRISP happen,
make it successful. One new crucial element to create coherence were the
bi-annual Design Review Sessions (see page 61) every April and October start-
ing in 2011, where over time, participants of all eight projects came together
to form a CRISP community. This avoided the more usual inward-looking
project focus of participants in scientific programmes. As a result we could
create a CRISP body of knowledge that is truly coherent and can be commu-
nicated to the designers and organisations that can benefit from it. The five
CRISP magazines that were published (see page 61) were aimed at the creative
industry and its clients, and are a second new instrument invented for CRISP.
One last key challenge had also to be addressed while the programme was
being formulated: how could the three Technical Universities collaborate
with DAE and together form the backbone of the CRISP programme, as the
government required?
Introducing the Research Associate model
Some collaborations between the institutions had occurred previously, but

always one-on-one and in much smaller settings and for a shorter period.
Most were aimed at design education rather than design research that had to
result in knowledge. A new way to collaborate had to be invented. As co-writer
of the CRISP programme for DAE I was personally responsible for the spe-
cific development of the Research Associate model. Eventually I would lead
the execution of the CRISP programme for the academy for its duration, of
four years. This model was inspired by the role of Research Associates at the
Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art where I had worked for
several years writing my PhD dissertation, before coming to DAE as a masters
7
tutor for design research in 2008. A Research Associate is part-time employed
(0.5fte) by DAE for a period of one year to carry out design research in one of
the eight CRISP projects. Only DAE alumni (both BA and MDes) could apply
for this fully paid position we were delighted to receive more than 100 ap-
plications for the 11 positions we advertised. Following interviews, we hired
mostly designers with their own practices and self-initiated projects and cli-
ents, who had completed the academy a few years previously, sometimes even
more than ten years back. We wanted to hire only DAE alumni because we were
keen to explore what kind of design research we could develop, which had its
roots in the academy. After all, design research at this scale was new to our in-
stitution and at the start of CRISP there was no shared understanding of what
design research actually was (now there is, see Chapter 2).
In four years we have worked with a total of eleven Research Associates*, most
of whom were employed part-time (0.5fte) for fifteen months in the end; three
have worked two consecutive years, or a bit more; and three stopped before
their year ended, mostly because they had difficulties combining their own
practice with the Research Associateship. These last few were alumni that had
run their practices for a period much longer than a few years, and to cut out
such a large chunk of time for CRISP proved to be too demanding. Having had
a handful of years of experience in the creative industry with an independent
studio of one or a few people turned out to be the ideal starting point for a
Research Associateship. At the end of their contract, all design researchers
who completed their project expressed that they had strongly benefitted from
this unique role. It deepened their professional practices, taught them how
to work much more strategically with their clients and partners, and the pro-
cess of finding new collaborators and clients also broadened their networks.
It almost always led to new opportunities such as teaching design research,
being much better positioned to argue for and to do design research, or, in two
cases so far, even undertaking a design research PhD. The publications edited
by Research Associates about their projects in this series supported this; the
publications became proof of the knowledge the Research Associates devel-
oped and are calling cards to open new doors. This all fitted very well with the
objectives of CRISP mentioned above and created a new type of collaboration
between DAE and the three universities.
* In alphabetical order: Michelle Baggerman, Alessia Cadamuro, Susana Cmara Leret,

Heather Daam, Maartje van Gestel, Cynthia Hathaway, Marijn van der Poll, Karianne Rygh,
Mike Thompson, Joris Visser and Jonathan Wray. See page 73-77 for their biographies. Each
completed project is introduced from page 30. Personal reflections on their CRISP projects
from most of them are spread throughout this publication (see pages 12, 24, 39, 49 and 68).
8
The Strategic Creativity Readership
Each Research Associate worked in two teams: one was as part of the eight
CRISP project teams and the other as member of the design research team
at DAE. The latter is the Strategic Creativity Readership (Lectoraat in Dutch)
set up specifically for CRISP, led by myself as Reader/Lector and Danille
Arets as Associate Reader/Lector, from the very beginning. Ellen Zoete was a
key member of the Readership as producer and co-editor of this publication
series for the last three years. Research Associates came and went, overlapping
large parts of each others project durations. Like this they could learn from
the experiences of others who had started earlier and who were still there,
as well as share experiences with new Research Associates coming in. At the
academy a larger group was involved at times, including seven DAE tutors and
some seventy students who participated in seven Design Research Spaces
(see Chapter 4). These Design Research Spaces were the Research Associates
contribution to the DAE curriculum. This structure allowed us first and fore-
most to develop design research at DAE by doing it, and secondly, to organise
reflection on our own emerging practices around that. This took formal forms
for instance, all Research Associates were interviewed by us, and many col-
laborators from partners in academia and industry as well, and the readership
went through an external accreditation process in 2014 and more casual
forms too (bi-weekly meetings with all active members, sometimes with guest
external experts, and the many contributions we made to workshops, presenta-
tions and discussions during CRISP (see page 64-65). These reflections led to
knowledge that was disseminated in many ways, as detailed in Chapter 5.
The Research Associate position is demanding, in all the bridges it has to build
and all the choices that the design researcher has to make. But it is definite-
ly here to stay because it helps to explore, understand, and prototype new
collaborations between industry and academia in innovation programmes.
And even more importantly, it offers a way into these programmes for small,
often young creative companies that would otherwise never get into such a
programme. The eleven DAE Research Associates have proved beyond any
shadow of a doubt that this group of the creative industries has a unique and
valuable contribution (see Chapter 3) to make. The Research Associate model,
including the Readership team structure at DAE that provided an essential
context, has proven its value too. This has been pointed out by the accredita-
tion committee, the enthusiastic responses by students and tutors involved in
the Design Research Spaces and the glowing feedback from the partners with
whom we worked.
9
The model is being picked up on a wider scale in the Netherlands, in the 2015
call Research Through Design programme for creative industries from NWO,
STW & SIA (three organisations who collaborate in supporting scientific
research in the Netherlands) for instance, where collaborations between uni-
versities and universities of applied science, like DAE, are encouraged along
lines that were developed in CRISP. DAE takes part in two of the nine selected
projects, which start early 2016. This once more confirms that design research
has become an established part of the academy. It has its own budget and
structural integration in the academy organisation, which allows the Strategic
Creativity Readership to continue its work. We have not yet completed our
explorations and are keen to create more knowledge together, through de-
signing, expanded upon in the last chapter of this book. This continuation is
also a result of four years of doing design research in CRISP, and reflecting on
the emerging practices. We hope you will enjoy reading this last, 10th volume
of the Strategic Creativity series that documents many of the lessons learned
at Design Academy Eindhoven during CRISP. May it encourage you to build
design research into your design practice, to set up collaborations between
industry and academia, and to get in touch with us with ideas and suggestions
for future collaborations.
References
[1] Buchanan, R. Wicked Problems in Design Thinking, in: Design Issues

(Vol. VIII, Number 2, Spring) pp 5-21, MIT Press 1992.
[2] CRISP partners. Creative Industry Scientific Programme (CRISP)
Design of Product Service Systems. Page 7. October 2010.
[3] Florida, R. The Rise of the Creative Class. Basic Books, New York City, 2002.
10
Prof. dr. Pieter Jan Stappers
Professor Design Techniques at Technical University Delft
Head of Research at the Faculty of Industrial Design, TU Delft
Member of the Executive Board of CRISP (2013 - 2015)
How did you work with the readership?

I, and my Studiolab group at TU Delft, knew Bas Raijmakers from earlier encoun-
ters and conversations around design research, also at Design Academy Eindhoven.
Through these, we learned we shared much but also had complementary experiences
and approaches. The decision to work together within CRISP in the PSS 101 project
was a natural next step, and the collaboration format CRISP provided fitted well with
this ambition. Through my position on the Executive Board of CRISP and the Design
Review Sessions, I also got to see the other contributions of DAE to CRISP.
What is the biggest strength of design research

at Design Academy Eindhoven in your view?
The biggest strength of the design research team at Design Academy Eindhoven
was show-cased well within the CRISP PSS101 project: the ability to make artefacts
that are at once functional, evocative, and explorative. Both Value Pursuit and the
Super-Maker expressed a vision of how design tools could support communication
and understanding of complex matters within design teams. They could be used as
a practical tool in a complex collaboration with several different partners, and also
as a physical manifestation of an overarching perspective to help understand the
complexities being studied.

Probably the most enduring legacy of the Readership within the CRISP pro-
gramme will be the format of how the DAE researchers fit in with the University re-
search. The Research Associate format of embedding short-term (one year) academy
projects in longer-term (four year) university projects helped to secure new bridges
both within academia, and between academia and industry. One sign of that legacy may
already be the format of NWOs 2014-2015 Research Through Design call, where similar
connections of university-research with academy-research together with other societal
partners are promoted. Im happy to see Design Academy Eindhoven actively involved
in submitting proposals to this programme.
11
Karianne Rygh
Designer / Researcher at Studio Rygh
Research Associate for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (October 2012- June 2015)
How did you experience your time as a

Research Associate at DAE in CRISP?
My time as a CRISP Research Associate was a valuable training or boot camp as
I would like to call it in how to do academic research through making. It allowed me
to go deeper into the research than I had been able to do in my masters (Contextual De-
sign at DAE). However, the PSS 101 project was more complex than I had expected, and
my first year was quite stressful; I didnt know how to intervene within the context of
the research, and how I could contribute my skills as a designer, as it was quite abstract
and meta-level. This changed though when I developed the Value Pursuit (see page 34)
and with working on the Super-Maker (see page 37) as I had a better understanding of the
project team and structure and saw that it was up to me to steer the outcome of the project.

The biggest strength of design research at DAE is that you can conduct the re-
search using the intuitive approaches that you have learned at DAE in a way that is
understood by academic design researchers. We learned to put words to the things we
do and to combine research and intuition through making. The thinkingthrough-mak-
ing approach works very well to include the making (the design practice) within the
research. Working with students who question everything is very valuable in col-
laborations with large companies, which can become very self-restrictive in their thinking.
The students are a great driver and motivation within the research and its great to have the
opportunity to host Design Research Spaces to include the students in the larger research.
How did the Research Associateship help you

to build a career as design researcher?
The Research Associateship has trained me in conducting academic research,
writing scientific papers, presenting and making my content understandable at inter-
national academic conferences, as well as how to orchestrate workshops. It has also
trained me in how to coordinate and drive a project, while collaborating with a wide
array of stakeholders. The design research has put me in contact with several research
groups, fields, labs and experts, making it easier for me to continue as a researcher after
CRISP. What has been most valuable to me is the co-writing we have done. Personally I
thrive on collaborations and really enjoy when an end result reflects the input of, in our
case, three different people with different backgrounds and viewpoints. It has brought
my writing to a much higher academic level.
12
Klaas Jan Wierda
Concept Developer
CRISP partner Oc A Canon Company
How did you work with the Readership?

As a concept developer for Oc Technologies R&D in Venlo I work in various inno-
vative projects on developing new products and services. I participated in CRISP with
several colleagues and worked with Research Associates, students and their coaches
at Design Academy Eindhoven. Our team at Oc participated in many activities, but
above all we made many things to fuel all those interactions: we printed literally many
hundreds of samples using our experimental elevated printing technique. The challenge
was to build a product service system around it. This became the Super-Maker project,
led by Karianne Rygh.

In the Super-Maker project I discovered an interesting characteristic of DAE
researchers and students. Do you know what happens when you clearly state the limi-
tations of a particular technology to them? Youve probably guessed it; they put all their
creative skills to work to overcome those limitations. The results of their experiments
with our elevated printing technology were both unexpected and inspiring to us. They
showed us a completely new direction of research into applications for the technology.
The Super-Maker samples we showed during Dutch Design Week convinced several new
stakeholders of the relevance of our research into the potential of elevated printing.

Recently the Strategic Creativity Readership started to explore how to design re-
lationships and design processes, which in my opinion is a very relevant, very new
field of design research. Rather than the academic approach, the DAE brings an open
and pragmatic approach to this topic. Open in the sense that they do not attempt to stay
within existing bodies of knowledge or frames of reference; they are happy to venture
into new fields of expertise. Thinking-throughmaking, indeed.
This venturing into the unknown can of course conflict with existing structures
of people and their interests. Designing for impact requires awareness of existing
structures and respect for them, but this should not overpower the original creative
strengths of the DAE. Lets try to make a balance together and think about its impact:
thinking-through-making.
13
www.lexiconofdesignresearch.com (see page 19)
Thinking
through
making
Thinking
Noun The process of considering or
reasoning about something.1
Making
Noun The process of making
or producing something.2
At Design Academy Eindhoven thinking includes

collecting, documenting, mapping, analysing,
reflecting, translating, synthesising, and concluding.
Thinking is not only expressed through text, but
also through everything we make. Making includes
crafting objects, organising activities, telling
stories, and designing systems and experiences.
All of these can be vessels of knowledge expressed
in ways other than through words alone.
Thinking-through-making is a process in which

making and thinking alternate back and forth all the
time, in rapid iterations. The making or designing
could be taking place intuitively. Reflecting on what
has been made helps create knowledge and insights.
1
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/
definition/english/thinking
2
definition/english/making
14
Engineering Temporality is a collection of furniture
that evolved from Tolvanens personal experience with
his grandmothers declining health due to Alzheimers.
Her Alzheimers disease is unravelling the fabric
of her life, stitch by stitch, and evaporating the very
Tuomas Markunpoika, core of her personality and life, her memories, and
Engineering Temporality turning her into a shell of a human being, explains
Master contextual design, 2012 Tolvanen. He used tubular steel as the principal
http://markunpoika.com/ material, cutting the tubes into small rings and then
engineeringtemporality joining them back together to form a semi-covering
layer that fits over an existing piece of furniture. He
also burned away pieces of the covered furniture to
Image: Joost Govers symbolically reveal the idea of memory and vanishing.
15
R Dubhthaigh
Innovation Manager at Citi
Designer & Service Strategist
Interim Associate Reader for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (March 2013 - July 2013)
How did you work with the readership?

I worked with the CRISP team for a number of months in 2013, mentoring some
of the researchers from a design perspective and helping them bridge the gap between
research and practice.

The structured nature of the CRISP programme provided solid scaffolding for
early stage design researchers, while allowing them the opportunity to develop their
own voice and approach. The social context of the design research at the readership
was particularly striking, and contrasting with the view of Design Academy Eindhoven
as a craft-led institution. The Strategic Creativity publication series, each exploring an
aspect of the different research projects, perfectly captures this mix of emerging voices,
grounded academic context and embedded learning.

Design Academy Eindhoven has a strong reputation as a centre of design excel-
lence, CRISP expands this ethos into design research. In my view the legacy of CRISP
is in developing a pathway into design research for DAE students, connecting them to
international peers and helping shape the future of design research in the Netherlands
and beyond.
16
Thinking-through-making
as our approach
The main goal of the Readership Strategic Creativity is to develop a type of

knowledge and knowledge production that builds on the strengths of Design
Academy Eindhoven (DAE). These are specifically combinations of making
and thinking, as well as ambitions to explore new roles for designers in econ-
omy, society and culture. This should help to expand and strengthen DAEs
profile as a knowledge institute that also produces academic knowledge. The
main research question the Readership aims to answer is: how can we create
knowledge that enables creativity to play a more strategic role in service in-
novation for society and the economy, through putting doing design at the
centre of doing research?
A new role for design in a complex world
Design is nowadays called upon to help address complex problems and build
bridges between previously unrelated disciplines and interest groups. No
expertise alone can solve the complex problems we face today. As DAE we
can make a contribution by creating knowledge that introduces innovative
solutions, shares insights across boundaries, and helps to understand the role
of design including that of designers in such situations. In short, this role, and
the value we contribute, can be described as creating meaning.
Not only the knowledge we at the Strategic Creativity Readership create makes
this valuable contribution; the designers who graduate at DAE make it too.
In the end it takes people to create meaning in economy, society and culture.
Learning how this is part of being a designer is a lifelong effort because the
necessary skills and knowledge shift over time. Education has to be flexible
in response, and focus on helping students to develop thinking and reflection
skills parallel with acquiring existing design knowledge. By bringing students
and tutors into design research projects such as CRISP, whose aim is to create
new knowledge, the Strategic Creativity Readership helps them to develop
these skills.
17
Thinking-through-making sums up our vision on the approach needed to
create such knowledge. We often design intuitively, and create knowledge by
reflecting on what we have made. In our vision, making and thinking are alter-
nating all the time, in quick iterations. As a result the making and the thinking
become very interrelated, opening up an opportunity to express knowledge
not just through written, reflective text but also through designed outcomes.
Specifically, making includes not only objects. In our vision, making is also
about creating activities, events, services, spaces, narratives, systems, futures,
and combinations of all of these. Design as a discipline has expanded beyond
products and print, to services and experiences, to systems and transitions.
This does not mean that products and print are no longer relevant. To the
contrary, they are still part of the mix of everything that design creates and to
which it contributes. And their tangibility has great value in the newer design
disciplines such as social design and service design too. Similarly, aesthetics
is also important when designing intangible systems and services that people
experience, rather than see or physically feel.
Thinking is not only expressed by text. In our vision it also can be expressed by
everything we make, from objects to services to systems to futures. We take a
multimedia and multimodal approach to knowledge creation, expression and
dissemination. This helps to make the knowledge we create accessible beyond
(academic) experts in our field, to participants in the triple-helix (creative in-
dustry, government, knowledge institutes) and open innovation, and the wider
public in general. Aesthetics is important here too, as it helps create impact on
those we want to reach and involve.
Establishing a Knowledge Circle at DAE
The thinking-through-making approach also formed the basis for DAEs

Knowledge Circle (in Dutch, Kenniskring), which was established three years
into the CRISP programme. Comprised of representatives of bachelors and
masters departments, readerships, teachers and staff, the Knowledge Circle
aims to further develop design research at DAE. Design research happens
in all departments - of both bachelor and masters - as well as in the research
programme of the two readerships, Strategic Creativity and Places & Traces
(called City & Countryside until Summer 2015, led by dr. David Hamers as
Reader, not part of CRISP). The academy boasts a variety of design research
practices: different departments focus on various subjects, each using their
18
specific methods. Manifestations of design research include objects, servic-
es, events, spaces, drawings, films, texts, maps, styles, identities, scenarios
and more. We can safely say that there is a rich repertoire of design research
approaches at DAE. However, until recently we had not developed a common
language to explicitly discuss this repertoire and share knowledge and exper-
tise in the field of design research at DAE. Therefore, DAEs Knowledge Circle,
established in spring 2014, took as its first task the development of such a lan-
guage. The aim was to create a language suited for a shared conversation about
what is distinctive about our design research practice at DAE, and to contrib-
ute to the debate about design research in the design practice and in design
(and art) education, both in the Netherlands and abroad.
So, how would we describe our design research approach? To answer this
question we have tried to map our design research practice, since mapping is a
much used method at DAE. Firstly, by conversing with heads of departments,
teachers, students, research associates and the executive board. By looking for
inspiring examples and documenting and interpreting these, we have tried to
take stock of the multitude of existing approaches at DAE. Secondly, we have
worked on creating a shared vocabulary with which to describe and under-
stand what we have in common in design research.
A lexicon of design research
After nine months, this has resulted in what we call a lexicon of design
research. It contains a variety of concepts that, together, characterise our
practice. This, we describe as thinking-through-making. The lexicon currently
describes 28 concepts within design research (see page 14), and gives visual
examples of design research projects from bachelor and master students and
the readerships Research Associates. Thinking-through-making is of course
one of these concepts, and is presented on page 17.
Three other concepts are included throughout this book (see pages 22,
40 and 60) and all concepts in their current form can be viewed online at
lexiconofdesignresearch.com. This online resource also includes a short manifesto
that expresses DAEs design research approach. Neither the lexicon nor the
manifesto is a finished, static manifestation of DAEs design research practice.
On the contrary, it is a tool and invitation to engage in a dialogue. Both the
lexicon and the manifesto are living documents that are open to change at any
time. The Knowledge Circle acts as editor of both, and offers the web resource
19
as a source of inspiration and knowledge to the academy, to support education
and design research taking place throughout the school. Furthermore the
lexicon is also open to other knowledge institutes and design researchers to
encourage interaction and discussion with peers elsewhere. After all design
research happens in many places and sharing knowledge is important to cre-
ate a design research culture.
Embedding DAE design research in a wider context
The thinking-through-making approach of DAE is not directly linked to any

specific research question. This is a deliberate choice, because we aim to lay
the foundations for academic design research at the academy, which can gen-
erate a wide range of research questions. The Strategic Creativity Readership,
for instance, is a trail-blazer for academic design research on every possible
subject within all fields in which the academy is active. The Readerships there-
fore consider it their task to set up a range of different structures and methods
that can be embedded in the academy, and make it easier for others to set up
academic research activities in the future. Our work is relevant to students to
learn what doing academic research can mean for designers, how to do it and
what its value is. We try to do this in an open way, for instance, publishing our
work in this series, and talking about it, to contribute to the emergence of de-
sign research at other Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands too.
Making is a very important focus and skill at DAE, but thinking to the level of
(academic) knowledge creation has some way to go before it is truly well-devel-
oped. At the Technical Universities participating in CRISP the balance seems
to tip slightly the other way. This positions DAE well to develop knowledge
using an approach that considers making to be a crucial part of creating (ac-
ademic) knowledge. This is, however, not a hands-versus-heads difference. In
DAE making, conceptual thinking has always played a key role, while in Tech-
nical Universities thinking, prototyping has always been important. Design at
DAE leans more towards the artistic, and design at the Technical Universities
more towards engineering. Such differences, though not absolute and ranging
widely on an individual level, proved to be very valuable in CRISP as they gave
different perspectives on the complex issues that were addressed. Moreover,
these differences demonstrated that DAE can create a distinct identity and
role for itself in the academic design research community, building on its
own strengths.
20
DAE does not aim to develop design research alone. In the past four years an
extensive community has been built up by the Readership through collabo-
rations, and through organising and contributing to conferences, workshops
and work visits, all around the world (see Chapter 5). This has connected us
beyond the CRISP network in the Netherlands, to a range of peers who take
very similar approaches to design research in other academic research groups
in for instance London (at Goldsmiths University, the Royal College of Art and
Central Saint Martins), Genk (MAD faculty at KH Limburg), Milan (Politecnico
di Milano), Copenhagen (KABK), Helsinki (Aalto University), Tokyo (Keio Uni-
versity SFC), Kyoto (Kyoto Institute of Technology) and Rio de Janeiro (PUC).
These peers and others in industry, government and non-profit organisations,
provide a great context to develop thinking-through-making over the coming
years in collaboration and conversation with many, in and outside Design
Academy Eindhoven.
21
Ambiguity
Ambiguity
Noun 1. The quality of being open to more
than one interpretation; inexactness.1
Ambiguity is an important part of each design-related

process at Design Academy Eindhoven. Ambiguity
enables the designer or researcher to always
question what he is working on. Questioning leads
to analysis, reflection and research, to the rethinking
of issues and, ultimately, it enables the discovery
of different ways of exploring things as well as the
unearthing of new possibilities or solutions. Being
open and ambiguous makes a designer thrive.
The purpose may be merely to make the system seem

mysterious and thus attractive but, more importantly,
it can also compel people to join in the work of making
sense of a system and its context, write William
Gaver et al, distinguishing three broad categories of
ambiguity contingent on where uncertainty is located
in the interpretative relationship that links person to
artefact. Ambiguity of information finds its source
in the artefact itself; ambiguity of context in the
sociocultural discourses that are used to interpret it;
and ambiguity of relationship is to be found in the
interpretative and evaluative stance of the individual.
1
definition/english/ambiguity
2
Gaver, W. W., Beaver, J. & Benford, S. (2003).
Ambiquity as a resource for design, Chi Letters, 5(1), 233-237.
22
Jan Pieter Kaptein, At The Second Self Laboratory you can experiment
Second Self Laboratory with different social roles. Embrace a new way of
Graduation project, being by simply changing costume. The costumes
Man and Leisure, 2013 function as universal symbols, revealing information
www.janpieterkaptein.nl/ about the wearers rights, duties, abilities and social
the-second-self-laboratory status. Wearing them not only changes your image, it
also influences your self-perception and behaviour.
Image: Conor Trawinski Explore your character by changing your clothes!
23
Mike Thompson
Co-Founder and designer at Thought Collider
Co-founder and designer at FATBERG
Fellow at Waag Society
Tutor at Design Academy Eindhoven
Research Associate for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (April 2011 - May 2012)

Being a Research Associate at Design Academy Eindhoven was an eye opening,
valuable experience and certainly not what I had expected. Being involved in year one
of the project, there was perhaps not the urge within the team to jump directly into
prototyping from the offset, so my focus lay mainly in scoping the research theme and
in the development of the projects theoretical framework. Im very grateful for having
been involved in the Readership as it helped me strengthen my own perspective on de-
sign research and my role within such interdisciplinary settings.

In my experience, the knowledge generated from more hands-on experiences and
informal insights are an extremely valuable layer that complements fundamental re-
search. Thus DAE, with its strong focus on making, has an important role to play in the
development of new roles for designers within multidisciplinary research.
How did the Research Associateship help you to

build a career as design researcher?
The Research Associateship helped me create my own perspective of what design
research is and could be, particularly in the advantages and disadvantages of existing
as a design researcher both within (embedded) and outside of (autonomously) funda-
mental research. Similarly, it led to a deepening of my critical, theoretical methodol-
ogy, something which I continue to explore in projects over a variety of scientific and
cultural settings. You could say that in some ways these learnings led to the founding
of Thought Collider, a critical design research studio founded by myself and fellow
Research Associate Susana Cmara Leret, in 2014.
24
Lessons from nine Research
Associate projects
Creating knowledge through doing design has always been our aim at Design
Academy Eindhoven (DAE); hence, the CRISP projects were always at the
centre of our attention and activities. Each Research Associate involved had to
define her or his own project once hired, within one of the eight larger CRISP
projects (see Chapter 1). In total nine projects were completed by Research
Associates, in six CRISP projects. Sometimes Research Associates worked
together, or in parallel in the same CRISP project, and sometimes a Research
Associate project was placed in two CRISP projects at the same time. This flex-
ibility was possible because the content of the projects done at DAE was not
predefined. The Research Associate projects had to fit within the framework
of the broad topic of the CRISP project to which they were connected, but
that requirement left quite some room for interpretation. The positive aspects
of this flexibility outnumbered any negatives, as we grew better at coaching
the Research Associate through their initial months. Difficulties for Research
Associates faced included getting to know the CRISP community as a whole
(more than 200 people) and the CRISP project of which they were part (around
20 people). It was not always easy to grasp or get an overview of the expecta-
tions of different players both in CRISP and at DAE. Where could they start
with defining their own project in such a context?
Formulating a Research Agenda
To address this, we asked the Research Associates to formulate their research

question. Some examples:
.
development of meaningful, smart-textiles?
(Michelle Baggerman, Social Fabric, see page 30)
.
that can critically explore human behaviour and experience, in the context
of drug addiction and rehabilitation?
(Susana Cmara Leret, Kindred Spirits, see page 33)
25
.
be properly acknowledged, increased and maintained through design?
(Karianne Rygh, Value Pursuit, see page 34)
Furthermore, the Research Associates were asked to situate their question

in the context of work of other designers and academics, and develop ideas
about how they were going to answer that question, i.e. their design research
methodology. Finally, they had to consider the relevance of this question in
the larger context of CRISP and the Strategic Creativity Readership and DAE.
Together, the answers formed the Research Agenda for the Research Associate
project.
This approach provided the much needed core in a new, open field for every-
one involved at both DAE and CRISP. Every partner in a large programme like
CRISP must find its own role of course, but for the DAE team there was little
to go by, in the beginning. The universities constructed their contributions
mostly around 4-year PhD projects with their own culture and structure. The
industry partners involved largely followed the dynamic of workshops and
meetings set up by the project leaders who were always university-based.
Time-scales between the two differed hugely, from a common four-year ho-
rizon in academia, to a refusal to look beyond six months in some industries
because of the unpredictable, swift changes endemic in their field. DAE chose
to set up its own dynamic somewhere in between these two extremes, with the
one-year Research Associate projects, embedded in the 4-year CRISP projects,
some way or other. We made sure we actively learned by reflecting regularly
on our experiences. Every other Thursday the entire DAE team gathered at the
academy for a joint working day, filled with group discussion and reflection,
individual coaching and the collective organisation of educational activities
and CRISP events. This team varied in size as Research Associates came and
went, and because they were spread across the four years of CRISP, which al-
lowed later joining associates to learn from longer serving colleagues.
Striking a balance between freedom and fitting in
Perhaps the most important lesson is striking a careful balance. The art is to
fit into a larger project and programme, while guarding the freedom to set a
Research Agenda as a Research Associate, and as DAE. We knew from the start
that we wanted both, but had to learn how to fulfil both wishes in equilibrium.
Many unknown factors played into this, the most important ones being the
26
aforementioned differences in time-scale, the lack of a clear list of expecta-
tions, deliverables and deadlines, and differences in perspective.
The differences in time-scale between partners in joint industry-academia

projects are notorious and almost impossible to resolve, but we learned that
putting a medium scale of one-year Research Associate projects in between
helped to build bridges between academia and industry. The Research
Associates could pick up questions that arose later in the CRISP projects, and
address these in their own shorter projects. Karianne Ryghs Super-Maker
project (see page 37, initially with Research Associate Cynthia Hathaway) is
a good example: after an early experiment in one of the CRISP projects, by
partner Oc A Canon Company, Super-Maker became a follow up project
that investigated questions that were left unanswered by that first experiment.
The duration of Research Associate projects was generally seen as very

positive, but one year was often a little too short. Most projects were extended
a few months, to allow Research Associates to meet the long list of expecta-
tions. Among these were iterated prototypes and a final design that helped to
create knowledge as well as express the knowledge gained. Ideally, this also
had to be presented in a conference paper (which everyone eventually did, see
page 64) and a publication in the Strategic Creativity series. Students and one
DAE tutor had to be involved at some stage too, in a Design Research Space
of 4-5 weeks (see page 43). These were the expectations from the Readership.
The expectations from the CRISP project leaders were added on top. These dif-
fered wildly between projects, from supporting existing project work of PhD
candidates or partners, to actually contributing to or organising project work-
shops, and presenting at the CRISP-wide bi-annual Design Review Sessions
(see page 50). At times, Research Associates felt it was impossible to meet all
these expectations in their part-time (50%) capacity. As a team, we had to learn
how to deal with this by helping Research Associates to prioritise: to say no
sometimes, but also by offering help to each other, working as a team. Towards
the end of the four years, a better balance was achieved from the accumulation
of experience by the eleven Research Associates.
The different perspective that Research Associates brought into the projects
was appreciated. It was different from the purely academic perspective of PhD
candidates who generally didnt have the experience of working in the creative
industry, unlike the Research Associates. This view gave Research Associates a
broader view on the topics they investigated and allowed them to bring a cre-
ative industry network into the design research, which was much closer to the
27
world of industry partners in CRISP. As a result, Research Associates were able
to take up a highly appreciated go-between position between academia and in-
dustry. Bridges could be built and new, different approaches were introduced.
It also meant there was no precedent; therefore, opportunities had to be dis-
covered and Research Associates had to make many choices. To navigate that,
DAE team discussions and reflections proved crucial. For example Research
Associate, Mike Thompson, worked under the initial expectations that his role
would be mainly making prototypes. But, he was able to shift this expectation
so drastically that eventually Mikes major contribution was to the conceptual
framework of the project (see page 36). In another project, Research Associate
Jonathan Wray brought a theatrical approach to design research, which no one
expected, but was very much appreciated by his industry partner KLM/Royal
Dutch Airlines (see page 31).
Creating a team at DAE
A constant factor across the four years were Bas Raijmakers as Reader and
Danille Arets as Associate Reader, coaching the Research Associates, with
R Dubhthaigh replacing Danielle during her maternity leave. Ellen Zoete
joined the team as producer and co-editor to manage the publication series.
These three roles provided much needed continuity in the DAE team and also
towards the CRISP boards and communication teams. The trio participated
actively to give DAE a firm presence in the CRISP programme as a whole. They
also provided bridges to the academy, especially when setting up the Design
Research Spaces (see page 43) in which Research Associates collaborated with
students as part of their design research. The diversity in the DAE team creat-
ed great opportunities. We could do things together we could never do alone,
such as creating academic design research papers and publications about how
design work creates knowledge, and introduce these to a(n) (inter)national au-
dience in a myriad of contexts. Research Associate Alessia Cadamuro, for in-
stance, presented her work on severe dementia (see page 32) at the Graduation
Show where 10,000s of visitors saw the prototypes she created; she presented
an academic paper about the same work at the Design4Health conference in
Sheffield, UK in 2013, and published an article about her work aimed at the
creative industries in CRISP magazine #2. Such concrete output, delivered by
every Research Associate, formed the basis for the thinking-through-making
approach to academic design research that DAE has developed over the years
(see Chapter 2).
28
Collaborating with CRISP partners
Each of the CRISP projects consisted of a network of partners, often around

10 organisations and 20-40 people per project. These networks developed
their own dynamics that Research Associates had to navigate. We learned that
these networks had to be approached as communities, rather than tightly-knit
project teams to be managed, or led. Within those networks people with very
different goals, expectations, resources and struggles existed and only ap-
proaching them as a community could stimulate collaboration.
Research Associates, Heather Daam and Maartje van Gestel, engaged most
actively on the community level within their CRISP project (see pages 35 and
38), by initiating and organising activities for all partners to get to know each
other better and connect their work. In a community the focus should be on
the evolving dynamics in the network of people, not on a predetermined hier-
archy between partners or team members, as in a traditional project. A com-
munity must be stimulated rather than managed. The shared vision of CRISP
(the strategic importance of design in innovation) helped to bring and keep the
community together.
The Design Review Sessions twice a year were perhaps the biggest stimulus for
the CRISP community to emerge, because they were organised not as a meet-
ing or workshop, but more as a celebration, or party. Everyone had to bring
something to these gatherings, but how that came together was very much left
to the people present at the time. This is a way of working that fits DAE well. We
need the space to develop our own original voices in design research, (which
was achieved by each of the Research Associates individually and the team as a
whole) and a context to bring these voices together with other design research
voices, and present them to audiences who are interested in engaging with us.
This is how design research at DAE can grow and flourish. CRISP provided
that environment, shaped by us in collaboration with many others.
The Research Associate model has proved to be successful inside DAE and for
partners from academia and industry as a way to collaborate with the acad-
emy. Many of our reflections on this model, and the structure we have built
around it at DAE, are collected in this book because we believe that they will
help to grow design research and make it more durable at Design Academy
Eindhoven, and possibly elsewhere. They will also be useful for the further
development of collaborations with partners in academia and industry, an
outcome to which we very much look forward.
29
Michelle Baggerman
Social Fabric
Collaborating with: Eindhoven University of Technology, Saxion University of
Applied Sciences, V2_, Waag Society, Textielmuseum
CRISP project: Smart Textile Services
Research period: February 2012March 2013
The narratives of smart-textiles must be designed, all the way from the per-
sonal to the global. Who creates and uses smart-textiles, in what environments
and to which purposes? How do national and global industries and networks
participate in this? Social Fabric identifies ways to bring the age-old skills and
wisdom of craftspeople together with the new technology and ingenuity of
engineers, creating new narratives for smart textiles.
30
Jonathan Wray
The plays the thing

Collaborating with: KLM, Delft University of Technology
CRISP project: CASD
Research period: October 2011January 2013
Given the challenges society, culture and economy face, we can no longer
afford to separate products, services and people when we design. Instead we
need to thread them together strategically, like a carefully constructed piece of
theatre. The plays the thing proposes a new perspective to the understanding
of what Product Service Systems are, and how designers can operate in this
strategic role, as product designers who make objects that allow for personal
meaning creation and facilitate interaction between people.
31
Alessia Cadamuro
What Remains?
Collaborating with: Delft University of Technology, Careyn, Monobanda
CRISP project: G-Motiv
Research period: April 2012June 2013
The growing number of people affected by late-stage dementia demands

new solutions and requires innovative approaches. What Remains? aims to
stimulate positive behavioural changes in elderly patients affected by this
degenerative disease, and helps family and staff to humanise care home
services. What Remains? took a design approach that is firmly grounded in the
daily lives and practices of the people involved, and had very personal impli-
cations in their lives. This emphasised that empathy, respect and humility are
crucial capabilities for designers.
32
Susana Cmara Leret
Kindred Spirits
Collaborating with: Brijder, Delft University of Technology,
International Flavours and Fragrances
CRISP project: G-Motiv
Research period: April 2012June 2013
Designing with young addicts and healthcare professionals in a rehabilitation

clinic requires a deep understanding of the everyday situations they face,
especially when the anticipated designs aim to use an unfamiliar medium
as smell. Kindred Spirits brings together a wide range of perspectives, with
stories about how the design of a set of smells influenced the youths treatment
and how the design of fictional companion species allow people at the clinic
to see and discuss their daily environment in new ways, opening doors for all
of us to future uncertainties.
33
Karianne Rygh
Value Pursuit
Collaborating with: Delft University of Technology, Connect to Innovate,
Exact, Oc - A Canon Company, STBY and VanMorgen
CRISP project: PSS101
Research period: October 2012September 2014
Designers are usually trained to follow briefs and solve problems, but what
happens when the contexts they work in become so complex that there is no
clear problem to be solved, yet its obvious that some kind of change is need-
ed? These contexts require multidisciplinary approaches, but people within
different professional fields often struggle to work together as a team. Value
Pursuit explored how designers can bring these people together in a way that
enables them all to collaborate, in networks, across and between organisa-
tions, and created a tool to support this.
34
Heather Daam
Moving Stories
Collaborating with: Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente,
Connexxion, Gemeente Eindhoven, Hermes, Indes, Roessingh Research
and Development, Stichting Vrienden van de Thuiszorg and ZuidZorg.
CRISP project: Grey but Mobile
Research period: November 2012September 2014
The health and well-being of older people is gaining attention as a central issue
in making our society stronger, and as crucial for keeping government spend-
ing on care within limits. To address such issues we need to create change
systemically, throughout all levels of society. Moving Stories explores how the
collaborative creativity needed to achieve this can be nurtured on this large
scale, with a focus on improving the mobility of older people, allowing them to
live at home longer.
35
GATHER
DATA
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
ESTABLISH EXPLORE DEFINE

DEVELOP CO-CREATE
CLIENT STRESS DATA
PROBE
DATA DESIGN DATA
EXPERIENCE
COMMITMENTS CONTEXT
CAPABILITY
TE
NETWORKING RA
ITE
CO-REFLECTION
KNOWLEDGE
TRANSFER
GRIP. V7
GRIP model for
developing capabilities SOCIAL AND
for data design INDUSTRIAL
INNOVATIONS
= Design led
Mike Thompson
Stressed Out
Collaborating with: Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of
Technology, Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg Eindhoven (GGZE), Philips Design
CRISP project: GRIP
Research period: April 2011May 2012
Designing services to alleviate stress at work is a typical topic for Product

Service System design where designers look for a balance between control
over the outcome of their work, and flexibility in accommodating a multi-
tude of changing circumstances and contexts. Such designs follow certain
principles and are based on models, but have many different (and sometimes
unforeseen) outcomes and results. Stressed Out created a service model that
questions dominant ideas about Big Data visualisation and the Quantified Self.
36
Karianne Rygh
Super-Maker
Collaborating with: Delft University of Technology and Oc A Canon Company
CRISP project: PSS101 & CASD
Research period December 2013 June 2015
Today even large multinational companies need to collaborate in order

to innovate. Designers can play a key role in making those collaborations
successful by creating tangible results very early on, even before new tech-
nologies have matured enough to reach the market. Super-Maker is a think-
ing-through-making approach to how designers can take on more strategic
roles and orchestrate co-creation that stimulates innovation for both compa-
nies and their customers; in this case architects who could benefit from the
revolutionary elevated printing techniques with which Super-Maker designers
extensively experimented.
37
Maartje van Gestel
Empathy Through a Lens

Collaborating with: Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente,
Connexxion, Gemeente Eindhoven, Hermes, Indes, Roessingh Research
and Development, Stichting Vrienden van de Thuiszorg and ZuidZorg.
CRISP project: Grey but Mobile
Research period: September 2012 October 2014
Documentary photography offers an extremely accessible means to communi-

cate peoples personal stories and perspectives in all their richness and com-
plexity. Its high impact provokes many different perspectives when a social
issue is explored, analysed and presented in design research. Design teams
and other professionals can use the pictures to have detailed conversations
about and often with the people involved. Empathy Through a Lens investi-
gates what is needed to create such empathic pictures: how their analysis can
benefit design teams, and how sense-making, as a skill, can be integrated in
design education.
38
Maartje van Gestel
Tutor at Design Academy Eindhoven
Design Researcher and Photographer
Research Associate for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (September 2012- October 2014)

During my time as design researcher at Design Academy Eindhoven, I got the
chance to experiment, deepen and improve the methods in my work. There was an in-
teresting overlap with academic methodologies, which taught me new ways of working
and how to communicate results to an academic audience, combining designers intui-
tive and empathic approaches with more conventional academic research methods. My
research was a team effort in many ways, working closely alongside Heather Daam, the
DAE-CRISP team, the CRISP Grey but Mobile team that included people from the TU/e
and University of Twente, our commercial project partners and of course the people
whose lives we researched. This opened my mind to doing things differently.

Alumni of DAE intuitively ask the questions behind the facts, dogmas or presump-
tions, making them design researchers without realising it. This type of research is so
obvious to us, that we do not see these investigations as valuable in themselves. The
Strategic Creativity Readership at DAE brought more appreciation for design research
and forged stronger connections to international knowledge institutes that are more
used to utilising these methodologies. DAE should take pride in its unique thinking and
working, by emphasising the process and not only the end result.

My Research Associateship offered an opportunity to enhance knowledge on
researching with visual means. It showed that the strength of using photography in de-
sign research is stronger than I expected. This gave me more arguments and a stronger
conviction to continue developing ways to use photography for design research, which
I will also benefit from when approaching future clients. The perspective of the publica-
tion we worked on at the end of my research period comparing visual design research
with documentary photography is not only interesting for the design community but
also for the field of photography. Photography as an art or profession is searching
for new values. Nowadays more pictures are taken than ever before; this makes us re-
evaluate why we would look at them. Design research can help to create some answers.
39
Systematic
Systematic
Adjective Done or acting according to a
fixed plan or system; methodical.1
A systematic or methodical way of working within

Design Academy Eindhoven is not necessarily
bound by rules that are placed upon the maker
or researcher. Rather, it could also follow a set of
rules that fit with a system or method developed by
the maker himself, following a logic of its own.
A systematic approach, however, does entail a

way of working in which a certain goal is set and a
particular path is chosen. Especially in the field of
design research, the objective and the path towards
achieving it are related to a research question.
Whereas an exploration in an intuitive research project

can follow a crooked path, in methodical research it
will follow a more straightforward route. This route,
however, need not be linear, leading directly from
a to b, on the contrary, in the design research field,
thinking through making leans heavily on iteration as
a principal way of achieving progress and results.
1
definition/english/systematic
40
Olivier van Herpt,
3D printed ceramics Studying within the Ceramic Research Program,
Graduation project Man Olivier van Herpt built his own equipment (an
and Activity, 2015 extruder and a 3D printer) to conduct a methodical
http://oliviervanherpt.com research into ceramic materials. Step by step he
developed his own process to learn how to get better
results for his goal, which was to make individual,
Image: Dirk van den Heuvel functional objects that were safe for food.
41
Gerard van Bakel
Manager Zuidzorg Extra
CRISP partner ZuidZorg
How did you get to know and work with the readership?
Back in October 2012, as a new manager who took over activities from a former
ZuidZorg subsidiary, I got involved with CRISP. To be specific, it was a trial with electric
cars in Eindhoven. After that I took part in several workshops in the CRISP projects
Grey but Mobile and later PSS 101.

To me, it was the completely different, refreshing viewpoint of Research Associ-
ates, students, teachers and readers on existing bottlenecks. It became clearer to me
that I/we were educated at a certain time, with a certain vision, when there were other
types of problems and basically we couldnt think up any more adequate solutions for
the problems that are apparent today. Unorthodox measures need to be thought up and
taken. Ive always said that the people of DAE are differently hardwired, which means
they can come up with better solutions.
What do you see as the legacy of CRISP

work by the Readership?
Bridges have been laid and permanent connections have been made between
completely different fields of expertise. To do this, tools were enriched or produced,
and through this an atmosphere emerged that invited you to look beyond your own
domain and put it (momentarily) in second place. The magic word was co-creation. The
coming together of students from DAE and TU/e had a catalysing effect and delivered
better results. The PSS 101 programme was where I got very well acquainted with service
design thinking, service blueprints and an extensive toolkit. We are still trying to in-
clude all these tools in the development of new services and products.
42
Teaching Design Research
Danille Arets
A new generation of designers has entered the market: a generation that feels
the urge to engage with societal issues, that is fluent in digital technology and
is able to navigate a globalised culture where ideas, products and services are
continuously shared, copied, redesigned and rebranded. For designers these
are exiting and challenging times that require a design education that is differ-
ent from the product and industrial design based training of the 20th century.
For many students and alumni of DAE, the Strategic Creativity Readership and
the focus of CRISP came at just the right time when the institute was question-
ing how to deal with new markets, new opportunities and, subsequently, new
roles for designers. Also the Readerships focus on a broad topic like Product
Service Systems was rather unusual. And finally, the strong connections of the
Readership to other important knowledge institutes like the three technical uni-
versities and more than 50 industrial companies were compelling to students
and staff alike.
What was very unclear to many at the start, however, was what the Readership
could bring to design practice. How would it affect the dominant making
culture in the DAE curriculum? Could we develop new relationships between
reading, reflection, analysis, writing and this making culture in education? At
the start, we did not know the answer to these questions ourselves either. But
we did know how we wanted to find out: by doing design education rather than
reflecting on design education from an outside perspective.
Design Research Spaces
Early on in the CRISP programme we decided to organise short extra-

curricular modules for Bachelor students, based on the research agendas of
the Research Associates. These Design Research Spaces were four or five
week programmes held one day a week. Each Research Associate ran a pro-
gramme for which students could apply with a letter of motivation. We also
offered tutors the opportunity to participate. The tutors in return assisted the
Research Associates with the educational challenges of running such a course.
43
By using their own knowledge on the topic and by bringing in experts from
their project network, the Research Associates compiled a jam-packed pro-
gramme that offered students an insight into what design research entails. A
key principle was that the students and tutor would temporarily be part of the
design research project of the Research Associate, and thus experience doing
actual design research. For the Research Associates this offered the opportu-
nity to - suddenly - have a big team to work with, for instance to create many
prototypes, or to interview many people.
The Design Research Space on Smart Textile Services by Michelle Baggerman

(with the help of tutor and material expert Simone de Waart) resulted in many
interesting discussions amongst students of both DAE and TU/e on defining
the field of smart textiles. Participant Jos Klarenbeek, DAE graduate student
realised that students from TU/e and DAE were similar, but different. Jos:
We share the same passions but we definitely use a different vocabulary and
approach. At DAE we usually dive immediately into a topic, using our intuiting
and skills. There is not a huge part of time dedicated to analyses or reflections.
That comes at the end. TU/e students seem to have a clear picture of what pro-
cess they will follow from the beginning. Confrontations with researchers and
students from other knowledge institutes, as well as companies involved in
the Design Research Spaces, provided strong points of reference for the DAE
students. It helped them to understand the unique position DAE has in doing
research through design and how a very tangible and often intuitive approach
can contribute to, or be an academically valid alternative to the generally more
upfront analytical approach of the technical universities.
Nevertheless, it was specifically the strong presence of reflection throughout

the Design Research Spaces that most participants, including the Research
Associates, found of most value and importance. This contributed to the for-
mulation of thinking-through-making as our approach to design research at
DAE (see Chapter 2). Our Design Research alternates continuously between
reflecting and making, we realized, and we explicitly applied this to the Design
Research Spaces too. Each day included time for reflection in plenary dis-
cussions or one- to-one conversations between students, tutors and external
guests. I really like to reflect while making; I always go back and forth in my
decisions and actually made better choices by making and exploring, ex-
plained Gosia Polak, DAE bachelor student, after her Design Research Space.
The analytical skills needed to investigate the situations in which designers
intervene is something students are not so familiar with, observed Catelijne
van Middelkoop who participated as tutor in the Design Research Space of Su-
44
sana Cmara Leret: In design schools, intuition is often accepted as the single
starting point for creation.
In order to help students to get acquainted with a more analytical and reflec-
tive approach several Design Research Spaces challenged them to do extensive
ethnographic research, to get in touch with the people for whom they were de-
signing. In the Design Research Space on empathy, Research Associate Alessia
Cadamuro and tutor Jacqueline Cove found out that students were struggling
to set up conversations with people suffering from Alzheimers disease and
their relatives. By training the students to follow patients in their daily rou-
tines, record their experiences and simply listen to their stories, the students
became more familiar with this approach and came to understand that these
stories are a result in themselves. That provided them with essential informa-
tion for their designs.
The Design Research Spaces also offered an important introduction to new

roles designers could take on. Research Associate Jonathan Wray did research
on new services for KLM inflight services and used storytelling and theatrical
techniques as a methodology. Based on the interviews and workshops he ini-
tiated with passengers and cabin crew, he unpacked detailed stories and expe-
riences of long haul flight passengers. In his Design Research Space, together
with tutor Piet Hein Clijssen, he encouraged students to explore these experi-
ences in theatrical settings as a way to challenge their own preconceptions re-
garding long haul travel experiences. These confrontations generated very rich
reflections that formed the basis for newly designed interventions. This taught
us that theatre techniques can be very valuable in design education as a way
to understand situations and people, but also to generate new ideas.
Educational connections with industry
Furthermore, The Design Research Spaces created a welcome opportunity

to make new connections between DAE and industry. DAE students and
departments regularly work with industrial clients through the Friendship
programme of DAE, but knowledge creation is seldom an aim of these partner-
ships. In the Design Research Spaces industry partners were always easy to in-
volve because they were already part of the project of the Research Associate.
As a result they were also interested in both new concepts and new knowledge
about how to develop such concepts that could influence how they worked
themselves. Research Associate Karianne Rygh set up a Design Research
45
Space around a brand new technology, elevated printing, that was still under
development by Oc - A Canon Company. Together with DAE tutor Allard
Roeterink and designers from Oc, she challenged DAE students to produce
samples in a setting she designed, called Super-Maker. What I greatly enjoyed
was the trust from the side of Oc. They gave us a fair amount of freedom to
explore the possibilities of their printer. It was also very valuable to see how
large companies think. It is not easy for a student to create such a opportunity
yourself, said Eric Barendse, DAE bachelor student. The results stunned Oc,
and everyone involved was part of understanding why such good results had
been achieved using the Super-Maker model. Tutor Allard Roeterink said that
the approach of the Readership didnt differ so much from the one he is teach-
ing in the LAB department at DAE, but that they usually dont have so much
time to reflect with all stakeholders, and he found it very insightful to do so.
The Design Research Spaces offered the Research Associates often a critical
distance and new perspectives on their own research. Taking a step back
[myself], students were encouraged to explore the scope of [the concept we
had developed], pushing it right to the limits, developing more radical, tech-
nocentric, humorous, or even moralistic, concepts in response to the theme
[of stress at work], observed Research Associate Mike Thompson about his
collaboration with students.
The evaluations the Readership Creativity conducted with students and tutors
demonstrated that the Design Research Spaces were of great importance to
get to know the value of design research as a way to create knowledge in cre-
ative industry. Some students also used these courses to get an internship, or
tapped into the network of the Readership to join other design research activ-
ities outside DAE. Jacqueline Cove, the tutor involved in the Design Research
Spaces on empathy by Alessia Cadamuro concluded: Design education could
benefit from these courses, including the methods in the regular educational
programme. Students would acquire an exciting and innovative design re-
search attitude, an asset in the constantly changing design field.
Towards a design research curriculum
In the coming years we aim to further strengthen the design research culture
at DAE. The Readership has started to act on its insights gained through doing
design research in education in a structured way, to try and scale up some
of the lessons from the Design Research Spaces to the entire school. First,
46
design research must become part of the curriculum in a coherent way that is
recognised and acknowledged across the academy, and connected to the two
Readerships at DAE.
To achieve this, the two Readerships have set up a Knowledge Circle (see
Chapter 2) with key people from across the academy, upon the explicit request
of the academys board of directors. The Knowledge Circle discusses and cre-
ates ways to further embed a thinking-through-making approach in the design
curriculum. It has looked into the several ways design research is already
taking place at DAE and made a start with developing a shared vocabulary (see
Chapter 2 and lexiconofdesignresearch.com) to talk about design research and
further develop the thinking and making involved, together. The Knowledge
Circle will work in the coming years to further integrate design research into
the curriculum, to make sure students, early on in their educational journeys,
are already introduced to the key skills and crafts of design research, like re-
flection and analysis. Then, later they will learn how to combine these acquired
abilities in proper design research practices underpinned by solid or experi-
mental methodologies. By the time they have graduated those who pursue this
path of design research will then be very well positioned to take up a Research
Associate position and push the boundaries of design research in one of the
Readerships at Design Academy Eindhoven.
47
Renske Spijkerman
Senior Researcher
CRISP partner Parnassia Addiction Research Centre (PARC),
Brijder Addiction Care, Parnassia Group
How did you work with the Readership?

Brijder Addiction Care collaborated for four years in G-MOTIV one of the
eight projects of CRISP. Together with all involved parties from different sectors and
disciplines we examined innovative game-oriented approaches to increase treatment
motivation of adolescents in addiction care. This was our first close collaboration
with the creative sector and, although I was enthusiastic about this exciting, interdis-
ciplinary project, I had no clear picture of the concrete opportunities and challenges
it could bring. Two projects that formed part of G-MOTIV were conducted by Design
Academy Eindhoven.

Our collaboration with Design Academy Eindhoven showed us that co-exploring
other approaches than our current therapeutic ones can be promising and can actually
result in a concrete, co-created product/technique to motivate and help our clients.
Through this experience, we have obtained a better picture of the opportunities and
merits that collaboration with designers and the creative industry can bring. The fact
that we focus on psychological problems and that a lot of our therapies involve social
interaction and communication may have narrowed our ideas about potential strategies
to improve our therapies. With the input of designers there are more opportunities for
true innovation.

For me two important insights from this project were the need to create a balance
between freedom to create and practical utility, and secondly the challenge to under-
stand and connect all different perspectives, goals and vocabularies of the collaborating
parties. I am convinced that designers can be of great value to facilitate organisational
change and solve important problems within mental health care. To increase the impact
and value of designers for mental health care it is important that designers are embed-
ded at different levels of the organisation and that designers are not only well-informed
about the main problems professionals are struggling with, but are also aware of the
organisational structure and its main problems. An important next step will be to look
for a more structural and fundamental collaboration with the creative sector.
48
Alessia Cadamuro
PhD Candidate Design Open University Milton Keynes, UK
Research Associate for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (April 2012- June 2013)

My experience being a CRISP Research Associate was characterised by three
phases. The first phase was driven by my deep interest in gaining information and
knowledge related to the topic of dementia. The second phase has been the most
challenging one as I used an inclusive design approach involving external partners,
including people in vulnerable life situations such patients affected by dementia. The
creation of the co-design team was required a few months before trusting relationships
could finally be built. The third phase was mainly dedicated to the project and prototype
development. In all the phases my research approaches received valuable input through
the dialogues/ collaborations with the other researchers within the Readership.

In my opinion the biggest strength is the unique mindset. The Design Academy
research community was conceived as a multidisciplinary platform. It is driven by a
hands-on approach where knowledge can be shared and offered, I believe that my re-
search gained a great deal of value in such a diverse context.

This experience of being a Research Associate showed concretely to me the funda-
mental importance of being part of a multidisciplinary research network. My research
approach received valuable inputs through the dialogues/collaborations with other
researchers, students and professionals. From this experience I have learned that the
success of a research is also based on the quality of the exchange within the network
and I am extremely interested in framing similar environments around my future re-
search proposals. I have a strong fascination for research, which has been fuelled by
the experiences at the DAE. Being a Research Associate was very inspiring and finally
encouraged me to continue my professional career with doing a PhD in design.
49
Sharing Design Research
Danille Arets
Early on in the Readership programme we decided to present our research

outcomes on various platforms paired with conversations, dialogues and
debates that aimed to explore the meanings of our design research outcomes
and approaches. We elaborately experimented with how to communicate our
thinking-through-making approach, the topic of Product Service Systems, and
other not-so-easy-to-explain topics and results.
By the end of the first year of the Readership (April 2012) we had already set
up a small exhibition at the Graduation Galleries of Dutch Design Week 2012
(DDW), and curated six guided-tours through the show on topics such as Care,
Bio Design and Social Design. The tours led to small selections of the works of
the more than 150 DAE graduates, as well as work of the Research Associates.
The latter were also in charge of giving guided tours and explaining how
the selected projects dealt with design research. From 2012-2015, DDW
proved to be a very effective way of introducing design research to a wide
range of audiences from design professionals to people interested in visiting
design events.
As for the knowledge that was developed through the CRISP programme
as a whole, The Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO) played a key role in
disseminating the insights to the Creative Industry. The KTO tried to build
a new dissemination culture. In academic settings it is very common to start
the communication after the work is done. The KTO however, challenged all
the researchers to share their insights with the community as the process un-
folded. Every design research project, at some stage, needs to find out what its
place in the world is, in order to establish its meaning. This justifies spending
a considerable amount of the project budget on communication. The Reader-
ship played an important role in the CRISP Knowledge Transfer Office, driven
first and foremost by Associate Reader/Lector Danille Arets and Writer/
Editor Ellen Zoete who both were key members of the office, as well as Reader/
Lector Bas Raijmakers and the Research Associates who all considerably
contributed to the bi-annual conferences that were set up by the Knowledge
Transfer Office. Also the Readership contributed to all the magazines that the
CRISP programme produced.
50
When it comes to the dissemination activities of the Readership specifically,
we could name a tonne of events and activities varying from workshops we
led, and guest lectures we gave, to exhibitions we set up, interviews we held,
as well as interview platforms we built ourselves But we had to be ruthlessly
selective, and in the following pages these six activities give just a taste of what
we did and how these activities succeeded in engaging the various audiences
in the work we do. At the end of this chapter, a more comprehensive list of
activities is included.
With all these activities we came to understand that communicating about the
work and sharing insights of the journey is a crucial part of design research. It
is not something that, in a classical academic setting, follows the completion
of work; rather,it develops alongside the work and in fact is part of the design
research process.
In fact a lot of insights and ideas span from the organised activities. Observ-
ing how people perceived our presented outcomes helped us to reflect on our
research from the perspectives of others. We understood what parts of our
story were missing and which things in fact communicated very well. A crucial
notion here is that we were often able to turn intangible insights and knowl-
edge into tangible, well-designed outcomes. Those tangible outcomes not only
stimulate stakeholder-alignment in a design research project, they also help
the Readership in communicating what happens in the projects to the broad-
er audience of the creative industry and everyone with an interest in design.
It goes without saying that aesthetics is important here too, as it supports
communication and helps to create impact with those we want to reach and in-
volve. The fact that all our Research Associates had completed excellent design
training at DAE before taking on a position as a Research Associate showed in
the results, and was clearly perceived as distinctive by our CRISP partners in
industry and academia. The focus in the DAE curriculum on aesthetics and on
communicating the message clearly and distinctly proved to be very valuable
for all Research Associates, and all students of the academy involved in CRISP.
This skill is crucial to design research and can be used even more in the future
to develop thinking-through-making as a distinct approach to design research
at DAE.
51
52
ACADEMIC NETWORKS
We were asked to become a member of

the international DESIS (Design for Social
Innovation and Sustainability) network, a
worldwide knowledge network that aims to
share important findings on social design
and sustainability. One of their initiatives is
a series of Philosophy Talks. These talks aim
at enhancing the dialogue between practice
and theory, between design and philosophy.
Research Associate Heather Daam hosted two
of these philosophy talks in Eindhoven that
were very insightful for our researchers and
students, and proved very helpful for Daams
research on storytelling. Furthermore they
helped us to make strong connections with
international, like-minded design research
communities.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Students were intrigued by how they could

use storytelling as a way to do research. Aside
from this, we had very interesting discussions
on the fact that designers are not just story-
tellers, they are story creators. They are not
just journalists capturing a story, but they try
to intervene and create social change by using
the input of the stories.
53
54
EXHIBITION DESIGN RESEARCH
AT DUTCH DESIGN WEEK & RADIO EMMA
During Dutch Design Week 2014 we built an

exhibition studio and paired it with the DAE
student radio channel, Emma. The exhibition
showed the research process and outcomes
by several Research Associates in the Read-
ership, with a very prominent role for the
Super-Maker project on elevated printing,
run by design researcher Karianne Rygh and
students. Next to that, we hosted daily radio
conversations to discuss the outcomes of our
research with the experts we worked with, as
well as with the audience. These recordings
were also picked up by other radio channels
in Eindhoven and Dutch Design Daily, the tab-
loid produced during the Dutch Design Week.
Presenting research in such a lively work-
in-progress environment communicated ef-
fectively that design research is an on-going
progress and that the designed outcomes are
often starting points for new research.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
We came to understand that these conversa-

tions parallel with the exhibit were a perfect
means to communicate the various layers of
design research. The conversations were also
an ideal moment to reflect on the process with
all the partners involved. Such a setting with
open dialogues gave a very good impression
of the daily context of doing research.
55
56
DESIGN DEBATES AND DIALOGUES
In the first two years of the Readership we

involved the Research Associates as well as
partners of the CRISP programme in DAEs
Design Debates programme, a monthly com-
pulsory programme for bachelor students.
During Dutch Design Week and the Salone
del Mobile in Milan we involved students in
setting up the dialogues, and towards the end
of the CRISP programme we organised an
internal design research symposium at DAE
where we presented the design research lex-
icon created with the Knowledge Circle (see
chapter 2).
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
On such an international platform as the

Salone, which is very much centered on prod-
uct design, it was very inspiring to discuss
these new design directions and get feedback
from the design community.
57
58
ACADEMIC DESIGN RESEARCH
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
With the ambition to create academic knowl-

edge through design it was essential to get
involved in more academic settings. Therefore
we encouraged the Research Associates to
write academic papers for design research
conferences. Over the last four years we man-
aged to participate in more than 20 confer-
ences, either by presenting papers or leading
workshops. Participating in these conferences
was very important to inform the internation-
al design research community about the work
done in Eindhoven and it built and reinforced
international relationships. These conferences
were also very informative for our Research
Associates to present their work in a more
formal setting and get feedback from expert
peers. With Daijiro Mizuno (Keio University
SFC, Tokyo), Waag Society and STBY we or-
ganised two master classes open to designers
and academics.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The presentations were generally very well

received for their content and for their strong
visual quality. The workshops were always
supported with carefully designed materials
and were considered very engaging by the
audience. These experiences helped the Re-
search Associates to position their work in an
international academic design research con-
text, and find new peers and create new net-
works for furthering their work.
59
60
DESIGN REVIEW SESSIONS
AND CRISP MAGAZINES
Every six months the Knowledge Transfer

Office programmed an internal conference
called Design Review Session, with the main
goal to communicate progress, ideas, results,
failures and concerns between the CRISP
projects. This meant that a CRISP commu-
nity emerged of people who got to know
each others work well to the level that they
were influenced by it. Research Associates
and the Readership were always present with
presentations and workshops. At the last
five Design Review Sessions a new CRISP
magazine was presented, with themes such
as Prototyping and Value Matters, aimed at
the Dutch creative industry, its clients and
policy-makers in Dutch government. Bas
Raijmakers and Danille Arets also co-edited
several issues.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
These magazines were an easy read for some-

one who has just a little of knowledge of what
is going on in design research, said Marjan
Hammersma, director-general of the Ministry
of Education and Culture stated at the final
CRISP conference, in June 2015. They filled
a gap between academic publications and
professional design magazines. The Design
Review Sessions were very helpful to build a
community with the researchers of the insti-
tutes and industrial partners involved.
61
62
STRATEGIC CREATIVITY
PUBLICATION SERIES
Every Research Associate project resulted

in a publication, edited and partly written
by the Research Associate. Danille Arets,
Bas Raijmakers and Ellen Zoete acted as
co-editors. The nine publications that preced-
ed number ten of the series contain articles on
the process, the outcomes and reflections by
the authors and the experts with whom they
worked. The reflection part was in particular
very important to the researchers, to help
them understand the role they took in the pro-
cess, and how their field of research connects
to existing academic fields. As a result the
series became an exploration into how de-
signers can create knowledge through doing
design. As such, the series is very useful for
both education and designers in the creative
industry who want to engage more with de-
sign research.
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The publications were a great calling card for

Research Associates to connect with design
researchers they valued, by asking them for
a contribution that often contextualised the
work of the Research Associate in the design
research field. The publications also helped
Research Associates to present a particular
perspective on their work.
63
COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES
OF THE STRATEGIC
CREATIVITY READERSHIP
DURING CRISP
(2011-2015)
The Readership presented peer-reviewed

papers at 15 (inter)national conferences:
- HAID, Gothenburg (2011)

- Ambient Assisting Living Forum, Eindhoven (2012)
- Cumulus, Helsinki (2012)
- Disruptive Interactions, Lugano (2012)
- Nordes, Copenhagen (2013)
- Systemic Design Conference Oslo, Oslo (2013)
- Design for Health, Sheeld (2013)
- Games for Health Europe, Amsterdam (2013)
- IASDR, Tokyo (2013)
- Design Principles and Practices (DPP), Vancouver (2014)
- ServDes, Lancaster (2014)
- Design Research Society, Ume (2014)
- Designing Critical Messages, Plymouth (2014)
- PIN-C, The Hague (2015)
- Design Anthropological Futures, Copenhagen (2015)
64
We delivered dozens of workshops in the projects,
these are some for an audience outside CRISP:
- International Service Design Network Conference, San Francisco (2011)

- Design and Emotion, London (2012)
- Service Design and Tourism, Innsbruck (2012)
- What Design Can Do, Amsterdam (2012 & 2013)
- Play the Future!, with Ranj, IJsfontein and Monobanda, Utrecht (2013)
- The Power of PSS, with Daijiro Mizuno and Waag Society, Amsterdam (2014)
We organised many workshops and

presentations for design students
- Design Debates with Marc Stickdorn, Tobie Kerridge,

Christian Nold and Lucy Kimbell, Eindhoven (2012-2013)
- Lecture and workshops at KABK Den Haag, Den Haag (2012, 2013)
- Lecture at Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Amsterdam (2013)
- DESIS Storytelling philosophy talks at Design Academy Eindhoven,
MAD faculty Genk, Politecnico Milano (2013 - 2104)
- Lecture at Keio University SFC, Tokyo (2014)
- Lecture at Kyoto University, Kyoto (2014)
- Lecture at Artez, Arnhem (2014)
- Lecture at HKU, Utrecht (2014)
- Seven Design Research Spaces in collaboration with students
from TU Delft and TU Eindhoven (2011-2015)
We set up or contributed to the following

exhibitions and platforms
- Graduation Show, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven (2012-2015)

- Designhuis, Eindhoven (2012)
- Design United, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven (2013)
- Mind the Step, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven (2014)
- Heat hand design, Eindhoven and Taipei (2013, 2014)
- Design & Health exhibition, Eindhoven (2014)
- Feral Experimental: New Design Thinking, Sydney (2014)
- CRISP Shakes It Off, Rotterdam (2015)
65
Mapping
Map
Noun 1. A diagrammatic representation of an area
of land or sea showing physical features,
cities, roads, etc.
1.1 A diagram or collection of data showing
the spatial arrangement or distribution
of something over an area.
Verb 1. Represent (an area) on a map;

make a map of (...).
1.1 Record in detail the spatial distribution
(of something).1
At Design Academy Eindhoven, mapping is used as both

a research and a manifestation and communication tool.
As a research tool, mapping is used to analyse spaces,
such as cities, landscapes or specific sites, through the
collecting and ordering of data. Mapping can be termed
a manifestation and communication tool when data is
ordered and visually represented in a map that can be
discussed, compared, and shared or disseminated.
The map is a graphic format that is first and foremost

read and understood in a visual way, making it
a particularly suitable format for designers.
1
definition/english/map
66
Collective mapping of public performers, old town square Prague.
24th of June 15:30 p.m. Turquoise = Ocials, Blue = Segway,
Green = People selling things, Gold = Babies.
Naomi Bueno de Mesquita,

Between Realities: collective
mapping of public space
Research Associate in TRADERS Between Realities is a series of mapping sessions
multiple performative map- to visualise, negotiate and reflect upon imaginative
ping project, 2015 (ongoing) coping strategies in public space using a mobile
http://performativemapping. phone. Participants are scattered around the city
com/between-realities-collec- centre while they collectively map qualities of public
tive-mapping-of-public-space/ space that enable and/or disable certain coping
strategies. This introduces the participants to a novel
way of studying, and engaging with public space
Image: Naomi Bueno de Mesquita as well as the opportunities that arise from it.
67
Michelle Baggerman
Designer/ Researcher at Bureau Baggerman
Docent Lector Beatrix College Tilburg
Project Researcher at Kyoto Institute of Technology
Research Associate for CRISP at Design Academy Eindhoven (February 2012 - March 2013)

Becoming a CRISP Research Associate at Design Academy Eindhoven felt like
moving to an exciting new city. My horizon as a designer suddenly broadened, but at
the same time I could focus more on one particular aspect of my practice: creating
and sharing knowledge through design. It was very interesting to work in a multidis-
ciplinary team where everyone had their own research focus, but also contributed to a
shared goal. The different agendas would on occasion complicate and confuse things, but
our research outcomes benefitted from this diversity. The team at DAE provided a safe
haven with like-minded people who stimulated and challenged each other and acted as a
sounding board.

I think research is in the DNA of DAE, although were only just starting to recog-
nise that. DAE students are taught to have a flexible attitude, an open mind and sensitive
intuition, which allows them to jump into almost any project, quickly distil its essence
and navigate tricky challenges. Taking a more academic approach and participating in
projects such as CRISP brings these innate skills to the forefront and allows them to
become more defined and refined.

The most important thing for me in any job or project is that it allows me to learn,
develop and grow. My Research Associate experience has helped me to see opportuni-
ties I would not have recognised earlier. Before CRISP I was working mostly for indus-
try and on self-initiated projects where research certainly played a role, but was never a
goal in itself. Ive now been empowered to make my favourite part of the design process
researching concepts, testing and experimenting a key component of my work and
expand my practice into academia and education. I had not seen any of my peers do
that before CRISP.
68
Where to go next?
Design as a discipline is expanding its borders and is connecting to many oth-

er disciplines in new ways. The CRISP programme is only one example of this
development. Much of the proliferation of design happens through new design
activities that create knowledge about where design is going and can potential-
ly go. Given its history, Design Academy Eindhoven must be at the forefront
of such explorations, and it is. Redefining Design is one of the key directions
set in the current vision of the academy, formulated by chairman of the board,
Thomas Widdershoven, and strongly supported by students and tutors. Design
research at DAE in collaborations with other academic institutions and indus-
try and societal partners will be crucial to redefining design, for it will create
the knowledge that is needed to help shape the future of design.
The design research lexicon that has been developed by the Knowledge Circle
of the Readerships at DAE in lexiconofdesignresearch.com brings this all togeth-
er and opens up the conversation about design research to the academy as a
whole. We have also started to use this resource in joint projects with external
partners of the academy, with the Dutch Science Museum NEMO in the sum-
mer of 2015, for instance, where it proved to be a great tool to trigger conversa-
tions on various ways of doing research.
At DAE, for a large part through the CRISP programme, we have explored
thinking-though-making as our own vision on design research and turned
it into nine projects that now have designs and publications that together ex-
press new design knowledge as is documented in this book series. This is our
contribution to academic knowledge, to design education and to innovation in
industry and society. It contains several new meanings of design in society and
the economy.
But we are by no means done yet.
The past four years have created a solid basis to continue. Design research is
now being integrated structurally in the academy, with its own budget and
design researchers on the payroll and a formal connection with education
through the above-mentioned Knowledge Circle. This Circle, comprised of key
people from across the academy, has also produced advice on how to further
69
integrate design research in the curriculum of the academy with a new minor
programme that has already started this year. The experience with involving
DAE students in academic design research projects with many partners
through the Design Research Spaces over the past four years provided a solid
basis for this advice. The eagerness of the students and tutors involved in
the Design Research Spaces to continue to work with the thinking-through-
making approach and design research after attending Design Research Spaces
emphasises the need to develop a clearer position for design research in the
educational programme.
Reader Bas Raijmakers and Associate Reader Danille Arets have each accept-
ed a new four-year contract for 2015-2019, while Danille Arets also embarked
on a PhD study in collaboration with TU/e in 2015. The second Reader at the
academy, David Hamers, started a EU-funded international project in 2013
(TRADERS) that is set to continue into 2017. New collaborations with partners
in academia, society and industry are being set up, or have already started,
building on the successful Research Associate model. Our ambition as the
Strategic Creativity Readership is to use the coming four years; to use this
model as a lever to further develop Design Research at DAE to make a major
contribution to redefining design, at our school and in the design research
community around the world. Collaborations between academic knowledge
institutes such as our own, and industry and society partners, are particularly
interesting to us because we would like to make a difference outside academia
as well. After all, that is where the future of our students lies and where they
will have to make a difference as designers in the future. With the Strategic
Creativity Readership, we aim to support them in achieving this goal.
If you would like to join us on our Design Research journey,

please, do get in touch.
Bas Raijmakers PhD (RCA), Reader Strategic Creativity

bas.raijmakers@designacademy.nl
Danille Arets, Associate Reader Strategic Creativity

danielle.arets@designacademy.nl
70
Prof. dr. Aarnout Brombacher
Dean Department of Industrial Design
CRISP partner University of Technology Eindhoven
How did you get to know/work with the Readership?

During the four CRISP years, I chaired the Programme Committee which oversaw
the execution of all projects. DAE Reader Bas Raijmakers was also part of that com-
mittee. In this role, I have been able to monitor and interrogate the work of the DAE
Research Associates in six of the CRISP projects.
What is the biggest strength of

design research at DAE in your view?
Design Academy Eindhoven provided a most valuable contribution especially with
out of the box ideas and concepts. The Research Associates are highly appreciated
creative people that certainly added a new dimension to the program.
What do you see as the legacy of

CRISP work by the Readership?
The most interesting legacy from CRISP I consider the network that has been
established and that is now fully operational. It would be a most valuable asset for the
Netherlands if this network could be maintained and extended in the future. Especially
the strong connective and communicative capabilities from the readership have been of
tremendous value!
71
72
Contributor biographies
drs Danille Arets
Associate Reader (Associate Lector) in the Readership (Lectoraat) Strategic

Creativity, Danille Arets led the CRISP programme at DAE with Bas
Raijmakers for the four-year duration. She was also instrumental in the
Knowledge Transfer Office of CRISP. Her preferred method is via public
debates and dialogues, an area she is currently exploring for her PhD
research. She was editor of the Strategic Creativity Series, with Bas Raijmakers
and Ellen Zoete.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 10, Thinking-Through-Making
Michelle Baggerman BA
Michelle Baggerman was Research Associate in the Smart Textile Services

project within CRISP, and combined her research with design work at her
studio, Bureau Baggerman. She graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven
in the Man & Leisure department in 2009 with Precious Waste, where she
explored low-tech textiles, using plastic bags as a raw material. She uses her
fascination for textile crafts to form the starting point for explorations in the
CRISP project, Smart Textile Services.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 1, Social Fabric
Alessia Cadamuro BA MDes
Alessia Cadamuro is a researcher and designer who brings a strong sense of

empathy and humanity to her work, to co-create solutions focussing on real
people with real histories. Alessia completed her Bachelor in Architecture at
I.U.A.V. of Venice, and later obtained her MDes at the Man and Humanity de-
partment DAE. As part of CRISP she was involved as a Research Associate in the
G-Motiv project. In 2015 she started a PhD in Design at Open University, UK.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 3, What Remains?
73
Susana Cmara Leret BA MDes
Susana Cmara Lerets work concerns a trans-disciplinary and experimen-

tal practice, creating stories that explore things possible. This materialises
through multi-disciplinary collaborations with experts from the life sciences
to computer sciences. During her Research Associateship within CRISP
she took part in the G-Motiv project. In 2014 he co-founded THOUGHT
COLLIDER, an Amsterdam based experimental, critical art / design research
practice, with Mike Thompson, who was also a CRISP Research Associate.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 4, Kindred Spirits
Heather Daam BA MDes
Heather Daam is a designer and design researcher who works with people. She
believes in different disciplines sharing knowledge towards a common goal,
and in empowering people as experts of their own knowledge and experience.
Her interest is to understand the role a designer plays in involving different
people and stakeholders into the design process. She was involved in the
CRISP project Grey but Mobile.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 7, Moving Stories
Maartje van Gestel BA
Maartje van Gestel is a visual design researcher, using photography and video
to document, analyse and communicate her research. Her work revolves
around finding opportunities to improve peoples lives, an interest she used
in various projects in the healthcare and aged care fields. She teaches young
designers at DAE how to analyse the world around them and how to bring their
insights into their design processes. She is also a portrait photographer and
was involved in the CRISP project, Grey but Mobile.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 9, Empathy Through a Lens
Dr. David Hamers
David Hamers is a spatial researcher trained as a cultural theorist and econo-

mist. He obtained his PhD from Maastricht University in 2003. Since then, Da-
vid has been working as a researcher in the field of urbanisation. He is a senior
researcher for Urban Areas at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment
74
Agency in The Hague. Since 2009 he has been a Reader (lector) for City and
Countryside (named Places and Traces since 2015) at DAE. While David did
not have a formal role in CRISP, he coached Heather Daam and Maartje van
Gestel in the Grey but Mobile project.
Cynthia Hathaway BA MDes
Cynthia Hathaway is a design educator, creative consultant and designer.

Her focus includes design research, concept development and final designs,
often based on social themes. Many of Cynthias projects are reliant upon,
and reflective of, a co-creative and collaborative relationship with individuals,
groups or communities. Cynthia participated for several months in the CRISP
project, CASD, as a Research Associate.
Marijn van der Poll BA MS
Marijn van der Poll graduated from Design Academy in Eindhoven in 2002.
He has more than ten years experience as a product designer, has taught at
DAE since 2009, and is co-founder of vanderPolloffice, a multi-disciplinary
design studio. He completed his Master of Science degree in 2015 at the Uni-
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, with his thesis on conceptual thinking. Marijn
participated for several months in the CRISP project, Grey but Mobile, as a
Research Associate.
Dr. Bas Raijmakers PhD (RCA)
Bas Raijmakers is Reader in Strategic Creativity at DAE and led the CRISP
programme for DAE with Danille Arets. With her and Ellen Zoete, he also
formed the editorial team of the Strategic Creativity Series. His main passion
is to bring the people for whom we design into design and innovation pro-
cesses, using visual storytelling. He holds a PhD in Design Interactions from
the Royal College of Art and is co-founder and Creative Director of STBY
in London and Amsterdam: a design research consultancy specialised in
service innovation.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 10, Thinking-Through-Making
75
Karianne Rygh BDes MDes
Karianne Rygh is a designer and researcher with an interest in how designers

can take on more strategic roles in changing mindsets by taking an inter-dis-
ciplinary and systemic approach to exploring encounters between people
and design. For more than two years, she combined her work as a Research
Associate in the CRISP projects, PSS101 and CASD, with design work at Studio
Rygh. She worked previously in governmental institutions in Norway and has
professional design experience in large organisations.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 7, Value Pursuit
Strategic Creativity Series no. 8, Super-Maker
Mike Thompson BA MDes
Mike Thompson was the first Research Associate at DAE and within the CRISP
project, GRIP. He sees design as a tool to confront and reframe societal norms
and preconceptions. His work investigates themes such as energy, biotechnol-
ogy, health care and Big Data. In 2014 he co-founded THOUGHT COLLIDER,
an Amsterdam based experimental, critical art / design research practice, with Su-
sana Cmara Leret, who was also a CRISP Research Associate. Mike also teaches
at various institutes including TU/e, Willem de Kooning Academy and DAE.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 5, Stressed Out
Joris Visser BA
Joris Visser is an independent designer, word breeder and creative consultant.

With combined knowledge in the fields of design, technology, new media and
communication he creates creative solutions for various customers in the
Netherlands and abroad. After graduating from DAE in 2007, he founded
a design studio. His project Sculptaal, about designing words, kicked off
in 2007 with a book containing 650 newly designed Dutch words. Joris
participated for several months in the CRISP project, Grey but Mobile, as a
Research Associate.
Jonathan Wray BA MDes
Jonathan Wray graduated with a BA in furniture design from Buckinghamshire
76
University, and went on to pursue a Masters degree in the Man & Humanity
department at DAE. He researches the intangible characteristics of objects and
human Interaction rather than objects form and function. Jonathan has been
explored these intangible characteristics as a Research Associate at DAE as
part of the CRISP project, CASD, as well.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 3, The plays the thing
Ellen Zoete BA MA
Design writer and curator, Ellen Zoete, graduated in 2007 from DAE. She re-
ceived her Masters title from Design Writing Criticism at the London College
of Communication. Within CRISP she worked as Knowledge Transfer Officer
on the internal and external events of the programme. She is the producer
of the Strategic Creativity Series, and completes its editorial team alongside
Danille Arets and Bas Raijmakers.
Strategic Creativity Series no. 1-10
77
Colophon
Thinking-through-making
The Readership in Strategic Creativity at Design Academy Eindhoven
Editors: Bas Raijmakers and Danille Arets

Editorial team: Danille Arets, Bas Raijmakers, Ellen Zoete
Proofreader: Jane Hardjono
Graphic design: HeyHeydeHaas
Printed by: Snep, Eindhoven
Edition: 500
The Readership in Strategic Creativity has collaborated with many students and tutors
at Design Academy Eindhoven and 60 organisations in the CRISP programme.
Special thanks to:

Ellen Zoete who coordinated the production of this publication series. The
11 Research Associates who led projects within the CRISP programme from
2011 to 2015: Michelle Baggerman, Alessia Cadamuro, Susana Cmara Leret,
Heather Daam, Maartje van Gestel, Cynthia Hathaway, Marijn van der Poll,
Karianne Rygh, Mike Thompson, Joris Visser and Jonathan Wray. The supporting
staff at Design Academy Eindhoven over the last 4 years, 2011 2015.
Images:
Readership Strategic Creativity members unless indicated otherwise.
78
Publisher:
Design Academy Eindhoven
Emmasingel 14
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
www.designacademyeindhoven.nl/strategiccreativity
email: opendesignspaces@designacademy.nl
ISBN: 978-94-91400-25-4
Price: 10 euro
Readership Strategic Creativity, 2015

Reader (Lector): Dr Bas Raijmakers PhD (RCA)
Associate Reader (Associate Lector): Drs Danille Arets
Visiting Research Fellow: R Dubhthaigh MA (RCA)
Research Associates: Michelle Baggerman BA, Alessia Cadamuro MDes,
Heather Daam MDes, Maartje van Gestel BA, Susana Camara Leret MDes,
Karianne Rygh MDes, Mike Thompson MDes, Jonathan Wray MDes
The Readership Strategic Creativity is partly funded within the Creative

Industry Scientific Programme (CRISP). CRISP is supported by the Dutch
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. CRISP: www.crispplatform.nl
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
2015 Bas Raijmakers and Danille Arets.
79
80
2
CRISP (Creative Industry Scientific Programme, 2011-2015) was
the first large scale programme that put design at the heart of
government-funded innovation in the Netherlands. It explored how
design can play a strategic role in Dutch society and the economy,
by using design methods and approaches to collaborate with people
and organisations outside the design discipline itself. Design
Academy Eindhoven and the three Dutch technical universities
acted as programme co-founders.
Putting Product Service Systems at the heart of the programme

required designers to think and work more broadly and more
strategically in response to large-scale societal challenges such as
the growing need for care in an ageing society and the disruption
of traditional industries. At Design Academy Eindhoven we used
design in new ways to address these challenges. Thinking-through-
making presents the lessons we learned.
This publication concludes a series of ten publications of the

Readership in Strategic Creativity at Design Academy Eindhoven on
its contribution to the CRISP programme. The Readership explores
how designers trained at Design Academy Eindhoven can create
academic knowledge through design.
Bas Raijmakers PhD (RCA)

Reader in Strategic Creativity
at Design Academy Eindhoven

Thinking Through Making

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Thinking Through Making

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

STRATEGIC CREATIVITY SERIES

Research period April 2011 June 2015

Lessons from nine

Teaching design research 43

Sharing design research 50

How did you get to know the readership?

What is the biggest strength of design

What do you see as the legacy of the

The Creative Industries Scientific Programme (2011 to 2015) was unique in

New collaborations and coalitions

Introducing the Research Associate model

Some collaborations between the institutions had occurred previously, but

* In alphabetical order: Michelle Baggerman, Alessia Cadamuro, Susana Cmara Leret,

[1] Buchanan, R. Wicked Problems in Design Thinking, in: Design Issues

How did you work with the readership?

What is the biggest strength of design research

What do you see as the legacy of the

How did you experience your time as a

What is the biggest strength of design research

How did the Research Associateship help you

How did you work with the Readership?

What is the biggest strength of design research

What do you see as the legacy of the

At Design Academy Eindhoven thinking includes