Michael

 Carbaugh  
April  27,  2011  
D592  Professor  Scotford  
Design  Manifesto  
 
Advocating  a  Research  Framework  for  Students  
 
COMPLEXITY  IS  INEVITABLE  
    We  have  no  choice  but  to  deal  with  complexity.  J.  Christopher  Jones  observed  that  most  
design  problems  occur  at  systems  and  community  levels  in  his  1970  book  Design  Methods,  
concluding  that  the  role  of  designers  is  complex.  40  years  later,  design  discourse  seems  to  
acknowledge  Jones’  observation,  but  little  action  has  been  taken  to  make  complexity  
manageable.  The  large  scale  of  design  problems  makes  them  difficult  to  deal  with,  including  the  
structure  of  the  design  community  itself.  If  we  are  going  to  take  on  complexity  in  each  design  
problem,  we  must  first  take  on  the  complexity  of  understanding  our  own  field.  Design  research  
is  portrayed  with  growing  importance,  but  lacks  any  framework  that  makes  it  accessible  for  
students,  let  alone  faculty,  to  understand.      
Research  methods  and  perspectives  are  wide-­‐ranging  and  always  changing.  The  best  
methods  are  those  that  fit  the  context  of  the  design  problem,  but  the  scope  of  design  problems  is  
so  large  that  defining  the  context  in  the  first  place  is  difficult.  For  students  to  be  able  to  
participate  in  discussions  about  research  and  design  responsibly,  they  must  understand  the  
reasons  for  existing  methods  and  perspectives  across  the  discipline.  
 
PROCESS  IS  UNDERVALUED  
    Approaches  to  research  in  undergraduate  design  education  are  typically  limited  to  a  
faculty  member’s  knowledge  or  preferences.  In  many  cases,  research  methods  are  not  defined  or  
nonexistent.  By  neglecting  to  identify  when  and  how  students  are  engaging  in  research  during  a  
project,  faculty  are  inhibiting  students  from  understanding  design  processes.  Research  happens  
at  many  stages  of  projects  in  different  ways.  If  students  can’t  recognize  when  they’re  
researching,  what  methods  they’re  using,  and  whether  they  were  successful  or  not,  they  aren’t  
developing  skills  that  are  transferable  to  future  work.  Metacognition  displays  deep  
understanding  of  both  course  material  and  personal  development,  but  it  isn’t  encouraged  by  the  
way  design  is  frequently  taught.  
Faculty  must  provide  students  with  transferable  skills  that  will  remain  relevant  for  the  
unknown  future  roles  designers  will  play.  We’re  in  a  time  of  uncertainty  about  the  future  of  the  
profession  and  there’s  no  reason  to  think  it  will  be  any  different  soon.  Students  need  resources  
that  define  design  research  if  they  are  expected  to  be  proficient  in  these  methods  in  the  future.  
An  increased  emphasis  in  design  education  on  collaboration  and  interdisciplinarity  raises  the  
importance  of  communication,  but  if  students  don’t  have  common  ground  for  understanding  
research  this  extended  dialogue  won’t  go  far.  
 
STUDENTS  NEED  A  FRAMEWORK  
Students  need  comprehensive  and  accessible  entry  points  to  understand  the  larger  
discourse  around  design  research.  Information  about  methods  and  perspectives  for  design  must  
be  disseminated  in  some  form  that  acts  as  an  index  for  students,  faculty  and  professionals  alike.  
Outlining  research  methods  suitable  for  particular  contexts,  their  origins,  best  practices  of  use,  
and  references  to  more  information  provide  a  thorough,  but  not  exhaustive,  overview.    
  Digestible  resources  that  give  an  overview  of  design  research  are  necessary  for  the  
entire  profession,  but  most  important  for  students.  Students  will  be  the  future  design  
researchers,  a  new  generation  of  scholars  that  will  seek  out  information  from  other  disciplines  
that  is  relevant  to  design  and  will  generate  methods  that  design  will  eventually  be  able  to  call  its  
own.  Without  a  glimpse  into  the  array  of  methods  and  perspectives  surrounding  contemporary  
research,  students  don’t  know  what  exists  and  why.  Current  resources  are  sparse,  disorganized,  
and  are  often  targeted  towards  faculty  and  experienced  professionals,  leaving  out  students  who  
would  like  to  become  engaged  in  this  dialogue.  
 
RESEARCH  HAS  LIMITATIONS  
Because  design  problems  are  complex,  students  must  understand  their  own  position  in  
a  project  and  know  that  they  can’t  possibly  research  a  problem  from  every  perspective.  
Acknowledging  areas  that  students  do  not  research  is  equally  important.  Analyzing  chosen  
research  methods  and  their  contexts  in  relationship  to  all  the  other  possible  approaches  shows  
what  a  designer  values  most  in  a  project  and  what  they  have  chosen  to  not  investigate.  These  
relationships  are  even  more  critical  in  collaborative  work,  where  group  members  must  
understand  what  they  are  researching  and  how  it  does  or  does  not  compliment  research  by  
other  members.  If  students  can’t  place  their  own  research  in  the  context  of  the  profession,  
research  won’t  advance.  
Design  needs  to  move  from  agreeing  with  the  need  for  research  to  advocating  its  
integration  into  processes  and  methodologies.  Students  must  be  engaged  in  a  research-­‐based  
dialogue  that  provides  framework  for  methods  and  common  ground  that  enables  effective  
communication  about  research  across  institutions  and  disciplines  possible.  Unless  design  
research  can  be  documented  and  accessed  as  a  cohesive  system,  the  complexity  of  what  and  how  
we  research  will  continue  to  sprawl  until  it  is  out  of  control.