»Designnahe Wissenschaft. Der Anspruch an die Wissenschaft zur Lösung gesellschaftlicher Probleme«
Vortrag von Prof. Wolfgang Jonas (in englischer Sprache)
Samstag, 27.10.2012, 16:45 bis 17:45 Uhr
There is a controversy in Design Research. Simply put, there is the „scientific“ approach, which faithfully follows the taken-for-granted epistemological traditions, methodological guidelines, and academic standards set by the more established disciplines. On the other hand there is the attempt to develop a „designerly" theory of knowledge production, the latter being associated with notions like „practice-led research“, „project-grounded research“, and „research through design“, all of which have generated considerable interest in recent years.
We argue strongly for the „designerly“ approach, which starts from the observation that those established and respected disciplines are themselves undergoing severe changes. They might lose their function as universal role models. Non-traditional epistemological approaches are gaining in importance. The relationship of research to practice is changing. Empirical studies reveal that the processes of the Natural and Engineering Sciences are design-like. The relationship between rigor and relevance in inquiry is increasingly delicate.
Furthermore, we observe strong signs of convergence of the Sciences and Design. On the one hand, the Sciences have begun to reflect on the social-embeddedness and the context-dependency of their knowledge production. On the other hand, Design has gradually become aware of the intensity of knowledge generation in their working processes and has begun to develop their own notions, methods, and standards of research.
So, instead of establishing the clear split, which implies deficiency in the designerly research, we demonstrate a convergence of scientific and designerly approaches, with clear distinctions regarding the character of the outcomes, of course. Or, in other words, we create a narrative that sets out to reveal the common designerly core of both approaches to knowledge generation. As a projection, we put forward the hypothesis of a convergence towards a new „trans-domain“. Design might be a model for the latter.
We argue strongly for the „designerly“ approach, which starts from the observation that those established and respected disciplines are themselves undergoing severe changes. They might lose their function as universal role models. Non-traditional epistemological approaches are gaining in importance. The relationship of research to practice is changing. Empirical studies reveal that the processes of the Natural and Engineering Sciences are design-like. The relationship between rigor and relevance in inquiry is increasingly delicate.
Furthermore, we observe strong signs of convergence of the Sciences and Design. On the one hand, the Sciences have begun to reflect on the social-embeddedness and the context-dependency of their knowledge production. On the other hand, Design has gradually become aware of the intensity of knowledge generation in their working processes and has begun to develop their own notions, methods, and standards of research.
So, instead of establishing the clear split, which implies deficiency in the designerly research, we demonstrate a convergence of scientific and designerly approaches, with clear distinctions regarding the character of the outcomes, of course. Or, in other words, we create a narrative that sets out to reveal the common designerly core of both approaches to knowledge generation. As a projection, we put forward the hypothesis of a convergence towards a new „trans-domain“. Design might be a model for the latter.
Wichtige Publikationen:
- Mind the Gap! On Knowing and Not-Knowing in Design
(Hauschild, Bremen 2004) - Positionen zur Designwissenschaft
(Kassel University Press, Kassel 2010) - Mapping Design Research: Positions and Perspectives
(Birkhäuser, Basel 2012)
Kontakt:
e-Mail: jonasw@snafu.de
Presse, Kommunikation und Marketing, presse@uv.uni-kiel.de