Connecting Practice to Research (and back to practice): Making the Leap from Design Practice to Design Research

Abstract

The proliferation of research degrees in the subject of design reflects the growing importance of research-based approaches in this discipline. However, it is not unreasonable to suggest that design (being a creative, subjective and artifact-based activity) does not naturally lend itself to the scientific, objective and knowledge-based activity of research. As a result, design researchers who have practised as designers are still rare within the design research community. Of those that do make the transition from practice to research (and back), they often enter with a misinformed notion of 'research', which ranges from a view that design research consists of a large-scale design project, to one of scientific experimentation only.This paper draws from the experiences of the author who has undertaken and completed a research degree in the subject of Design. It is a response to difficulties faced by the author during her PhD experience and proposes to address the questions: Are there any similarities between practice and research that can be highlighted to enable designers to understand the requirements of research? What skills and knowledge can be derived from research, which can be brought back into design practice? How can we better prepare designers to undertake research? It is hoped that the issues expressed here will be a basis for continued discussion on how design education can begin to incorporate a research-based curriculum, and for professional bodies to promote the value of research to practitioners.

An overview of research methods in visual communication design education

“…According to Durling, research seeks to "ask questions, select appropriate methods, test the questions, analyse the results, and disseminate the conclusions Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 16:54 18 March 2015 International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation unambiguously" (2002, p. 81). Yee (2007) counters that the process of asking questions in design is often hidden, carried, and adapted, whereas research has to be open, rigorous, and replicable. Instead of focusing on the differences, Newbury (1996b) lists four common criteria of research that apply to any field of study, including art and design.…”

“…He asserts that regardless of the academic discipline, research ought to be systematic, rigorous, critical, reflexive, and communicable. Yee (2007) affirms this by referring to Archer's (1995) definition of research as a "systematic enquiry whose goal is communicable knowledge" (p. 6), before going on to identify suitable methods for practice-based research such as Action Research (McNiff, 1988) and Reflective Practice (Schön, 1987).…”

“…The current trend seems to favor "reflective enquiry into practice" (Yee, 2007) for the study of visual communication. Loughran (2002) puts reflective inquiry into practice in the context of "purpose, framing, and articulation."…”

“…Through Reflective Research, Glanville and van Schaik are more concerned about the "how" than the "what" of a research process, as they find that design is a process more than an outcome, and therefore is more revealing when studied throughout its various stages of activity. Similarly, Yee (2007) has used Reflective Research to understanding her own practice, especially on research projects that involved multidisciplinary research teams.…”

“…Various studies consider the first approach of sciences and humanities inappropriate for conducting design research, largely because it appears alien to many designers and artists (James, 2003) and lacks design practice components such as the making process and the creative output (Franz, 2000;Saikaly, 2003Saikaly, , 2005Siu, 2007;Yee, 2007Yee, , 2009Yee, , 2010.…”