From Social Impact to Collective Knowledge and Skill Building: Committing and Valuing in Design Research that Makes a Difference

Abstract

This paper discusses the challenges of measuring the impact of design research, particularly in the context of emerging design practices that aim to address social change beyond functionalist, rationalist and industrial traditions. We argue for the need to capture the intangible and beyond-than-academic consequences of design interventions and for foregrounding the perspectives and experiences of marginalised communities. We briefly introduce three cases we are currently involved with that have led to the identification of four interrelated commitments: visibility, sustainment, tensions and collectivity. We propose using these commitments as lenses for rethinking and expanding the way in which impact and impact assessment are shaped and understood. We conclude that framing this alternative approach can create spaces in and for design projects to commit and value in design research that makes a difference.