WHY DO WE NEED DOCTORAL STUDY IN DESIGN?
Meredith Davis
North Carolina State University (United States)
In this commentary from the International Journal of Design, author Meredith Davis looks at the importance of design research in contemporary design practice. From an American perspective, Davis addresses the trajectory of design research programmes in universities and discusses the pre-requisite conditions for establishing research degrees.
Abstract
This article makes a case for why design research is important to contemporary design practice and the deepening of the design disciplines, especially at this point in our history. It identifies the pressures on knowledge generation exerted by the shift from a mechanical, object-centered paradigm for design practice to one characterised by systems that: evolve and behave organically; transfer control from designers to users or participants; emphasise the importance of community; acknowledge media convergence; and require work by interdisciplinary teams to address the complexity of contemporary problems.
Further, the text addresses the rather checkered past of design research programs in universities in the United States of America, and the international positions by professional design associations on the development of research cultures. Included in this discussion is data on what American design professionals, faculty, and students think about design research and what this data tells us about growing research activity.
Finally, the article talks about the pre-requisite, institutional conditions for establishing and differentiating research-oriented master's and doctoral degrees. These threshold criteria include: 1) institutional research infrastructure; 2) faculty qualifications to provide curricular leadership in research education; 3) library resources; 4) resources under nascent design research funding models; 5) balance between disciplinary research programs and interdisciplinary challenges; 6) assessment of faculty and student research activity; and 7) research publication and presentation imperatives.
Relevance to design practice
There is a general lag by college-level programs in responding to major paradigm shifts in the profession; this article attempts to define the role of advanced programs and research in addressing those shifts in ways not possible under traditional models of professional education.
Download the full article (PDF - 368KB)
This article was originally published in the International Journal of Design, Vol.2 No.3 2008, and has been republished with permission.
North Carolina State University (United States)
In this commentary from the International Journal of Design, author Meredith Davis looks at the importance of design research in contemporary design practice. From an American perspective, Davis addresses the trajectory of design research programmes in universities and discusses the pre-requisite conditions for establishing research degrees.
Abstract
This article makes a case for why design research is important to contemporary design practice and the deepening of the design disciplines, especially at this point in our history. It identifies the pressures on knowledge generation exerted by the shift from a mechanical, object-centered paradigm for design practice to one characterised by systems that: evolve and behave organically; transfer control from designers to users or participants; emphasise the importance of community; acknowledge media convergence; and require work by interdisciplinary teams to address the complexity of contemporary problems.
Further, the text addresses the rather checkered past of design research programs in universities in the United States of America, and the international positions by professional design associations on the development of research cultures. Included in this discussion is data on what American design professionals, faculty, and students think about design research and what this data tells us about growing research activity.
Finally, the article talks about the pre-requisite, institutional conditions for establishing and differentiating research-oriented master's and doctoral degrees. These threshold criteria include: 1) institutional research infrastructure; 2) faculty qualifications to provide curricular leadership in research education; 3) library resources; 4) resources under nascent design research funding models; 5) balance between disciplinary research programs and interdisciplinary challenges; 6) assessment of faculty and student research activity; and 7) research publication and presentation imperatives.
Relevance to design practice
There is a general lag by college-level programs in responding to major paradigm shifts in the profession; this article attempts to define the role of advanced programs and research in addressing those shifts in ways not possible under traditional models of professional education.
Download the full article (PDF - 368KB)
This article was originally published in the International Journal of Design, Vol.2 No.3 2008, and has been republished with permission.
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