VS - Research through Design - ANM50622

• Title: VS - Research through Design
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship - New Media Studies (21-UISKNM)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2020
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 4
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (15)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Additional information: http://novamedia.ff.cuni.cz
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D.

Annotation

English

Last update: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D. (06.02.2020)

This course will introduce students to the basics of Research through Design (RtD) — a practice-based approach to research where design activity in the form of constructing artefacts becomes a central research activity. Construction of design artefacts coupled with rigorous documentation, reflection, and analysis becomes the key means of generating knowledge in RtD. Within a two-weekends seminar, we will go through the main theoretical and epistemological approaches and conflicts within the RtD field, review examples of existing projects, explore diverse hands-on and performative RtD techniques (scenarios, prototypes, artefacts, enactments, LARPs) and conduct our own RtD case studies. Working in small groups, we will draw primarily on experimental RtD methods; using the elements of participatory design fiction and speculation, ludic design, and other co-creative and co-imaginative methods. We will experiment with various design materials, including low-tech tangibles, edibles, and imaginables. The resulting case studies – in the form of work-in-progress RtD projects – will be presented at the design-art festival Uroboros (https://www.uroboros.design/) in the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in May 2020. The practice-based projects will reflect on the main course theme "Designing in Troubling Times" addressing issues and challenges around anthropogenic climate change and related social, political, and environmental uncertainties. Through our projects, we will aim to articulate plausible proposals on how to support the – urgent needed – societal transformation towards sustainability.

Czech

Last update: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D. (06.02.2020)

Kurz Research through Design (RtD) studenty vede k osvojení základních metodologických, teoretických a praktických aspektů designového výzkumu – tj. využívání designové praxe jako výzkumného nástroje. Tvorba a implementace designových artefaktů je v kontextu RtD chápána jako forma sběru dat o soudobých společenských problémech. V návaznosti na úvodní teoretickou část studenti ve skupinách vypracují vlastní praktický RtD projekt. Vypracované projekty se budou vztahovat k havnímu tématu kurzu Design ve znepokojivé době, reflektující současné socio-ekologické otázky a dilemata spojená s antropogenickou klimatickou změnou. Skupinová práce na projektech bude zahrnovat tvorbu experimentálních designových artefaktů, design fiction prototypů a scénářů; implementaci a sběr dat v terénu; a závěrečnou prezentaci projektů na design-art festivalu Uroboros (https://www.uroboros.design/) v Centru současného umění DOX (podmínka udělení zápočtu). Výuka proběhne v podobě dvou víkendových seminářů v prostorách DOX; online konzultace s lektorem je možná po dohodě v průběhu semestru.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D. (06.02.2020)

Drawing on the introduction to theoretical and methodological tenets of RtD, students will conduct their own practice-based RtD case studies. The resulting studies (a work-in-progress form is acceptable) will be presented at the design-art festival Uroboros (https://www.uroboros.design/) that takes place in the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in May 2020. The presentation at the festival equals receiving course credits. Throughout the semester, students can book online consultations with the tutor who will further assist with the preparation of case studies and presentation materials for the festival. 

 

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D. (06.02.2020)

Literature (Ask the tutor if you need access):

Auger, J. (2013). Speculative design: crafting the speculation. Digital Creativity, 24(1), 11-35. 

Bleecker, J. (2009). Design Fiction: A short essay on design, science, fact and fiction. Near Future Laboratory, 29. 

Brandt, E., & Binder, T. (2007). Experimental design research: genealogy, intervention, argument. International Association of Societies of Design Research, Hong Kong.

Cross, N. (1999) Design Research: A Disciplined Conversation. Design Issues 15, 2, 5-10.

Frayling, C. (1993). Research in Art and Design. Royal College of Art Research Papers 1, 1-5.

Friedman, K. (2008) Research into, by, and for design. Journal of Visual Arts Practice 7(2), 153-160.

Gaver, W. (2012). What should we expect from research through design? Paper presented at the Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Austin, Texas, USA. 

Godin, D., & Zahedi, M. (2014). Aspects of research through design: a literature review. Proceedings of DRS, 1667-1680. 

Light, A. (2015). Troubling Futures: can participatory design research provide a constitutive anthropology for the 21st century? Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal - IxD&A, N.26, pp. 81-94

Nelson, H. G., & Stolterman, E. (2012). The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World second edition: MIT Press.

Pierce, J. (2014). On the presentation and production of design research artifacts in HCI. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2014 conference on Designing interactive systems.

Sengers, P., Boehner, K., David, S., & Kaye, J. J. (2005). Reflective design. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 4th decennial conference on Critical computing: between sense and sensibility.

Stappers, P., & Giaccardi, E. (2012). Research through Design. The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd Ed. Interaction Design Foundation. Available at http://bit.ly/2UxqEU

Vaughan, L. (2017). Practice-based design research: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Zimmerman, J., & Forlizzi, J. (2014). Research through design in HCI. Ways of Knowing in HCI (pp. 167-189): Springer.

 

Further reading & inspiration (Ask the tutor if you need access):

Algorithmic Food Justice. 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020 from http://algorithmicfoodjustice.net

Blythe, M., Andersen, K., Clarke, R., & Wright, P. (2016). Anti-Solutionist Strategies: Seriously Silly Design Fiction. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Santa Clara, California, USA. 

Buur, J., & Matthews, B. (2008). Participatory innovation. International Journal of Innovation Management 12, 03, 255-273.

Climaginaries. Narrating Socio-cultural Transitions To A Post-fossil Society. Retrieved January 10, 2020 from https://www.climaginaries.org/

Climate Cultures - https://climatecultures.net

Coombs, G., McNamara, A., & Sade, G. (2018). Undesign: Critical Practices at the Intersection of Art and Design: Routledge.

Creative Carbon Scotland - https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/

Bardzell, S., Bardzell, J., Forlizzi, J., Zimmerman, J., and Antanitis, J. (2012). Critical design and critical theory: The challenge of designing for provocation. In Proc. of DIS 2012. ACM: New York.

Bardzell, J., Bardzell, S., Dalsgaard, P., Gross, S., & Halskov, K. (2016). Documenting the Research Through Design Process. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. 

DiSalvo, C. (2012). Adversarial design: The MIT Press.

Dourish, P., & Bell, G. (2014). "Resistance is futile": reading science fiction alongside ubiquitous computing. Personal Ubiquitous Comput., 18(4), 769-778. doi:10.1007/s00779-013-0678-7

Dunne, A., & Raby, F. (2001). Design noir: The secret life of electronic objects. Springer Science & Business Media.

Hallnäs, L., & Redström, J. (2001). Slow technology–designing for reflection. Personal and ubiquitous computing, 5(3), 201-212. 

Hesselgren, M., Eriksson, E., Wangel, J., & Broms, L. (2018). Exploring Lost and Found in Future Images of Energy Transitions: Towards a Bridging Practice of Provoking and Affirming Design. Paper presented at the DRS2018.

Jain, A., Ardern, J & Knight, D. (spring 2019). Mitigation of Shock: Post-occupancy Anthropology. Architectural Design Journal

Koskinen, I., Zimmerman, J., Binder, T., Redstrom, J., & Wensveen, S. (2011). Design research through practice: From the lab, field, and showroom: Elsevier.

Light, A., Wolstenholme, R. & Twist, B. 2019. Creative practice and transformations to sustainability–insights from research. SSRP Working Paper No. 2019-1, University of Sussex

Lukens, J., & DiSalvo, C. (2011). Speculative design and technological fluency. International Journal of Learning and Media, 3(4), 23-40. 

Nova, N. (2015). Design Ethnography? Towards a Designerly Approach to Field Research. In: Bihanic D. (eds) Empowering Users through Design. Springer, Cham. 

Schon, D. A. (1984). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action (Vol. 5126): Basic books.

Smith, R. C., Vangkilde, K. T., Kjærsgaard, M. G., Otto, T., Halse, J., & Binder, T. (2016). Design anthropological futures: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Stolterman, E. (2008). The nature of design practice and implications for interaction design research. International Journal of Design, 2(1). 

Tharp, B. M., & Tharp, S. M. (2013). Discursive design basics: mode and audience. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Nordic Design Research Conference

Vervoort, J. M., and A. Gupta. 2018. Anticipating climate futures in a 1.5°C era: the link between foresight and governance. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 31:104-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.01.004

Wakkary, R., Odom, W., Hauser, S., Hertz, G., & Lin, H. (2015, August). Material speculation: Actual artifacts for critical inquiry. In Proceedings of The Fifth Decennial Aarhus Conference on Critical Alternatives (pp. 97-108). Aarhus University Press.

Wilde, D. 2019. Tasting the Future. Anticipation 2019, AHO, Oslo, Oct. 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020 from https://bit.ly/376LygK

Syllabus

Last update: Mgr. Markéta Dolejšová, Ph.D. (06.02.2020)

The course will take place on two selected weekends within the semester. Throughout the two sessions, we will go through the main theoretical and epistemological approaches and conflicts within the RtD field, review examples of existing projects, explore diverse hands-on and performative RtD techniques (scenarios, prototypes, artifacts, enactments, LARPs) and conduct RtD case studies on our own. Working in small groups, we will draw primarily on experimental RtD methods; using the elements of participatory design fiction and speculation, ludic design, and other co-creative and co-imaginative methods. We will experiment with various design materials, including low-tech tangibles, edibles, and imaginables. The resulting case studies – in the form of work-in-progress RtD projects – will be presented at the design-art festival Uroboros (https://www.uroboros.design/) that takes place in the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in May 2020. 

Course duration: two-weekend seminar (two full days for each seminar). Dates TBC.

Course location: DOX Center for Contemporary Art Prague (Poupětova 1, Prague 7)