Featured below: Journal Papers, Conference Papers, Publications
Design With a Thousand Faces: Design-Led Methods for the Social Science Research Community
Hocking, V. T. (2009). Design With a Thousand Faces: Design-Led Methods for the Social Science Research Community. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 4(3), 1-16.
Abstract:
Design as a profession emerged out of the industrial revolution. However, the word ‘design’ has been around much longer and describes a human activity that we all do and have done for some time. This paper starts from the premise that although design may have many 'faces' there is an overriding commonality in a process concerned primarily with generating 'what could be' rather than 'what is'. This commonality has the potential to form a 'common ground' between disciplines. Hence, design-led methods could be further developed into an integrated research design for an interdisciplinary method that effectively enables all types of participants and researchers alike. This paper will examine design-led methods for the social sciences by looking at; the social science influence on design research methods, the evolution within design of 'design-led' research methods (such as cultural probes, game format and scenario building) and the influence of these creative and playful methods on the social sciences. The paper will assess the potential for further developing design-led methods for the social science research community and will conclude by considering what, if any, role the Design discipline may have in contributing to ‘design’ in other fields.
An Ecology for Design: From the Natural, through the Artificial, to the Un-Natural,
Hocking, V. T. (2009). An Ecology for Design: From the Natural, Through the Artificial, To the Un-Natural. Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal, 3(1), 41-54.
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Abstract:
The term ‘ecology’ used as a metaphor was picked up by the discipline of Design in the late 1980’s with theorists such as Branzi, Manzini, Pantzar and Krippendorff’s exploration of ‘the ecology of the artificial’. This ecological metaphor played an important part in the re-assessment of Design’s role in line with social and environmental issues. As evident in the Munich Design Charter of 1990, an ecological model was used to initiate a debate over the fundamental role Design plays in developing our future. However, during the ensuing decade and a half, understanding of ‘ecology’ and notions of sustainability have changed considerably. This paper aims to re-visit the ecological metaphor, to see if ‘ecology’ is still a useful context for understanding how Design can play a role in sustainable change. The paper will start with a brief exploration of what ‘ecology’ has come to mean. It will go on to show how ‘ecology’ has been used by the field of Design, particularly as a metaphor in the phrase ‘ecology of the artificial’. It concludes by proposing a context for Design that might be more effective in conceptualising how the field can be of significant value in sustainable change.An UnNatural World: Designer as Tourist
Hocking, V. T. (2007, April 11-13). An UnNatural World: Designer as Tourist. Paper presented at the 'Dancing with Disorder' European Academy of Design Conference, Izmir.
Abstract
This paper examines the design researcher through exploring the notion of how design research resembles tourism. The paper characterises the theoretical plane as the Un-Natural World and tells an allegory of the Tourists Journey within it. The aim of this allegory is to show the nature, role and potential of design research within discourse and for the everyday. The paper first looks at the nature of discourse as the formation of patterns, then describes the Un-Natural World, outlines the different kinds of Designer as Tourists and the wellbeing they seek. The paper looks at the Tourist Journey as the process of design research and returning home as solidifying research into the artefact. The paper concludes with a recommendation for not just an ecology of the natural or an ecology of the artificial but also the ecology of the theoretical, suggesting that the design researcher, who spend most of their time traveling through the Un-Natural World, is in a good position to be the guide; to build an outline of the ecology of the theoretical in order to unite the disciplines in a discourse aimed at preventing disaster.Co-Designing a Sustainable Culture of Life: designing research methods for sustainable change
Hocking, V. T. (2008). Co-Designing a Sustainable Culture of Life: designing research methods for sustainable change. Paper presented at the Change the Change. from http://www.allemandi.com/cp/ctc/book.php?id=54
Abstract
This paper is a reflection on research into a methodological tool for change towards a sustainable future. The paper’s purpose is to communicate this metadesign project in order to open up the ideas for discussion. The project’s sustainable context will be explored, as well as the role of design and in particular design research within this context by setting up the system in which design operated and the need for developing a co-design model. The paper will then outline the design-led method developed for fieldwork in Tumut ,which initiated the process of designing the method for the co-design model. The paper will conclude by considering how the model might be further developed into a comprehensive design research method.Designing a Travel Guide to the Un-Natural World: Exploring a Design-led Methodology
Hocking, V. T. (2008). Designing a Travel Guide to the Un-Natural World: Exploring a Design-led Methodology. Paper presented at the Undisciplined a Design Research Society Conference. from http://www3.shu.ac.uk/Conferences/DRS/
Abstract:
The analogy of designer as tourist in the un-natural world is used as an aid for thinking my way into the nature of design research. An exploration of how the design researcher, like a tourist, travels widely through the un-natural world of thought, theory and concept. If we are to design a travel guide for the un-natural world then what would this guide book look like, why do we need it and how could it work? The paper will propose that a ‘travel guide to the un-natural world’ in the form of a design-led methodology is needed for research into sustainable development and is useful not only for the design discipline but for the research community at large. These premises have been derived from the aptitude of the design process and the creative methods it employs to deal with the complex messiness of issues such as sustainability. Such a design-led methodology would be useful for the wider research community due to the integrative abilities of the design process and the trans-disciplinary scope of the tour through the un-natural world. Design-led methodology will be explored using examples from field work in Tumut (rural New South Wales, Australia)Enabling Design for Sustainable Futures: Design-led research and research-led design
Hocking, V. T. (2009, November). Enabling Design for Sustainable Futures: Design-led research and research-led design. Paper presented at the Cumulus Conference.
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Abstract:
In addressing the theme of design as a catalyst for social change I will specifically look at the role of design-led research. The contemporary issue of sustainability, however ambiguous, is highlighting the need for social change; in particular the need for researching possible futures and inspiring the implementation of effective change. Focusing on research may not seem to be a direct application of social change. However in enabling social research projects across the disciplines to utilise a design-led methodology, I propose, could increase the creative capacity of our society to envisage and implement a sustainable change for the better. This paper explores what such a design-led methodology could look like, how it should work and why it ought to be of significant value. As an example of how this methodology can be operationalised I will outline my community based project in Tumut which engaged participants in a process of designing sustainable wellbeing for their communities’ future. The purpose of this study was to construct a methodology that acts as both design-led research and research-led design to give an approach to researching possible sustainable futures.
Sustainablility Research by Designers: An Anthology
Lisa Graham (ed.), Published by On Design
'Sustainability or green design is an area of growing concern for many design researchers from a wide range of experiences and disciplines, including graphic designers, architects, design theorists, environmental designers, artists, students and educators. These researchers are exploring the topic of sustainability through discourse, studies, and reflection—defining what sustainable design currently means and potentially means as a new, interdisciplinary design profession.
Sustainability Research by Designers: An Anthology is an interdisciplinary volume featuring written sustainability research by accomplished design practitioners, researchers, and educators selected from the recognized peer-reviewed scholarly journals Design Principles & Practices: An International Journal; The International Journal of the Arts in Society; The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability; The International Journal of the Humanities; and The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge & Society.' - read more at
http://ondesign.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.224/prod.1
Viveka Turnbull Hocking's paper 'An Ecology for Design' is included in this Anthology.
Tackling Wicked Problems: Through the Transdisciplinary Imagination
Edited By Valerie A. Brown, John A. Harris and Jacqueline Y. Russell
'From climate change to GM foods, we are increasingly confronted with complex, interconnected social and environmental problems that span disciplines, knowledge bases and value systems. This book offers a transdisciplinary, open approach for those working towards resolving these 'wicked' problems and highlights the crucial role of this 'transdisciplinary imagination' in addressing the shift to sustainable futures.' - read more at http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=102293&v=512016
Viveka contributed a section on design approaches to this book. See chapter 11a 'Designerly Ways of Knowing'. Unfortunetly there seems to have been some editorial problems that made the piece read less clearly.