Abstract

Design Research Through Practice: From the Lab, Field, and Showroom focuses on one type of contemporary design research known as constructive design research. It looks at three approaches to constructive design research: Lab, Field, and Showroom. The book shows how theory, research practice, and the social environment create commonalities between these approaches. It illustrates how one can successfully integrate design and research based on work carried out in industrial design and interaction design.

The book begins with an overview of the rise of constructive design research, as well as constructive research programs and methodologies. It then describes the logic of studying design in the laboratory, design ethnography and field work, and the origins of the Showroom and its foundation on art and design rather than on science or the social sciences. It also discusses the theoretical background of constructive design research, along with modeling and prototyping of design items. Finally, it considers recent work in Lab that focuses on action and the body instead of thinking and knowing.

Many kinds of designers and people interested in design will find this book extremely helpful.

• Gathers design research experts from traditional lab science, social science, art, industrial design, UX and HCI to lend tested practices and how they can be used in a variety of design projects
• Provides a multidisciplinary story of the whole design process, with proven and teachable techniques that can solve both academic and practical problems
• Presents key examples illustrating how research is applied and vignettes summarizing the key how-to details of specific projects

"Design Research Through Practice will quickly become a book that is critical to own whether you are new to design research, an expert at design research, or someone who collaborates with design researchers. The classifications of Lab, Field, and Showroom are useful and workable categories that help researchers to understand design research as an intentional byproduct of what designers do naturally -- envision and prototype a better future through the creation of artifacts, environments, services and systems. This book is a must-read!" --Jodi Forlizzi, Associate Professor of Design and HCI, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

"Design Research Through Practice demonstrates how different traditions of collaborative constructions have bridged the gap between understanding and making, and theoretical and actual solutions.... This is a thoughtful examination of exemplary practice and an inspirational foundation for others to refelct and build upon." --from the foreword by Jane Fulton Suri, Managing Partner; Creative Director, IDEO

"This resource focuses on an emerging type of design research for digital products called constructive design research, concentrating on research conducted in the laboratory, the field, and the showroom. The design models, scenarios, prototypes, and case examples described offer insight on how to do constructive design research and how to build research programs. The book's visual appeal is enhanced with color photos, cartoons, diagrams, screenshots, and charts. It is for graduate and doctoral students in industrial and interactive design, product design engineering, and in emerging fields of design such as services and sustainability. The non-technical writing style and many examples will also make the book useful for practicing designers." --Reference and Research Book News, Inc.