Industrial designers’ attention to materials and manufacturing processes: analyses at macroscopic and microscopic levels

Industrial designers’ attention to materials and manufacturing processes: analyses at macroscopic and microscopic level

Towards a method for documenting industrial design activity from the designer’s perspective

Design researchers have recorded design activity most often on a microscopic level, enabling some conclusions on the structure of design processes to be reached through analysing trains of thought. An alternative, rarely attempted, is to undertake a macroscopic study of designing on a focused topic. A macroscopic study will aim to reveal designers’ approaches to their work and the kinds of resources they use in relation to that topic. For such a study it is stressed that a designer needs to be involved in a long-term ‘live’ design project. This paper argues that a diary written by the designer, either during or at some point after designing, is valuable to researchers studying designing on a macroscopic level. The two key reasons for using a diary are (a) only designers themselves can describe the thinking that accompanies their designing and (b) accounts can be written chronologically and in direct relation to the development of a particular product. The merits of both concurrent and end-of-the-day diaries are discussed in relation to some initial trials

Technicity as the conceptual basis for explaining innovation in design and technology

At DATA’s international research conference in 2004, Doyle introduced the concept of technicity. As a concept seeking to provide causal explanation of human evolution itself, as well as innovation and creativity within design and technology education, this was arguably the most significant new contribution presented at the conference and challenged those in design and technology education to fundamentally review the foundations of the subject

Design decision-making and materials: research agendas and gathering evidence

This paper describes the development of the research agendas for three PhD research projects which took place over the last two decades in the Department of Design and Technology at Loughborough University. The emergence of these agendas in relation to their eras is described and the data gathering methods developed to pursue them noted. The paper is intended to support teachers, designers and other researchers in the early stages of the design of their research projects

Embracing material surface imperfections in product design

Imperfection is not a usual aim within the context of industrialized product design. Under general norms, products are manufactured as clones of a ‘perfect’ original and product surfaces are prized for their ‘perfect’ flawless state. The mass production of products against these principles seems counterintuitive. Yet within the world of materials, and especially considering material surfaces, imperfection is widespread. This research set out to identify and scrutinize circumstances when material imperfection in products is appreciated, from mass manufacture to artisan practices. By synthesizing literature with analyses of material and product samples, five sources of surface imperfections are characterized: inherent material properties, production effects, workmanship of risk, planned and foreseen events, and everyday wear and tear. Following this, a research-focused concept design project is reported, leading to eleven product designs that exemplify how to design for, and with, imperfect material surfaces. A significant challenge facing designers is one of persuasion: of designing products where imperfect material surfaces are regarded as contributing to rather than detracting from product value. To this end, the paper culminates in a visual guide to embracing material surface imperfections in design practice