Design is a highly dynamic, contested, ill-¬‐defined and powerful space or creation that shapes human life and the natural world in myriad ways. Drawing on Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory, the domains of Professional Design, Design Thinking and Critical Design have been examined as a field, defining the boundaries of what constitutes design. This investigation was initiated to serve as a provocation to prompt reflection and organization of the field, making it more accessible beyond itself and more consistent within its boundaries. Themes were generated from comprehensive search and synthesis of the literature and then organized using a Concept Mapping approach. Findings were complemented by a personal autoethnography documenting the development process for this project. A model is presented and discussed with recommended steps for practice and research considerations to aid development of curricula and communications about design within and beyond its field boundaries
