Putting theory into practice was also an important part of this specific paper where kids were programming by using physical devices (smart phones and/or puzzle pieces). It was not very surprising that the analysis is crucial in Design research, because "data is just data". Seems logical that an interpretation needs to be done to explain why the data matter.
A question I found hard to understand prior to the lecture and workshop was the concept of design intentions. I now understand that Design intentions are used in the planning process, whereas design in general is used throughout a Design research project.
An interesting takeaway from the workshop we had with Anders Lundström was that a researcher needs to keep data for 10 years and be able to show it on request. Although some is easier to store (digital) this could be problematic in some cases where big equipment is used as part of the research.
Something specific for Design research compared to other research methods that we learned, was that you change and adjust in process to a much greater extent in Design research, whereas in other research you plan a hypothesis, test to get the result and analyse it.
Anders also brought up what in my opinion was a decent attempt to define knowledge; "When attention is brought to something previously unknown". It raises important questions to a researcher but is also applicable in other contexts in life. If you think about it within the framework of a practical example, it becomes clear that it can be extended to "When attention is brought by a messenger to something previously unknown by the recipient". In context of media, communication becomes central in the concept of knowledge, because without communication there is no knowledge.
If an infedility could be seen as knowledge, it only becomes knowledge when the partner that was cheated on finds out (and have not previously agreed to it). And perhaps the knowledge is by one person only seen as knowledge if they have had tangible interaction. Meaning that they would not believe a chat message explaining the infidelity, but they would believe it if they would witness it in real life. This became a bit of a spinoff, but hopefully I managed to illustrate the point I wanted to make with communication as central in the concept of knowledge.
To get back to Design research, it has been useful to learn more about this way of researching a topic by using different tools than you may be used to. I will finish this post with an inspirational out of the box example of research done by Christien Meindertsma.
Yop,
ReplyDeleteOh very interesting reflection and some valuable information. I didn't know that the research needs to be able to show up his result up to 10 years after the research.
The attention brought to something unknown brings some very interesting question upon the research. That means if for exemple the researcher forgot or didn't take care about something that could affect the study then it makes the study needs to have a start over. This is what the lecturer mentioned as well that we often need a study of a study then with the result get another study etc.
Ive watched your video "out of the box" concerning the attribution of the pig's part to at least 190 other objects. Makes us wonder what kind of other raw material is used to that many different objects that we use on a daily life basis.
All linked to knowledge once again...
Very good reflection thanks!
Seems like we've been to different groups as I haven't heard about the requirements to keep the data for the decade. Although I don't think that anybody is keeping the massive equipment - in this case, rather, it will be quite complicated to reconstruct the new one if someone decides to repeat the experiment.
ReplyDeleteFrankly speaking, I haven't understood how this TED video is related to the design research, as, in my opinion, it is more about the qualitative methods (observations and comparisons). Nevertheless, it was quite insightful.
What I cannot disagree with, is the flexibility of the design research. As it was said at the seminar, the path is more important that the outcome in this case.
I agree with you that Ylva’s lecture and her use of a practical example clarified many definitions, including empirical data. I think describing by using a practical example is a very effective way of learning. I also think an effective way of learning is when you can illustrate a concept by putting in another context. Therefore I really appreciate that you brought up the importance of communication in the concept of knowledge by applying it to another example, in this case infidelity. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reflection, it was interesting to see some more points about this theme that you carried out from the seminar. Same like you I also found it very interesting how much a researcher must adjust his research experiments to make as accurate research as possible, because some decisions of your experiment can blur the findings. Furthermore, I really like the examples you presented here. It shows you really perceived this theme completely. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reflection, it was interesting to see some more points about this theme that you carried out from the seminar. Same like you I also found it very interesting how much a researcher must adjust his research experiments to make as accurate research as possible, because some decisions of your experiment can blur the findings. Furthermore, I really like the examples you presented here. It shows you really perceived this theme completely. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for elucidating me on your thoughts! :) The greatest takeaway from the seminar indeed seems to be the fact that Anders talked about different subjects with all of us, so it's nice to hear what was going on particularly in your group. Funny little detail, I just learned from another student's blog post that the basic definition of knowledge the you mentioned as well, "drawing attention to something that was previously unknown" is actually a definition by Bengt Molander, a Swedish scholar.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the quality of adjustment is the one that makes design research so differing from other study approaches. Although 'adjusting' is often an important part of other study approaches as well, since the outcome can be very differing from what the research project was thought to be in the beginning. This I learned my self during my bachelor's thesis and the decisions we had to make: first we thought of a purely qualitative approach, but as the process proceeded, we learned that we could actually benefit more from both quantitative and qualitative approach. However, I do get the point that design driven research process is even more adjusting, there's no denying that.
Thanks for your blog posts! :)
Interesting and thoughtful post! I didn't quite follow some of your ideas (e.g. the infidelity), but on others you were crystal clear. Just like you, I cam to further develop my understanding of this theme during the lecture and seminar. The emphasis that you put on the analysis in design research is well motivated - to me, it is the very core of the notion. Because without constant analysis, neither data nor prototypes would evolve and contribute to the studies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an interesting post!
I am not sure that I understood your parable with infidelity right – I interpreted it as the philosophical thought experiment “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?”. If a researcher finds something new, but does not tell the world about the finding, does it matter? If there are no proof or data showing the finding, does it exist? The person seeing the infidelity is experiencing it with his/her senses, empirical data. The person that sees a text message, also experience it with his/her senses, but the experience might not be as strong and tactile. The video you posted was indeed out of the box research – and it would have been interesting if you had expanded your thoughts on how it relates to design research. Good job on your post!
ReplyDelete