The In-Discipline of Design: Bridging the Gap Between Humanities and Engineering

Description

Design is a conceptive activity which is usually presented as a sensible, sequential process and action. This book claims that design cannot be reduced to the rational, effective planning and organization that most models (such as design thinking) present. The author suggests another type of rationality which is based on what the humanities call aesthetics, writing, composition, and style: a rationality based in imaginary elaboration and coherence. The chapters, therefore, demonstrate that design practice is about creating not only functional tools, but planes of reflections that challenge norms. To support this claim, this book analyzes research programs, art works, and design projects that produced new information and communication technologies (ICT). This is detailed using examples in each chapter. From these examples, two types of conclusions are derived: a first level considers the lessons that we can draw from these examples in terms of design practice while the second level starts a theoretical discussion based on these analyses of use cases. The goal is to develop an understanding of conception in its different forms. This book brings the use of these neglected methods to the foreground as a way to explicate the design process. Taking into consideration the humanities within design contributes to the discussion on pluridisciplinarity. The book posits that design as a historical and situated activity is a truly multidisciplinary endeavor that bridges the gap between engineering sciences and the humanities. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii Design as Meaning and Form Making: An Introduction (Annie Gentes)....Pages 1-22 From Interactive Design to Reflective Design (Annie Gentes)....Pages 23-55 Creative Figures of Users (Annie Gentes)....Pages 57-88 The Poetics of Invention (Annie Gentes)....Pages 89-134 Design as Composition of Tensions (Annie Gentes)....Pages 135-173 Design as Debate: The Thing Beyond the Object (Annie Gentes)....Pages 175-212 Conclusion: The Indiscipline of Design (Annie Gentes)....Pages 213-247