Theory As a Case of Design: Lessons for Design from the Philosophy of Science
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Theories and designs are similar. Because they are similar, design researchers in information systems can learn much from the philosophy of science. Neither large data sets nor papers that generate and statistically test theory are necessary for the publication of contributions to the field. Moreover, the philosophy of pragmatism provides a more solid base than logical positivism from which to launch research about design. Future researchers may focus on two potentially fruitful issues: how designers evaluate a design prior to implementation, and how the automation of design in closed loop systems affect our understanding of both creativity and technology.Keywords:
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In what way can design be a domain of science? What exactly is design research, when considered as a scientific discipline? What models would frame the approach to design research? What should we understand by the “science of design”? The author answers these questions in four parts. Firstly, he studies the efforts made over the last fifty years to make design research a science, or at least a scientific discipline. Secondly, the development of international research in design and the situation today in French-speaking countries are summarized. Thirdly, two design research models, that of the creative quest and that of scientific research, are presented and analyzed. The author comes out in favor of the latter, basing his conclusions on a case study devoted to critical design by Dunne and Raby. Lastly, he suggests a definition of the perimeter of knowledge in design and presents a model for the “science of design.”
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In recent years, the works on Design Theory (and particularly the works of the Design Theory SIG of the Design Society) have contributed to reconstruct the science of design, comparable in its structure, foundations and impact to Decision Theory, Optimization or Game Theory in their time. These works have reconstructed historical roots and the evolution of design theory, conceptualized the field at a high level of generality and uncovered theoretical foundations, in particular the logic of generativity, the design-oriented structures of knowledge, and the logic of design spaces. These results give the academic field of engineering design an ecology of scientific objects and models, which allows for expanding the scope of engineering education and design courses. They have contributed to a paradigm shift in the organization of R&D departments, supporting the development of new methods and processes in innovation departments, and to establishing new models for development projects. Emerging from the field of engineering design, design theory development has now a growing impact in many disciplines and academic communities. The research community may play significant role in addressing contemporary challenges if it brings the insights and applicability of Design Theory to open new ways of thinking in the developing and developed world.
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Over the past few years many views have emerged that maximize the utilization of design research in Information Systems (IS) application development. A recent insightful debate in the IS community has suggested two major design views in IS research: a) a pragmatic technical artifact orientation, and b) a theory-grounded user and meta-artifact focus. The first (pragmatic design-based) view focuses on explicit knowledge and on a step-by-step methodology for innovative artifact design and building. The second (theory-grounded) view more broadly emphasizes meta-artifact design in IS development and a more prescriptive guidance approach that is grounded in design research. The debate between these two views leads to the question: which method is more suitable for Decision Support System (DSS) design? In extending the debate on design views in IS research, this paper evaluates a DSS application through both the utility of the pragmatic and the socio-technical design research views. This helps create a methodological foundation for industry-oriented DSS design and evaluation. The findings suggest that both positions have merit, but the latter view of design science is more suitable for industry-oriented DSS design.
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Design science research is a valid research methodology today in IS. Its goal is to solve wicked problems and show that IT artifacts created to solve the problem has efficacy and utility. However developing design theories or making theoretical contributions (theory as artifact) is still a challenge. This thoughtful essay is meant to provide deep insights into the interplay between theory and design and provides some answers into two big questions: 1) where should we theorize in DSR and 2) how do we holistically approach theory development in the sciences of the artificial.
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The study of the design process, design theory and methodology has been a preoccupation of engineers, designers and researchers over the last four to five decades. As the end of this millenium is approached and with the renewed interest around the world in engineering design, it is fitting to examine the state of the art and current status of issues relating to design philosophies, theory and methodology. Over the last 40 years, many approaches to design have been put forward by various researchers, designers and engineers, both in academia and industry, on how design ought to and might be carried out. These proposals on design have tended towards what has come to be regarded as design philosophies, design models and design methods. The thesis of this paper is to discuss various aspects of generic research in design, within the above classifications in the light of the work that has been done in the last four decades. Discussions will focus on various definitions of design, design theory and methodology, the nature and variety of design problems, design classifications, philosophies, models, methods and systems.
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Design-based research as the design science in the field of educational technology integrates design with research appropriately and gives dual attention to both technology and theory, which possesses the widespread prospect for application in the international education research area. From the aspects of the historical development of the design science, the paper discusses the connotation of design-based research, the features of design science, the general procedure for operating and the differences between the traditional research methodology of educational technology. On the basis, the paper points out that this kind of emerging research methodology has great significance to educational technology research in our country.
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Design research, without empirical evaluation, is often looked upon as a poor relation to more obviously experimental work. A common reason to reject design studies submitted for publication concerns their failure to provide an empirical evaluation of the use and effects of an artifact in the laboratory or in more realistic field settings. The authors argue that this scepticism towards pure theoretical design research without empirical results not only hinders scientific progress and scientific efficiency in human–computer interaction research, but also discounts the value of designs conceived and realized in practice. Pure theoretical design research has value because envisioning and implementing a design is a form of theorizing, theory integration, theory refinement, and analytic evaluation. The artifact, in essence, embodies a theory, with analytical value independent of its empirical evaluation. The activities of analysis, design, and construction are common in both academe and in design practice, and represent an underexploited resource for systems design science. In part this limitation might stem from the lack of epistemological grounding for design as a knowledge generating activity, and in part from the lack of a distinct methodological perspective from which to assess theoretical design science. The authors ground their perspective with reference to the philosophy of science and through analysis of a design research exemplar, and suggest a set of criteria for evaluating research products in theoretical design science.
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