Articles
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Many Doors Leading to Design Research
What is design research? That is a common question for many when they first hear the about the concept. It is difficult to offer a simple answer, as design research covers a wide range of topics and research traditions. Mind Design tries to offer an answer through interviews with three Danish design researchers who have attempted, with different approaches, to analyse and document the field and provide an overview. The three researchers also offer some advice as to how designers and companies can gain access to the knowledge generated by design research, and they explain why that is important.
15 May 2012
Realising the Full Potential of Drawing
Drawing is a language in its own right that holds a large potential for idea development, says Anette Højlund, who defended her PhD dissertation on drawing and creation on 13 April 2012. In the dissertation she examines what she calls the dialogue between the drawing and the person drawing. In this conversation with Mind Design she concludes that the potential of drawing could be utilised far better, for example in visualising issues that reach across disciplinary boundaries.
15 May 2012
Putting Daylight on the Agenda
Researchers are seeking to push the envelope for an active use of daylight. With exercises from the world of acting, 1:1 scale models and student workshops, Associate Professors Karina Mose and Karin Søndergaard from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture apply new methods in an effort to use daylight as an architectural element in future buildings.
15 May 2012
Industry and Research as Partners
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture is collaborating with the skylight manufacturer VELUX to organise an annual workshop focusing on daylight. The workshop is an example of mutually beneficial partnerships between industry and research: VELUX ensures that future architects expand their knowledge about the potential of daylight, and the researchers gain a glimpse of the potential uses of their research in industry.
15 May 2012
Short News #49
Seminar on aesthetics and design; Updated Conference List; Festival of Research 2012; Innovation Voucher scheme reinstated; Future Design Policies - Visions and Possibilities; Vacancies
15 May 2012
Accessible Packaging, Please!
At the conference OPEN HERE at the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark, on 8 March 2012 a team of researchers and organisations presented their new guideline to industry. It is the result of three years of research and aims to help companies develop user-friendly packaging. But what does user-friendly mean? The answer is simple: The users know, so they should be involved in the development process.
17 April 2012
Hierarchies and Humour in the Design Process
Humour plays an important role in the design process, argues Mette Volf, who recently defended her PhD dissertation Når nogen ler, er der noget på spil (When someone laughs there is something at stake). In her dissertation she explores the design process as social construct. Humour is used, for example, to turn the formal hierarchies on their head.
17 April 2012
Short News #48
Seminar on aesthetics and design;
Updated Conference List;
Festival of Research 2012;
Innovation Voucher scheme reinstated;
Future Design Policies - Visions and Possibilities;
Vacancies
17 April 2012
Researching 'Super Bed Wards'
A pilot project at Herlev Hospital, Denmark, seeks to determine the best design of the in-patient hospital ward of the future. The specific occasion is a large upcoming expansion of the hospital and, in a larger perspective, the construction of new super hospitals all over Denmark. The project, which involves the use of a new observation method, aims to ensure that future patients receive the best possible care and have optimum quality of life.
13 March 2012
When Dad Is in Prison
Games, storytelling and emotional design can be combined to create a fictive world that lets people view their social situation in a new perspective. This was illustrated by design researchers and students at the Kolding School of Design. On 25 January 2012, they met with experts from the Danish Prison and Probation Service and design researchers from Delft in The Netherlands for a seminar and workshop titled Designing Emotions for Games and Narratives.
13 March 2012
PhD Dissertation Challenges Traditional Interaction Design
Interaction design can easily incorporate both a body element and an empathy element. This was demonstrated by Maiken Hillerup Fogtmann, who as part of her PhD project developed interactive exercise equipment for team handball players and computer-based play equipment for children. She defended her dissertation, Designing with the Body in Mind, on 23 January 2012 at the Aarhus School of Architecture.
13 March 2012
Short News #47
Delegation from Hong Kong Visits DCDR;
Doctoral Colloquium and Research Seminar;
Three Issues of Artifact Are Now Freely Available Online;
Where is Architecture and Design Research Headed?;
SuperFormLab;
National Innovation Strategy Aimed at Generating Jobs and Growth
13 March 2012
Making Active and Innovative Use of Your Customer Base
Strategic DesignCompanies are keen to get in touch with their customers and users in order to gain new ideas for products and business potentials. A project headed by the Danish Technological Institute focuses on user types that are potentially valuable for business. The conclusion is that the key lies in getting involved, identifying the company's needs and involving the right users at the right time in the strategic processes.
21 February 2012
What Is Co-Design?
Co-design is a design approach where stakeholders meet and improve on each other’s ideas while “rehearsing the future” together. In this process, the designers’ visualisation skills play a crucial role.
21 February 2012
A Call for Researchers to Join the Debate
Design researchers should play a more active role in the public debate. The knowledge they generate should be brought to bear and interact more with knowledge from other disciplines and professions. Nille Juul-Sørensen, who took up the position as CEO of the Danish Design Centre in November 2011, sees this as a condition for finding visionary answers to current challenges.
21 February 2012
Short News #46
PhD defense at Aarhus School of Architecture;
Research Seminar About EU Funding of Design Research;
Conference on User-Friendly Packaging;
Norwegian Professional Board Visits the DCDR;
The DCDR's Annual Publication 2011 Released - English Edition Available in Early March;
Annual Publications from the Schools;
New Rector at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts;
Interdisciplinary Research Projects at RDAFA Launched;
Research Seminar In Kolding on Wool and Ethnography;
New Report About PhDs and Productivity in Private Enterprises
21 February 2012
Editorial: New Conditions for Design Research
2012 brings new opportunities for the Danish Centre for Design Research. There continues to be a need for a broadly based coordination of design research in Denmark with the purpose of realising the considerable potential of the research.
17 January 2012
Design as Innovation Facilitator
Strategic DesignDesign-driven innovation in companies can result in both actual product development and the development of processes and business strategies. That was one of the points made at the workshop Design Driven Innovation – Organizing for Growth held at the Kolding School of Design in December 2011. Furthermore, the role of the position of design in relation to the individual company or organisation was emphasised.
17 January 2012
Design Research for All
The design research journal Artifact has been transformed from an expensive print magazine to an online Open Access journal. The relaunch is consistent with a general trend toward free access to research knowledge and, editors Ida Engholm and Charlie Breindahl argue, also holds benefits for researchers.
17 January 2012
Short News #45
Ph.D. Defence at the Aarhus School of Architecture;
Doctoral Colloquium for Design Ph.D. Scholars;
Design as a Dynamo for Democratic Development in the Middle East
17 January 2012
Many Doors Leading to Design Research
What is design research? That is a common question for many when they first hear the about the concept. It is difficult to offer a simple answer, as design research covers a wide range of topics and research traditions. Mind Design tries to offer an answer through interviews with three Danish design researchers who have attempted, with different approaches, to analyse and document the field and provide an overview. The three researchers also offer some advice as to how designers and companies can gain access to the knowledge generated by design research, and they explain why that is important.
15 May 2012
Realising the Full Potential of Drawing
Drawing is a language in its own right that holds a large potential for idea development, says Anette Højlund, who defended her PhD dissertation on drawing and creation on 13 April 2012. In the dissertation she examines what she calls the dialogue between the drawing and the person drawing. In this conversation with Mind Design she concludes that the potential of drawing could be utilised far better, for example in visualising issues that reach across disciplinary boundaries.
15 May 2012
Putting Daylight on the Agenda
Researchers are seeking to push the envelope for an active use of daylight. With exercises from the world of acting, 1:1 scale models and student workshops, Associate Professors Karina Mose and Karin Søndergaard from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture apply new methods in an effort to use daylight as an architectural element in future buildings.
15 May 2012
Industry and Research as Partners
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture is collaborating with the skylight manufacturer VELUX to organise an annual workshop focusing on daylight. The workshop is an example of mutually beneficial partnerships between industry and research: VELUX ensures that future architects expand their knowledge about the potential of daylight, and the researchers gain a glimpse of the potential uses of their research in industry.
15 May 2012
Short News #49
Seminar on aesthetics and design; Updated Conference List; Festival of Research 2012; Innovation Voucher scheme reinstated; Future Design Policies - Visions and Possibilities; Vacancies
15 May 2012
Accessible Packaging, Please!
At the conference OPEN HERE at the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark, on 8 March 2012 a team of researchers and organisations presented their new guideline to industry. It is the result of three years of research and aims to help companies develop user-friendly packaging. But what does user-friendly mean? The answer is simple: The users know, so they should be involved in the development process.
17 April 2012
Hierarchies and Humour in the Design Process
Humour plays an important role in the design process, argues Mette Volf, who recently defended her PhD dissertation Når nogen ler, er der noget på spil (When someone laughs there is something at stake). In her dissertation she explores the design process as social construct. Humour is used, for example, to turn the formal hierarchies on their head.
17 April 2012
Short News #48
Seminar on aesthetics and design;
Updated Conference List;
Festival of Research 2012;
Innovation Voucher scheme reinstated;
Future Design Policies - Visions and Possibilities;
Vacancies
17 April 2012
Researching 'Super Bed Wards'
A pilot project at Herlev Hospital, Denmark, seeks to determine the best design of the in-patient hospital ward of the future. The specific occasion is a large upcoming expansion of the hospital and, in a larger perspective, the construction of new super hospitals all over Denmark. The project, which involves the use of a new observation method, aims to ensure that future patients receive the best possible care and have optimum quality of life.
13 March 2012
When Dad Is in Prison
Games, storytelling and emotional design can be combined to create a fictive world that lets people view their social situation in a new perspective. This was illustrated by design researchers and students at the Kolding School of Design. On 25 January 2012, they met with experts from the Danish Prison and Probation Service and design researchers from Delft in The Netherlands for a seminar and workshop titled Designing Emotions for Games and Narratives.
13 March 2012
PhD Dissertation Challenges Traditional Interaction Design
Interaction design can easily incorporate both a body element and an empathy element. This was demonstrated by Maiken Hillerup Fogtmann, who as part of her PhD project developed interactive exercise equipment for team handball players and computer-based play equipment for children. She defended her dissertation, Designing with the Body in Mind, on 23 January 2012 at the Aarhus School of Architecture.
13 March 2012
Short News #47
Delegation from Hong Kong Visits DCDR;
Doctoral Colloquium and Research Seminar;
Three Issues of Artifact Are Now Freely Available Online;
Where is Architecture and Design Research Headed?;
SuperFormLab;
National Innovation Strategy Aimed at Generating Jobs and Growth
13 March 2012
Making Active and Innovative Use of Your Customer Base
Strategic DesignCompanies are keen to get in touch with their customers and users in order to gain new ideas for products and business potentials. A project headed by the Danish Technological Institute focuses on user types that are potentially valuable for business. The conclusion is that the key lies in getting involved, identifying the company's needs and involving the right users at the right time in the strategic processes.
21 February 2012
What Is Co-Design?
Co-design is a design approach where stakeholders meet and improve on each other’s ideas while “rehearsing the future” together. In this process, the designers’ visualisation skills play a crucial role.
21 February 2012
A Call for Researchers to Join the Debate
Design researchers should play a more active role in the public debate. The knowledge they generate should be brought to bear and interact more with knowledge from other disciplines and professions. Nille Juul-Sørensen, who took up the position as CEO of the Danish Design Centre in November 2011, sees this as a condition for finding visionary answers to current challenges.
21 February 2012
Short News #46
PhD defense at Aarhus School of Architecture;
Research Seminar About EU Funding of Design Research;
Conference on User-Friendly Packaging;
Norwegian Professional Board Visits the DCDR;
The DCDR's Annual Publication 2011 Released - English Edition Available in Early March;
Annual Publications from the Schools;
New Rector at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts;
Interdisciplinary Research Projects at RDAFA Launched;
Research Seminar In Kolding on Wool and Ethnography;
New Report About PhDs and Productivity in Private Enterprises
21 February 2012
Editorial: New Conditions for Design Research
2012 brings new opportunities for the Danish Centre for Design Research. There continues to be a need for a broadly based coordination of design research in Denmark with the purpose of realising the considerable potential of the research.
17 January 2012
Design as Innovation Facilitator
Strategic DesignDesign-driven innovation in companies can result in both actual product development and the development of processes and business strategies. That was one of the points made at the workshop Design Driven Innovation – Organizing for Growth held at the Kolding School of Design in December 2011. Furthermore, the role of the position of design in relation to the individual company or organisation was emphasised.
17 January 2012
Design Research for All
The design research journal Artifact has been transformed from an expensive print magazine to an online Open Access journal. The relaunch is consistent with a general trend toward free access to research knowledge and, editors Ida Engholm and Charlie Breindahl argue, also holds benefits for researchers.
17 January 2012
Short News #45
Ph.D. Defence at the Aarhus School of Architecture;
Doctoral Colloquium for Design Ph.D. Scholars;
Design as a Dynamo for Democratic Development in the Middle East
17 January 2012
Themes
Edited and published by the Danish Centre for Design Research
Reproduction allowed and encouraged with indication of source
Reproduction allowed and encouraged with indication of source
