- What is the 'empirical data' in these two papers?
In the to papers I think that the “empirical data” is the experiences from the different design studies. In the first paper (Fernaeus & Tholander) it is the activities with lo-fi materials and the trying out the hi-fi prototypes and testing the final design. And in the second paper (Lundström) the empirical data is testing the ‘state of the art’, the interviews, the interface sketching and in the end the test of the ‘final’ product. During these activities different things are observed and these are the “empirical data”. In some way all of these activities contributed to the final result.
2. Can practical design work in itself be considered a 'knowledge contribution'?
Practical design work could contribute to knowledge if something new is discovered. I think that you could gain knowledge from any kind of activity. The process often just as important as the result and the practical design work is part of the process.
3. Are there any differences in design intentions within a research project, compared to design in general?
Design in general is focused towards pleasing the user in best possible way in both form or function. While in design research they are more focused on other parts and to try out new ideas. It doesn’t strive to be perfect, instead you try to explore different possibilities and how they work in some situation. In research project you want some kind of result that doesn’t have to be totally new but unique in some way and that is says something new about the subject. For design within research projects you have to have reasons for why you do things the way you do.
4. Is research in tech domains such as these ever replicable? How may we account for aspects such as time/historical setting, skills of the designers, available tools, etc?
I think that it’s hard to replicate these kind of research. A lot of knowledge and conclusions in design research is based on observations and they are subjective and hard to get objective. But that may not need to be the focus, and when you replicate design research you might reach other knowledge.
5. Are there any important differences with design driven research compared to other research practices?
One of the biggest difference is that in design driven research the user is in the center. I can’t come up with any situation when you don’t have to take the user into consideration when performing a design research. You always have that perspective that of what is most beneficial for the end user. Another difference is that the result is often not the most important, instead the process and what is learnt from the experiment is one of the most interesting parts.
Differentiated Driving Range - Lundström
Nicely done, you keep the facts straight and on point! You thesis on replicable research is interesting, do you mean that subjectivity stems from our historically determined perception, I'm guessing you are. Interesting!
SvaraRadera