Contemporary Theories in Design Research Master Program of Innovation and Design,Department of Industrial Design,National Taipei University of Technology

1. Student/Hung,Wei-Hsuan
Professor/Wang, Hung-Hsiang
Course/Contemporary Theories in Design Research
Master Program of Innovation and Design,Department of Industrial Design
National Taipei University of Technology
My Design Theory

2. “The reading of all good books is
like a conversation with the finest
men of past centuries.”
—Descartes

3. • John Chris Jones：Design Methods
• John Zeisel : Inquiry by Design
• Herbert A. Simon : The science of The Artificial
• Donald A. Norman : Design Everyday Things
• Donald A. Schon : The Reflective Practitioner
• Victor Papanek : Design for The Real World
• Klaus Krippendorff : The Semantic Turn
• Enkuan Kenji : The Aesthetics of the Japanese
Lunchbox
8 Contemporary Design Theories

4. Design Theories Review

5. John Chris Jones：Design Methods
+ Designing as the process of devising not individual products but whole systems or
environments such as airports, transportation, hypermarkets, educational curricula,
broadcasting schedules, welfare schemes, banking systems, computer networks.
+ Design as participation, the involvement of the public in the decision-making process.
+ Design as creativity, which is supposed to be potentially present in everyone.
+ Design as an educational discipline that unites arts and science and perhaps can go further
than either.
+And now the idea of designing Without a Product, as a process or way of living in itself.

6. John Zeisel : Inquiry by Design Tools For Environment-Behaviour Research
+ Design training to teach people how to take risks, research training to teach people how to reduce the risk.
+ Environmental-Behaviour descriptions that can enable designers to improve control over behavioral side
effects of their decisions include six elements: actor, act, significant others, relationships, context, and
setting.
Observing Environmental Behavior
Qualities of the Method
Empathetic
Direct
Dynamic
Variably intrusive
Observer’s Vantage Points
Secret outsider
Recognized outsider
Marginal participant
Full participant
Recording Devices
Notation
Precoded checklists
Maps
Photographs
Videotapes and movies
What to Observe
Who: actor
Doing what: act
With whom: significant others
Relationships
Context
Setting

7. Herbert A. Simon : The science of The Artificial
John Zeisel : Inquiry by Design Tools For Environment-Behaviour Research
Limits of Adaptation
But matters must be just a little more complicated than this account suggests. "If wishes were horses, all beggars would ride." And if we could
always specify a protean inner system that would take on exactly the shape of the task environment, designing would be synonymous with
wishing. "Means for scratching diamonds" defines a design objective, an objective that might be attained with the use of many different
substances. But the design has not been achieved until we have discovered at least one realizable inner system obeying the ordinary natural
laws one material, in this case, hard enough to scratch diamonds.
+ Artificial things are synthesized (though not always or usually with full forethought) by human beings.
+ Artificial things may imitate appearances in natural things while lacking, in one or many respects, the
reality of the latter.
+ Artificial things can be characterized in terms of functions, goals, adaptation.
+ Artificial things are often discussed, particularly when they are being designed, in terms of imperatives
as well as descriptives.

8. Donald A. Norman : Design Everyday Things
Three levels of processing: Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective.
The visceral level is fast: it makes rapid judgments of what is good or bad, safe or dangerous,
and sends appropriate signals to the muscles (the motor system) and alerts the rest of the brain.
This is the start of affective processing. These are biologically determined and can be inhibited
or enhanced through control signals from above. The behavioral level is the site of most human
behavior. Its actions can be enhanced or inhibited by the reflective layer and, in turn, it can
enhance or inhibit the visceral layer. The highest layer is that of reflective thought. Note that it
does not have direct access either to sensory input or to the control of behavior. Instead it
watches over, reflects upon, and tries to bias the behavioral level.
SENSORY MOTOR
Reflective
Behavioral
Visceral
The System Image
Designer’s
Conceptional
Model
User’s
Mental
Model
The designer's model, the system image, and the user's model.
For someone to use a product successfully, they must have the same mental model (the
user's model) as that of the designer (the designer's model). But the designer only talks to
the user via the product itself, so the entire communication must take place through the
"system image": the information conveyed by the physical product itself.

9. Donald A. Schon : The Reflective Practitioner
Reflection-in-action can happen very quickly or over an extended period of time. It might also be on various
aspects of practice, but the author suggests that it “is central to the art through which practitioners sometimes cope
with the troublesome divergent situations of practice”. Such reflection might indicate that there is a problem with
the practice, or that something needs tackling differently. In these instances, the practitioner will act
experimentally (we are given several examples of this) in order to solve the problem.

10. Victor Papanek : Design for The Real World
In an age of mass production when everything must be planned and designed, design has become the most
powerful tool with which man shapes his tools and environments (and, by extension, society and himself). This
demands high social and moral responsibility from the designer. It also demands greater understanding of the
people by those who practise design and more insight into the design process by the public. Not a single volume
on the responsibility of the designer, no book on design that considers the public in this way, has ever been
published anywhere.
Design Contribution
The Real
Problems of Design A Country
Design Contribution
The Real
Design Contribution
The Real
The world

11. Klaus Krippendorff : The Semantic TurnVictor
Meanings of
Artifacts in
Use Language
Life cycle
Ecology
act use, not in language
Language, not in their life cycle
Their life cycle, not in ecology
Relations between four theories of meaning of artifacts.

12. Enkuan Kenji : The Aesthetics of the Japanese
Lunchbox
+ Beauty is Function
+ Flexible Functionality
+ Equipment That Draws Out Creativity
+ Saving Grace of the Prototype
+ Pine-Bamboo-Plum-Unification in Diversity
+ All-Inclusive Assimilation and Structuring
+ Developmentality of the Lunchbox
+ Untrammeled Adaptability- Hypothetical Culture
+ Model for a Civilization of Maturity
+ The Ultimate Spirit of Service-Heart of the Merchant

13. Develop My Design Theory

14. Difference Between Designers and Researchers
I agree with there are different professions between designers and
researchers. For example, designers do better in transferring image
into object. On the other hand, researchers do better in using
information to examine concepts. However, John Zeisel mentioned
that master designers and master researchers should have the same
skill. That is, an ability of simplify. One concept is easier to simplify
and also it is easier to examine, and of course that consequence will
be mature. Hence, to be a designer, I should have an ability of
simplifying, as many designers said about that more simple is harder
to design.
E
0 1 2 3

15. Design Methods?
John Chris Jones provides 36 design methods in the book
which designers called it the “old bible”. But, I am
wondering that is it possible to use these methods to deal
with each design projects? I remember my first time being
an internship in the design studio. I asked my boss “Why
we do selections of design in such a short time?” I
believed that there was a perfect SOP in designing a
project. But my boss said” Because design happened in
the present at 20% product time, and finished in the
future(produce) at 80% product time. Also, the customer
generally only gave designers a few time to do design.” As
result, In my opinion, using Design Methods depending on
different situations that maybe in a big scale project.
Moreover, some case just depending on personal intuition.
Hence, I realise that Design Methods is not so important in
some design cases.
INTUITION

16. Three Levels of Processing
I agree with Donald A. Norman’s theory “Three Levels of Processing”. At first, I think these three levels are very interesting, and after
reading the theory , it made me feel closer to human-centered. During the process of designing, I must think why people are attracted
by the products. When people see the products, how to guild them to use the products. And also, what would influence their emotions
towards the product and remain good impressions in people’s minds. Then, Norman also provides “The designer's model, the system
image, and the user's model. “ For me, human-centered is the most important thing. However, when I face a hight innovational design
project, it is hard to help me to come out with breakthrough ideas. As results, “Conceptual Models” maybe is not useful for innovational
design.
The System Image
Designer’s
Conceptional
Model
User’s
Mental
Model

17. Environmental-Behaviour
John Zeisel took many architectures and Interior design example to explain the term E-B.
Nevertheless, in product design, designer also should consider environmental elements. For
example, double-door refrigerator. Designer considers saving spaces of kitchen, so design a double-
door to save more space. Take another example, chair, designer always do observing of people’s
behaviour, by observing how people set on the chair to adjust chair design, such as the most
comfortable degree of back and most comfortable material of surface. So, in my opinion E-B is useful
in product design.
Limits of Adaptation
What is design can do for the world? Can designer be a saviour? Designer is not a superman. For
example, I always want to provide a flawless solution of problem. However, all I can do is balance all
conditions, that is finding a satisfactory solution.

18. The Reflective Practitioner
Realising what you are doing in designing is an important thing for being a
master designer. Take my personal experience as example, when I finished
a design project, I always think about how can I do better in next project.
That is to say, I keep chasing the ideal model of design. Not only
experience many design project but also make reflection from project. So,
for me, it is a necessary way to become a master designer.

19. The Responsibility of Designer
Victor Papanek statements a big problem during the machine age.
Mass production affects earth environment, and world over surplus
useless products. Before every single product be produced by
designers. So, designers must take the responsibility with society. But,
I am wondering that defining designers are main offender of mass
production is it lifting overly? In the industry, designers are part of the
chain, big power comes from business people. Designers do not have
strong authority. When products are manufactured, the power of
decision stand with the primary people who obtain benefits. In fact,
every citizen has a responsibility to make better global environment,
the designer has the ability to educate consumers, but consumers
themselves are not completely ignorant, consumers are not confused,
they have the right to make the final decision to buy or not to buy
products.
.

20. Products And Goods
In my opinion, products and goods are divided, "Goods" is something after the advertising company's marketing. And “Products”
is the objects before become “Goods” . Designers should not think that they are designing a profit targeted “Goods”. Designers
should consider the real level of people’s demands. So, the designers has the responsibilities to design products that human
beings real need.
Products
Advertising
Goods

21. Emotional Design
Klaus Krippendorff and Donald A. Norman described the process of user understanding the product. For example, as I saw
Philippe Starck's alien juicer, I was attracted by its interesting appearance. The first stage had been reached with the “Visceral
level”. Next, I think about how to use it, it tells me that put orange on top of its form. Then, squeeze orange juice falling sown
along curved shapes. So, I know to put the cup under it. Although it may not good to use, but I can learn from it how to use
through product semantics. Then it completed “Behavioral level”. Finally, because I have this product placed in the home decor.
Also build my good taste. So, came to the final stage”Reflective level”. On the other hand, Enkuan Kenji ’s book Aesthetics of
Japanese Luch Box also mentions the harmony beauty in life, he suggests “Feelingology”. Hence, designer should rethink the
sensitive side of product.

22. Design in The future
Today's world is changing. Civic movement power wave towards social justice. Also, there come out many social
enterprises and social designer. As entrepreneurs or designers, etc. Facing changes in the world, and the only way to
being better is to be honest. I think the question is raised of years ago, people have seen the question and facing now.

23. What is Design for me?
Have Abilities of
simplify things
find satisfactory solution
take responsibility to the world
Do
observation
reflection
Be
sensitive
honest

24. Hung,Wei-Hsuan Email: ahxuan17@gmail.com
Contemporary Theories in Design Research
Master Program of Innovation and Design,Department of Industrial Design
National Taipei University of Technology
Thanks for your attention.