Overview
Tendencies toward āacademizationā of traditionally practice-based fields have forced design to articulate itself as an academic discipline, in theoretical terms. In this book, Johan Redstrƶm offers a new approach to theory development in design researchāone that is driven by practice, experimentation, and making. Redstrƶm does not theorize from the outside, but explores the idea that, just as design research engages in the making of many different kinds of things, theory might well be one of those things it is making.
Redstrƶm proposes that we consider theory not as stable and constant but as something unfoldingāsomething acted as much as articulated, inherently fluid and transitional. Redstrƶm describes three ways in which theory, in particular formulating basic definitions, is made through design: the use of combinations of fluid terms to articulate issues; the definition of more complex concepts through practice; and combining sets of definitions made through design into āprograms.ā These are the building blocks for creating conceptual structures to support design.
Design seems to thrive on the complexities arising from dichotomies: form and function, freedom and method, art and science. With his idea of transitional theory, Redstrƶm departs from the traditional academic imperative to pick a sideātheory or practice, art or science. Doing so, he opens up something like a design space for theory development within design research.
This book title, Making Design Theory, ISBN: 9780262036658, by Johan Redstrom, published by MIT Press (September 1, 2017) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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