"throughout much of the modern movement, we see a desire to produce works of art and design based on objectivity and rationality, that is, on the values of science" (49).
The 1960s saw a return to scientific design but this time in the process of design. Scientific design was thought to provide a way to solve human created problems (Buckminster Fuller).
However, the 1970s pushed back on design science. Design went underground, but thrived in engineering disciplines.
In the 80s, design popped up again, but this time it set itself apart from science by claiming science was an inductive explanation of established systems whereas design was constructive.
"There may indeed be a critical distinction to be made: method may be vital to the practice of science (where it validates the results), but not to the practice of design (where results do not have to be repeatable, and, in most cases, must not be repeated, or copied)" (51).
Cross then shifts into distinguishing between scientific design, design science, and a science of design.
Scientific Design
Design methods originated as scientific methods.
"One view of the design-science relationship is that, through this reliance of modern design upon scientific knowledge, and through the application of scientific knowledge in practical tasks, design 'makes science visible'...'Scientific design' is probably not a controversial concept, but merely a reflection of the reality of modern design practice" (52).
Design Science
Ca. 1965 "the concern to develop a design science...led to attempts to formulate the design methos--a coherent, rationalized method, as 'the scientific method' was supposed to be" (52).
Design science concerns systemizing the design process as well as "deriving from the applied knowledge of the natural sciences appropriate information in a form suitable for the designer's use...So we might conclude that design science refers to an explicitly organized, rational, and wholly systematic approach to design; not just the utilization of scientific knowledge of artifacts, but design in some sense as a scientific activity itself" (52-53).
Not all scholars agree that design can be a science.
The Science of Design
Design as the subject of scientific inquiry. The science of design (design methodology) studies "the principles, practices, and procedures of design" (53).
- how designers work and think
- the establishment of appropriate structures for the design process
- the development and application on the nature and extent of design knowledge and its application to design problems
Donald Schon proposed "to search for 'an epistemology of practice implicit in the artistic, intuitive processes which some practitioners do bring to situations of uncertainty, instability, uniqueness, and value conflicts,'" (54) which is also a reflective practice. Essentially, this positivistic approach attempts to deconstruct what practitioners do.
Simon sees design as a "common ground intellectual endeavor and communication across the arts, sciences, and technology." For Simon, design is an interdisciplinary subject that engages in the "creative activity of making the artificial world"...This discipline seeks to develop domain-independent approaches to theory and research in design...Their knowledge, skills, and values lie in the techniques of the artificial...So design knowledge is of and about the artificial world and how to contribute to the creation and maintenance of that world" (54).
A
No comments:
Post a Comment