Design Research

for Change
Symposium papers presented at the Design Museum 11-12 December 2019
Paul A. Rodgers (Editor)

1
 Design
Research
For Change
2019
ISBN 978-1-86220-369-3

Edited by Paul A. Rodgers

Designed by Euan Winton

Published by
Lancaster University
Bailrigg
Lancaster
LA1 4YW
UK

To visit the Design Research for Change project website,

go to: www.designresearchforchange.co.uk
All rights reserved. The rights of Rodgers to be identified
as editor of this work has been asserted in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Typeface: Avenir. Printed in an edition of 1000.

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 Foreword
The breadth of topics covered at this Symposium is proof, if proof were
needed, of the enormous value of design research. In areas that range
from the future of urban living to justice systems and neuroscience,
design research is providing the frameworks and methodologies to
answer questions which span disciplinary and conceptual boundaries; in
an era of ever greater interdisciplinarity, design research is, once again,
ahead of the curve. It is for this reason that the Arts and Humanities
Research Council is delighted to support UK and international Design
research, whether through the Priority Area Leadership Fellowship, to
which we have just awarded follow-on funding, or through our open call
research portfolios, or through other channels. Design has long been
a discipline on which we collaborate with our sibling councils at UKRI,
and it features strongly among the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships we
sponsor.

What we mean by “design” and “design research” is ever-changing,

however, and it is right that the AHRC, and UKRI at large, keeps a close
eye on those changes and responds to them in a way that allows the very
best of innovative and transformative research to flourish. The impacts
of that research – academic, economic and social – are enormously
significant not only in and of themselves, but also in demonstrating
the value of the field, and therefore the importance of the robust and
ongoing public funding it richly deserves.

Professor Edward Harcourt

Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation
Arts and Humanities Research Council

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 Designing a sensibility for sustainable clothing (S4S): 151
Affective activism
Fiona Hackney, Clare Saunders, Joanie Willett and Katie Hill

So, what do you do? The role of design research in innovation for 169
worklife inclusion
Lise Amy Hansen

The digitisation of cordillera weaving: Designing a new oral tradition 185

Rachel Kelly

Design research for educational change: Methodologies for 209

Contents
exploring the future of learning
Michael Kerres and Barbara Getto

The ripple effects of social design 223

Eva Knutz and Thomas Markussen
Introduction 8
Paul A. Rodgers Redesigning design for culture change: Theory in the Anthropocene 243
Ann Light
Strange encounters: A series of posters investigating the hybrid 15
embodiment of Indo-Canadian identity Metaphors and imaginaries in design research for change 257
Krishna Balakrishnan Dan Lockton, Michelle Chou, Aadya Krishnaprasad, Deepika Dixit,
Stefania La Vattiata, Jisoo Shon, Matt Geiger and Tammar Zea-Wolfson
Over the emptiness: Interpretations and expression of the term in 37
the spaces of disused cinemas in Milan Creative interventions in the juvenile justice system of India: A 275
Ambra Borin and Laura Galluzzo systemic inquiry
Aishwarya S. Narvekar, Aishwarya Rane, Kamal and Pankaj Yadav
Tweaking retirement-living: Introducing design thinking and coffee 59
bars to shared lounges Material design innovation: Fish leather, a new environmentally- 293
Sam Clark friendly material
Elisa Palomino and Gustavo Adrian Defeo
Advancing sustainability at universities through design 79
thinking education Wearing Your recovery: 3.0
Paul C. Endrejat, Amelie V. Güntner, Elena Stasewitsch, Pascal Abel, Laura Salisbury, Chris McGinley and Rama Gheerawo
Simone Kauffeld, and Susanne Robra-Bissantz
The Fair Energy Mark in the making: Framing a citizen-led 311
Design meets neuroscience: Future directions for developing and 93 campaign by participatory design
implementing design probes Laura Santamaria 337
Melanie Flory and Ninela Ivanova
Why knitting now? Textile design research as a driver for 355
educational change
The ontological nature of design: Prospecting new futures through 111
Jane Scott, Elizabeth Gaston and Zoe Dennington
probabilistic knowledge
Fernando Galdon and Ashley Hall
Intervention without imperialism: An equitable approach to 373
design research
The future of seafaring: Designing an on-board user-Interface to 129
Nneka Sobers
predict engine faults on marine vessels
Simone Gumtau
Material reality to materiality: Ocean plastic and design research 395
Katharina Vones and Ian Lambert
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 The twenty papers in this Design Research for Change (DR4C)
book examine this “social turn” in design in detail and explore how
contemporary forms of design research are increasingly involved in a
range of social, cultural, economic, environmental and political action.
The research included in this book highlights a variety of significant
roles that design researchers play in some of the most challenging
issues we face, both in the UK and globally.

Narvekar et al’s paper “Creative Interventions in the Juvenile Justice

System of India: A Systemic Inquiry” illustrates how design and
gamification can be used to enact change in the juvenile justice system
in India. Borin and Galluzzo in their paper, “Over the Emptiness:

Introduction
Interpretations and Expression of the Term in the Spaces of Disused
Cinemas in Milan”, analyse and investigate new possible forms and
uses for empty cinema spaces in Milan.

Light’s paper, “Redesigning Design for Culture Change: Theory in

A quick search of the word “design” on Google today (22 October the Anthropocene”, argues that design research needs to learn from
2019) returns over 25,000,000,000 results. These results include design cultural theory that positions culture as evolving and performative to
organisations, design degrees, design news, ideas about design, ensure that design, which is low on theory of transformation, can be
design jobs, design media, and links to a variety of design tools and (re)designed to enact real culture change. In an educational context,
processes. Similarly, today there are many different designers working Kerres and Getto’s paper “Design Research for Educational Change:
across different disciplines, with different attitudes, different goals, Methodologies for Exploring the Future of Learning” describes the
different agendas, different ways of working, different ways of doing development of a meta-project, based on a network of several university
research, producing different outputs that embody different values, and national institutes, devoted to the development of a methodology
engagement, and impact. Perhaps, however, the connection between of design-based research with a focus on change projects, design-
all of these diverse design activities is the iterative development of based approaches and the analyses of success factors for change.
products, services, systems, experiences, spaces, and other designed
stuff in order to improve the human experience. In other words, using In “Metaphors and Imaginaries in Design Research for Change”,
the power of human creativity to improve humanity. Lockton et al discuss how design methods (metaphors, mental
imagery, and other forms of imaginaries) can be used more effectively
Today, with its application across a wide range of different disciplines to influence how people act and make sense of the world and deal
and fields, design is being used to help address significant, complex, with large-scale challenges in health, environment, politics, and social
and global issues ranging from antimicrobial resistance to mobility, contexts. Palomino and Defeo’s paper “Material Design Innovation:
from healthy ageing to migration, and the development of more Fish Leather, a New Environmentally-Friendly Material” reports on a
sustainable materials and processes to creating policy and governance collaborative project between the Icelandic tannery Atlantic Leather
at local, regional and national levels. And with its inherent agility and the Italian analytical laboratory Ars Tinctoria connecting fashion
and applicability, design helps shape the scientific and technological designers, scientists and leather technicians from the UK, Italy, and
advances which are transforming the world around us. Iceland to advance material innovation by using new technology (water-
based ink digital printing methods) on fish leather as an alternative to
In recent years, design research has witnessed a clear “social turn” conventional leather to encourage more sustainable fashion practices.
where researchers have looked to make change in more socially-
focused contexts as opposed to wholly commercial realms. This “social “The Ripple Effects of Social Design - A Model to support New Cultures
turn” has encompassed a range of activities and interventions that of Evaluation in Design Research” by Eva Knutz and Thomas Markussen
constitute a more “socially-driven” form of design, which suggests that articulates a need for developing an evaluation culture that is primarily
researchers and practitioners from non-design disciplines are working in concerned with design outcomes. They use a social design case (a
close collaboration with design researchers with the ambition to realise game-based intervention designed for family visits in maximum-security
change in social, cultural, economic, and environmental situations. prisons) to identify ripple effects leading to three types of value - social
value, demand value, and research value. Hackney et al present their
work entitled “Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing (S4S):
8 9
Affective Activism” that combines arts with social science research Ivanova and Flory in their paper entitled “Design meets Neuroscience:
methods to investigate how creative activities might shape a sensibility Future Directions for Developing and Implementing Design Probes”
for sustainable clothing and promote pro-environmental behaviour outline recent advances in neuro-technologies, and the pivotal role user
change through making fibre, using waste fabric and modifying clothes. experience design might play across a wide range of analogue and
digital applications at individual, community, and global level ranging
Scott et al’s paper “Why Knitting Now? Textile Design Research as a from learning and education interventions to innovation of large-
Driver for Educational Change” reports on work in collaboration with scale healthcare options. Nneka Sobers’ paper “Intervention without
the Crafts Council (UK) and sixteen schools across Yorkshire that has Imperialism: An Equitable Approach to Design Research” examines
used knitting as a tool for designing and making across a variety of a hybridized and anti-exploitative design research methodology that
scales to reposition textiles as a vehicle to respond to global challenges is unpacked through a case study of a community in Accra, Ghana.
such as the environmental problems of textile colouration. Katharina Emphasising equity, self-determination, deep dialogue, and context-
Vones and Ian Lambert’s paper “Material Reality to Materiality: Ocean sensitivity, the design research presented in the paper resulted in the
Plastic and Design Research” brings together material exploration and co-creation of a grassroots waste management system that illustrates
designer-maker education methods to bear on a major environmental notions of the role and mechanics of dismantling systems of oppression
issue with huge public interest through a critically and scientifically as a socially-conscious designer.
engaged process, rooted in places and communities affected by
complex and significant environmental issues. Endrejat et al’s paper “Advancing Sustainability at Universities through
Design Thinking Education”, presents a case study describing how a
In “Strange Encounters: A Series of Posters Investigating the Hybrid team of students addressed the problem of disposable cups usage
Embodiment of Indo-Canadian Identity”, Krishna Balakrishnan’s paper within a university (TU Braunschweig) using design thinking methods to
acknowledges the many forms of otherness that exist from differences reduce the usage of single-use cups. Rachel Kelly’s paper “The Voices
in subjectivity, gender, race, class, temporal and spatial geographic of the Cordillera: Digitising an Oral Tradition” describes a collaborative
location and dislocation to produce a series of visual artefacts that project between the Philippines-based CordiTex project and Manchester
discuss hybrid embodiments of Indo-Canadian identity. Salisbury et School of Art to support the future digitization of indigenous weaving
al present ongoing research that explores how design, in the form of traditions within the Cordillera region of the Northern Philippines.
smart textiles, can aid upper limb rehabilitation and consider further The paper includes the development of a Learning Framework and
the person’s extended emotional needs through the considered Toolkit to support the preservation of an oral-based weaving tradition
implications of use of types of tools and approaches within the highly and to develop interventions for creative practice and knowledge-
diverse lifestyles of individuals who have suffered a stroke in their paper based change. The paper highlights the voice of oral craft traditions
entitled “Wearing Your Recovery: 3.0”. and describes the relationships between different voices which can be
heard within authored works such as hand-woven textiles.
“The Fair Energy Mark in the Making: Framing a Citizen-led Campaign
by Participatory Design” by Laura Santamaria presents a design In “Tweaking Retirement-Living: Introducing Design Thinking & Coffee
intervention that explored citizen empowerment in the context of Bars to Shared Lounges”, Sam Clark describes research that aims to
the Fair Energy Mark campaign - a citizen-led action aimed to raise explore what the homes of older people could look like in the future.
practice standards and address power imbalances in the energy supply This research has been undertaken at a time when there exists a major
sector. By integrating design and communicative action theories with societal challenge of housing a ‘super-aged’ UK population, and the
participatory design and community organising methodologies the particular needs and aspirations of active third-agers. Clark’s research
work highlights opportunities to amplify the impact of design research advances ‘designerly’ modes of inquiry, resulting in design-relevant
for social change. Lise Amy Hansen’s paper “So, What Do You Do? The feedback for those involved in the production of retirement-living
Role of Design Research for Innovation towards Work-life Inclusion” environments and how housing providers can use this information
reports on the roles design research has played in a large innovation to develop more appealing options. Simone Gumtau’s paper “The
project in Norway – InnArbeid - where technology and services are Future of Seafaring: What Can Design Add? Designing an On-board
developed for social change. In particular, the roles that design research User-interface to Predict Engine faults on Marine Vessels, Lowering
has played in teasing out novel areas of opportunity for creating and Fuel Costs and Emissions” describes a collaborative project between
in particular co-creating technology-supported services that support a communication designer, data scientists, and engineers at the
work-life inclusion of young people with developmental, intellectual University of Portsmouth working with a consortium of companies in
disabilities (ID). the marine industry around the Solent in the South East of England.
The aims of the project is to add economic and environmental value to
marine engineering services in order to retain market competitiveness,
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to comply with international standards to reduce fuel consumption Further, more broadly and looking to the future we asked authors to
and emission through innovation, and also to provide a better user consider the following:
experience through design.
What should design research change now?
This rich set of papers are the end result of a lengthy process that began Can design research really change anything?
with an amazing response to the call-for-papers for the Design Research What will you do to make change?
for Change (DR4C) symposium held at the Design Museum, London
on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 December 2019. We received 62 In what ways do you envision the impact of such change to be evaluated?
papers from researchers based in countries all over the world including
Australia, USA, India, China, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Given the reach and interdisciplinary nature of many forms of
Israel, Greece, Turkey and the UK. After a thorough review process, contemporary design research it is anticipated that the rich mix of
twenty papers were accepted for this book and presentation in a single- papers in this book that cross disciplinary, methodological, geographical
track session over the course of the two days at the Design Museum, and conceptual boundaries highlights the wide-ranging social, cultural
London. and economic impact of emerging forms of design research. This book
will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in a wide range
The Design Research for Change (DR4C) symposium and subsequent of disciplines. This will not only include design researchers, design
book are both much-needed, timely, and significant. The papers in this practitioners, and design academics but the book will be of significant
book address one or more broad and challenging themes highlighted interest to researchers and practitioners in other areas including (but
in the original call-for-papers. We were interested to hear and see how not limited to) education, healthcare, government, biotechnology,
design researchers working with others are making and contributing to engineering, management, computing, and business.
change in areas such as energy and the environment, education, public
services, health and social care. The call-for-papers was intended to Professor Paul A. Rodgers
be inclusive (not exhaustive) and contributions were encouraged that AHRC Design Leadership Fellow
challenged these themes and others. Imagination, Lancaster University

We invited authors to submit high-quality, previously unpublished,

original contributions that explored one or more of the DR4C symposium
themes. We asked authors to consider critically a number of questions
including:

What they (as design researchers) are changing and why?

What difference(s) their design research is making?
Who decides what to change?
Who decides/evaluates if this change is “positive” or “good” or
“enough”?

What impact has your change delivered and at what cost?

Also, we asked authors to consider how their design research addresses
one or more of the following questions:

What have you tried to change through your design research?

Who has activated the change and who has been affected by that
change?
What evidence do you have for the change that you claim?
When has your design research brought about positive change and
when has it been detrimental?

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 Strange encounters:
A series of posters
investigating the
hybrid embodiment
of Indo-Canadian
identity
Krishna Balakrishnan
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 Abstract
Acknowledging the many forms of “otherness” that emerge from
differences in subjectivity, gender, race, class, temporal and spatial
geographic location and dislocation has become greater interest in
current time. This has also become a topic of interest among graphic
designers as they explore design’s relationship with culture. This
thesis explores the use of graphic design to produce visual artefacts
Snow White that discuss hybrid embodiment of Indo-Canadian identity. Cultural
and Sri Durga, identities are represented as competing against one another, which
digital col-
results in recognizing one another as strangers. Multiculturalism and
lage, 44 x 62
in, February
the migrant perspective are always constructed by proximity between
2015. strangers. Using hybridity, Homi Bhabha’s (1994) concept of a “third
space” identifies a metaphor for the space in which cultures meet.
Where communication, negotiation, and translation bridge societies,
a new space emerges. This thesis employs the interventions of “the
third space” to negotiate a meeting space with strangers. The project
prepared during this thesis (2015), The Avatars, digital montage of
Hindu Gods, Goddesses, comic-book superheroes, Disney princesses,
and hybrid prints produced at Belgium’s Frans Masereel Centrum
(2016), represents an alternative way of seeing migrant perceptions of
displacement, temporality and belonging.

Introduction
“Strange Encounters,” examines the relationship between graphic
design and proximity between strangers. The concept of “strange
encounters” denotes the relationship between strangers, embodiment
and community (Ahmed, 2000). The purpose of this thesis is to explore
graphic design in order to produce visual artefacts that discuss hybrid
embodiment of Indo-Canadian identity (Navar, 2004). By articulating
and enunciating cultural hybridity, this project aims to comprehend
the rhetoric of the evolving cultural identities of multiculturalism and
migrant experiences.

The politics of cultural identity is constantly debated, and cultural

identification is a factor of representation. In his article “In and Around:
Culture of Design and Design of Cultures Part I,” Andrew Blauvelt
cites French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan who states that images and
symbols for representational identification cannot be isolated from
images and symbols of the represented identity (Blauvelt, 1994). The
ways in which culture is represented conditions how it is perceived.
This dilemma of cultural displacement is a result of contestation that
happens between the predefined cultural identity and that of the new
environment.

This work is an opportunity to engage critically with complex ideas

of identity through the practice of graphic design. If cultural identity
is a form of representation, how can graphic design contemplate its
role in contributing to cultural identity? How can one recognize the
importance of cultural motifs, patterns, images and icons of a particular

16 17
 culture within a multicultural society? In today’s multicultural society,
different heritages are adapted and borrowed. Indian images—of
Hindu gods, patterns and Devanagari fonts—have been appropriated
in western countries. Transferring visual vernaculars such as artifacts,
styles and traditions across cultures requires adaptation to the new
environment. How can a graphic designer translate cultural vernacular
across many cultures as a way to negotiate representation of a meeting
Winnie the space between strangers?
Pooh and
Lord Ganesha, Design’s global engagement continues to focus largely on facilitating
digital col-
the flow of images and consumer goods across continents, without
lage, 44 x 62
in, February
consideration of larger political and social effects. By communicating
2015. with different cultures and subcultures, designers and corporations
expand their audience base by marketing messages to a specific
regional or ethnic groups. How can graphic design contribute to
different ethnic cultures in multiculturalism without being used solely for
corporate exploitation? This thesis examines how design, as a medium,
attempts to establish relationships with individuals with whom it seeks
to collaborate—populations that are culturally others or strangers.

The posters series, The Avatars, created by Krishna Balakrishnan are a

digital montage of Hindu gods and goddesses, comic-book superheroes
and Disney princesses. They are metaphoric representations analogous
to the embodiment of Indian-Canadian (Indo-Canadian) identity.
The designer attempts to discuss complex ideas of migrant identity,
difficulties in translating vernaculars—images and symbols across
cultures, and negotiate the representation of a meeting space between
strangers. All of these questions highlight postmodernism’s concern for
difference, difficulties in communication, and complexities and nuances
of interests, cultures, and place.

The Concept of Hybridity: Proximity of Strangers

The concept of hybridity has been applied to biology, ethnicity, and
culture. Hybrid denotes a fusion, a blending of two entities to produce
a new original. In biology, the concept denotes an offspring of two
animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species, or
genera. The extension of hybrid’s definition for use in the social field
can be “a person produced by blending of two diverse cultures or
traditions.” Canadian immigrants, or children born to immigrant parents
may represent these hybrid selves. The mixing of peoples of different
origins is as old as the history of humanity, but the term acquired
recent relevance in connection to the imperialism and contemporary
globalization. As theorist Jan Nederveen Pietrese says “… it is not
mixing that is new but the scope and speed of mixing.” (Pietrese, 2009).

Cultural hybridity stems from the notion that we must think of cultural
identities as based on difference. Being different does not necessarily
entail that one is better or superior to the other. Discriminatory and
celebratory reactions to difference result from diverse conceptions of

18 19
 identity (Brah, 1996). The sense of difference challenges notions of fixed
binaries, which stabilizes meaning and representation, and shows how
meaning is never finished (Hall, 1990). Without relations of difference,
no representation could occur. The essentialist position of identity
and culture attempts to preserve a homogeneous essence. A non-
essentialist attitude is, however, a conception of culture as a continued
process and as a heterogeneous combination of discursive practices.
Snow White An essentialist concept of culture leads to the creation of social,
and Sri Durga, cultural and racial barriers, while the non-essentialist concept allows
digital col- for blending and crossings. If cultures have stable, discrete identities,
lage, 44 x 62
then the division between cultures can always become agonistic. Such
in, February
2015. barriers are arbitrary ideological formations: metaphors, discursively
constructed. Avtar Brah defines such borders as:

Arbitrary dividing lines, that are simultaneously social, cultural

and psychic; territories to be patrolled against those whom they
construct as outsiders, aliens, the Others: forms of demarcation
where the very act of prohibition inscribes transgression; zones
where fear of the Other is fear of the self: places where claims to
ownership—claims to “mine,” “yours” and “theirs”—are staked
out, contested, defined and fought over. (Brah, 1996: 198)

Hybridity problematizes boundaries (Bhabha, 1994). The borderline

subverts the concept of an essential purity. Hybridity implies “openness,
adaptiveness, flexibility, contradiction and irony.” (Stoddard and
Cornwell, 1996). Hybridity thus relates to postmodernism, which
also employs concepts of “difference, repetition, the simulacrum,
and hyper-reality” to destabilize other concepts such as “presence,
identity, historical progress, epistemic certainty and the univocity
of meaning.” (Aylesworth, 2013). In The Location of Culture, Homi
Bhabha’s introduction begins with Heidegger’s definition of a boundary:
A boundary is not that at which something stops but, as the Greek
recognized, the boundary is that from which something begins its
presenting (Bhabha, 1994). A boundary stresses the idea that what
exists between settled cultural forms or identities—identities like self
and other, stranger and friend—is central to the creation of new cultural
meaning. It suggests that the proper location of culture is in-between
the overly familiar forms of official culture.

Homi Bhabha’s ‘Third Space’: Negotiating the In-between

In most of his works, Bhabha considers the interrelations and
interdependence between colonizers and colonized. In “The Other
Question,” Bhabha proposes the colonial discourse as an apparatus
that turns on the recognition and denial of racial/cultural differences
(Bhabha, 1994). The objective of colonial discourse, says Bhabha, is to
view the colonized as a population of degenerate types on the basis
of racial origin, in order to justify conquest and to establish systems
of administration and instruction. The social categories exerted on the
colonized imprints imaginary conditions that collide with their own,

20 21
 and displaces the disjunction. This encounter eventually creates a
new “hybrid” expression of cultures and of belonging, which in turn
challenges the beliefs and experience of the colonizers (Bhabha, 1999).

Whereas one theory would give the colonizer dominant power, Bhabha
proposes an alternative context to the interaction between colonized
and colonizer. Bhabha argues that colonial and postcolonial cultural
Captain systems and statements are constructed in a “liminal space,” the “Third
America and Space of Enunciation”:
Lord Krishna,
digital col-
The intervention of the Third Space of enunciation, which makes
lage, 44 x 62
in, February the structure of meaning and reference an ambivalent process,
2015. destroys this mirror of representation in which cultural knowledge
is customarily revealed as an integrated, open, expanding code.
Such an intervention quite properly challenges our sense of the
historical identity of culture as a homogenizing unifying force,
authenticated by the originally Past, kept alive in the national
tradition of the people. (Bhabha, 1994: 54)

In an interview titled “The Third Space,” Bhabha explains that “this

third space displaces the histories that constitute it, and sets up new
structures of authority, new political initiatives, which are inadequately
understood through received wisdom.” (Bhabha, 1990). The notion of
hybridity concerns the idea that in any particular political struggle, new
sites are always opened up. Referring new sites to old principles limits
participation of the newness fully, productively, and creatively.

Bhabha strongly urges negotiation, for negotiation is what politics

entails. Bhabha further states that we negotiate even when we don’t
know we are negotiating. We are always negotiating in any situation of
political opposition or antagonism. Subversion and transgression are
negations. Negotiation is not only a form of compromise or “selling
out.” All forms of political activity, especially progressive or radical
activity, involve reformations and reformulations. In history, these
changes are called “revolutions”: critical moments of reforms and
reformulations. Subversion refers to a process by which the values and
principles of a system in place, are contradicted or reversed.

Visualizing Hybrid Forms of Indo-Canadian Culture

The Avatars are a series of hybrid creatures, mongrels, mutations, or
combination of strangers, which depict negotiation of their prescribed
representation. Their visual representations suggest a sense of
transitioning and morphing into singular entities. Though they appear
autonomous, they are in fact an amalgamation of what are two or
more former entities. What is important in hybridity is not the original
moments, but rather amalgam, which emerges from the previous.
These avatars are visually recognized as single-bodied creatures yet the
visual system of overlapping images suggest translucency when one
perceives independent forms in the same place. The use of translucency

22 23
 invites the viewer to read the collaged images; the embodiment of an
in-between space. The images’ composition and arrangement also aid
in recognizing The Avatars as single-bodied creatures. Images of the
former characters are purposely selected in similar dynamic posture and
gesture, thus enabling them to become recognized as a single entity.
At first glance, the iconic characteristics of The Avatars’ former “original”
form are identifiable. The representation of Spiderman’s webs, his hand
The Little gestures as he projects his webs are visible. On the same avatar is a
Mermaid and shirtless blue body, adorned with brown beads, and long locks of messy
Sri Saraswari, hair that extend below the shoulder. In place of a head, where one
digital col-
expects to see the masked face, with curved and repeated lines that
lage, 44 x 62
in, February
represent a spider web, is a visible blue face. In the areas where the two
2015. bodies overlap, translucent fragments of another character are visible.
On this avatar’s chest and shoulder, one sees the translucent forms of
Spiderman’s costume. On another avatar, the viewer sees Superman’s
iconic “S” in the diamond shape on his chest; his red cape, and blue
and red costume suggest it is the “man of steel.” On top of Superman’s
costume are pearl necklaces, jewels and green silk fabric wrapped
around his waist. He has animalistic features—a long tail with a bell
attached at the end, and the facial representation of a monkey. These
different features are reflective of Hindu God Hanuman’s representation.

On one hand, The Avatars make use of comic-book vernacular and

children’s cartoon characters from Western pop culture while on the
other hand, The Avatars depict Indian Hindu gods and goddesses.
These juxtaposing vernaculars from distinct cultural contexts meet in
their hybrid embodiment. In this embodiment, the boundaries that
contain static identities are dissolved. Attempting to visually read
The Avatars forces one to negotiate these juxtaposed identities. The
Avatars’ construction asks questions of their configuration: Why are
they in this mongrel mutated form? What is their relationship to one
another? Cultural identities are represented as competing against one
another, and as a result the hybrids are recognized as either contesting
or harmonious in their embodiment. Bhabha notes that differences in
writing or écriture contribute to the difficulty in cultural enunciation of
cultural texts, or systems of meaning (Bhabha, 2006). This difficulty has
less to do with what anthropologists describe as varying attitudes to
symbolic systems within different cultures than with the structure of
symbolic representation. The difficulty in reading the content of the
symbol or its “social function,” is due to the structure of symbolization.
Bhabha further states that the difference in language is crucial to the
production of meaning, and ensures that meaning is never simply
formal, technical, and transparent. The difference of cultural symbolism
makes the images’ meaning difficult to read if one is not receptive to
differences of cultural enunciation.

To understand The Avatars, one needs to forgo traditional

representations of being an Indian and a Canadian. The Avatars’ bodies
are never complete; they are in the process of “becoming” their new
embodiment, and “destructing” their former selves. In “Creation of
24 25
 the Sacred Image: Apotheosis and Destruction in Hinduism,” James J.
Preston claims that sacred images in Hinduism are temporal, incomplete,
and inadequate as a full expression. The sacred images of Hindu gods
are constructed according to systematic rules, and then are infused with
sacrality and kept “alive” by highly controlled behaviours intended to
retain the “spirit in matter.” (Preston, 1985). The process of constructing
Spiderman sacred images, and the process of their destruction, reveals something
and Lord intriguing about human religion. The destruction of the sacred image
Shiva, digital is as important as its creation; it is a powerful act of imagination that
collage, 44 x challenges us to ask why humans must insist that the invisible must
62 in, Febru- be made visible. In Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India, Diana L.
ary 2015. Eck states that Hinduism is an imaginative, “image-making” religious
tradition in which the sacred is seen as present in the visible world—
the world we see in multiple images and deities, in sacred places, in
people, in every locus of Indian life (Eck, 1998). The behaviour Indians
exhibit towards sacred images is brought to their immigrant land and
changes accordingly upon interactions with new experiences.

The superheroes are representations of “godlike” presence in

American “material” popular culture. Their images are produced in
similar quantity as those of the Hindu gods—in product packaging,
films, posters and whatever corporations can exploit in their trademark.
Though the superheroes of The Avatars can be perceived as American,
they have roots in every country, where, around the turn of the
twentieth century, the comic industry expanded from publication
newspaper and strips to circulation in collections and serials. Canadian
culture, so close in proximity to the United States, is heavily influenced
by American superheroes. Today, comic studies have been integrated
into many university programs of world literature, and represent a form
of storytelling art rooted in trans-cultural imaginations. Superheroes
and comic books have become synonymous with the experience of
westernization.

Flesh of Gods, Flesh of Superheroes: Embodiment of Avatars

The graphic narrative of The Avatars present bodies moving through time
and “space” (Ryan, 2012) - gods and superheroes, Indian and Western,
sacred and popular, high and low, past and present. Considering how
the bodies of The Avatars relate to and interact with each other and
the world around them shapes the viewer’s perception of time, space
and causality. In “Space, Time and Causality in Graphic Narratives:
An Embodied Approach,” Karin Kukkonen notes that to some extent,
the embodied approach inverts the Kantian perspective that time and
space structure human experience, and proposes that these concepts
arise as a consequence of readers’ experience (Kukkonen, 2013).
The narrative of The Avatars needs to be examined not as objective.
Rather, they need to be examined as properties related to the physical
resonance of mixing two former bodies into one self. To a large extent,
perception is formed by how we view the space around us. Kukkonen
points to Alva Noe’s statement that perceiving is an activity of exploring

26 27
 the image to understand the ways in which composition affects one’s
sensory relations to things.

Considering the composition of The Avatars’ bodies in relation to one

another, readers get a sense of how to perceive the story around them.
When the “original” images of represented bodies overlap, The Avatars
appear to be harmonious with their two former selves. In contrast,
Superman some of The Avatars hint at a contested interaction of former “original”
and Lord Ha- images. Though The Avatars are still images, they evoke a sense of
numan, digital movement. Motion seems to be transferred from one body to another
collage, 44 x
because of the movement’s spatio-temporal unity, perceiving a causal
62 in, Febru-
ary 2015.
relationship being established. Spiderman’s legs seem to exert forces of
balance, and Lord Shiva (even though sitting crossed-legged) appears
to respond to the balancing on one foot. This perception, Kukkonen
describes, is part of our “body schema,” that is, the ways in which our
bodies shapes our perceptual field, integrates sensory information
about our bodies moving through an environment, and information
about our posture and movement. Image schemata, like “balance”
relates to our immediate bodily experience of the world. When we see
a perpendicular composition in an image, with clear horizontal and
vertical lines, it relates to our bodily experience of being perpendicular
(due to gravity), and we view the body of The Avatars as “balanced.”

The medium of collage is also intrinsic to the depiction of hybridity,

and represents an alternative way of seeing the Indo-Canadian identity.
The Avatars’ incorporate image reproduction of characters that are
familiar and different. The gods and superheroes are products of mass
printing. One does not need to travel far to encounter Indian gods.
Their adoption by global culture has seen Krishna and Kali appear on
CD covers, diaries, websites, clothing, and fashion accessories. The
superheroes and princess are part of the Hollywood popular material
cultures and thus their images are mass reproduced. In this way, the
Hindu gods can be seen as popular images that represent India or
Indian-ness. The mass consumption and presence of superheroes gives
them the power to be seen as gods of Hollywood material culture.
Through juxtaposing one element to another, the images make us
rethink the significance of all familiar images. The Avatars appear
estranged, otherworldly, in-between the possible and the impossible
or unlikely, and in a space between real and simulated. By its nature,
the collage becomes an interpretation—an expression of opinion.
In “Collage Now: The Seamier Side,” Laura Hoptman argues that
collages’ interpretative qualities make them “uniquely suited to the job
of bringing the world and its cultural efflorescence into close proximity,
with no burden to mimic reality or impart truths.” (Hoptman, 2007).
The Avatars, in expressing the duality of Indian and Indian-Canadian
identity, become a form of strategy, resistance to the world they
confront. Difference and similarities of images asks us to imagine them
in an alternative way.

28 29
 Avatars as an alternative way of seeing Indo-Canadian identity
The Avatars have a sense of originality. The meaning of the original
work no longer exists in what it says uniquely, but rather in what it is
uniquely. An image’s meaning changes according to what one sees
immediately beside it, or what comes immediately after (Berger, 1972).
Images reconstruct meaning against each other’s symbolism through
comparative analysis. Comparative analysis of symbolism, such as
Translucency Jungian theory, help explain the symbolic mechanisms by which
of Bastard- images work in the mind (Leuthold, 2011). Using comparative analysis
ization 1 of symbolism, The Avatars become an alternative way to view the
– The Little
Mermaid and
interaction between Hindu gods, comic-book superheroes, and Disney
Sri Saraswati, Princesses as a metaphor of Indo-Canadian identity.
Kasterlee
Belgium, While one recognizes the positive contribution of multiculturalism
Intaglio and in producing cultural diversity, theorists and writers such as Stuart
Chine-col- Hall, Homi Bhabha, Salman Rushdie, bell hooks, and Sara Ahmed
le print emphasize the importance of cultural differences for notions of
(Hahnemühle hybridity. Multiculturalism is an attempt to both respond to and control
paper +
Awagami
the dynamic process of articulating cultural difference, demanding
Paper for a consensus based on a norm that cultivates cultural diversity. For
Chine-colle), Bhabha, the liberal relativist perspective of cultural diversity is
39cm x 53cm. inadequate, and does not recognize the universality and normative
stance from which it constructs cultural and political judgments. Ahmed
(2000) describes multiculturalism as the proximity of strangers. The
strangers are not simply those already recognized as out of place;
rather, in a multicultural nation, strangers have a place. Ahmed argues
further that multiculturalism can involve a double and contradictory
process of incorporation and expulsion: it may seek to differentiate
between strangers whose appearance of difference can be claimed
by the nation, and those whose differences may be dangerous to the
well-being of even heterogeneous nations. The proximity of strangers
requires constant adjustment and transformation. With the notion of
cultural difference, Bhabha positions himself within liminality—the in-
between, productive space in the construction of culture as difference
or otherness. However rational one is, it is very difficult, and even
counterproductive to try and fit together different forms of culture, and
to pretend they can easily coexist. The Avatars’ embodiment creates a
sense of uneasiness and contestation: some appear as though they are
tearing from one another’s opposing strangers—as if they are in forced
embodiment.

The Avatars are not about seeing the Western or the Indian selves,
but rather seeing a unique in-between space of negotiation—a Third
Space. Bhabha notes that this Third Space intervention makes the
structure of meaning and reference an ambivalent process; it destroys
mirrored representation, and reveals cultural knowledge as continuous,
integrated, open, and expanding code. Such intervention challenges
our sense of “the historical identity of culture as a homogenizing,
unifying force, authenticated by the original Past, and kept alive in the

30 31
 national tradition of the People.” The Avatars’ enunciation displaces
the narrative of Western’s perception, which Bhabha—pointing to
Benedict Anderson—so perceptively describes as being written in
homogeneous, serial time. The Avatar as a metaphor of Indo-Canadian
identity asks one to re-examine their own perception of the migrant
stranger.

Transition of Through the use of space, time, and causality in The Avatars, the images
Becoming depict what Lawrence Barsalou calls “situated conceptualization.”
Mongrel Kukkonen references psychologist and cognitive scientist Lawrence
3 – The Little
Barsalou in pointing out that we process concepts not as abstract,
Mermaid and
Sri Saraswati, detached combinations of features, but rather as “agent-dependent
Kasterlee instruction manuals” to run an embodied simulation. These embodied
Belgium, simulations are tied to the context of particular situations, which include
Intaglio and the objects and agents involved, actions and bodily states, motivations,
Chine-col- emotions, and cognitive operations, and often settings. In “situated
le print conceptualization,” thinking about concepts like “dog,” “truth,” or
(Hahnemühle “chair” (Barsalou’s examples) means placing ourselves in a situation
paper +
with them. The embodied situations evoked by The Avatars places
Awagami
Paper for the images in the situation of the Indo-Canadian self, whereby the
Chine-colle), migrant experience is understood as a perception. Migrant individuals
39cm x 53cm. perceive notions of “difference” in the new environment, but are
those “differences” analogous to the Canadian experience? Seeing
and reading images in the migrant’s perspective, one can experience
a sense of double embodiment. Reading the images of The Avatars
in terms of a situated conceptualization brings the formerly individual
(gods and pop characters) together in analysis; embodiment and
composition contribute to creating an embodied simulation of the
migrant experience. Indo-Canadian identity is continuously changing
and The Avatars, as a metaphor of migrant experience, represent such
interaction of time, space, and causality.

Conclusions
Articulating and enunciating concepts of cultural hybridity in graphic
design not only helps to comprehend the evolving cultural identities of
multiculturalism and migrant experience, but also promotes alternative
ways of representing in-between cultural spaces. How can visuals discuss
complex ideas of identity, difficulties in translating vernaculars—images,
patterns and symbols across cultures, and negotiate representation of
a meeting space between strangers? All of these questions highlight
postmodernism’s concern for difference, difficulties in communication,
and complexities and nuances of interests, cultures, and place.

The enunciation of cultural difference problematizes the division

of past and present, tradition and modernity, at the level of cultural
representation and its authoritative address.96 In signifying the
present, something comes to be repeated, relocated, and translated in
the name of tradition; it is draped in the guise of a pastness that is not a
truthful sign of historical memory, but rather a strategy in representing

32 33
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34 35
 Over the
emptiness:
Interpretations and
expression of the
term in the spaces
of disused cinemas
in Milan
Ambra Borin and Laura Galluzzo
36 37
Abstract These topics are supported by new concepts that deal with the most
The concept of emptiness, since ancient times, has often been constructed part of the Void, which shows the form of this term and
associated with a negative connotation. The following paper analyses how it makes itself visible in its immateriality. The Void is defined as
and investigates new possible forms to cross this meaning towards a a multifaceted, open and collective space; in short, a public space in
new added value. Emptiness is everything, it is a center, it is space and which movements, dynamics and variations can follow one another,
a place, it is lightness, it is immateriality but at the same time it is also making explicit the power of time and the importance of human action.
fullness. This paper talks about a research, starting from the first term The vacuum is conceptually the opposite of full, it is then contour,
definitions to a design opportunity, where the concept of Emptiness is delimitation and spatial frame and finally excavation, hole and cut.
not only synonymous with “nothing”, but becomes above all a physical Apparently, the Void may seem imperceptible, but it is present, exists
manifestation of images and sounds. and manifests itself in multiple declinations. This work invites to not
stop at the appearance of things, and, to be able to give meaning to
To interpret the Void as a physical and a spiritual reality, as it shows itself everything even if it has already been given before, to add a new value
through culture and art, as a built reality, and above all as an urban effect and thus provide new forms of a hidden reality. Emptiness is power,
through the figures of the greatest philosophers, critics, artists, architects exploited in different artistic and humanistic fields, and it is at the basis
and directors, who have always designed their definition of Void. To of architecture since each project always starts from a void in which to
transform this research subsequently into a spatial experimentation lay the foundations. Emptiness is space, penetrable, immersive, built,
to enhance the urban value of Emptiness, as the leitmotif of an habitable, superfluous space and space to be able to reinvent. Emptiness
exhibition system that aims to redevelop the disused cinemas of the is therefore a possibility, that element available to be transformed and
Milanese territory. After a research in terms of abandoned buildings, reused. Emptiness is full, it is matter, it is concretely abstract. Vacuum
which for years have become ‘empty-urbans’, have been selected is pure and ethereal, a sensitive and impalpable world, magnetic and
some abandoned cinemas in Milan with the opportunity to give new attractive. Emptiness is order and totality.
life to their spaces, staging the declinations and interpretations of the
Emptiness previously composed. Emptiness is a silence, moments of stillness, of mute sounds that create
harmony and balance. Emptiness is everything, a physical reality and a
The project that follows the research, consists of a scenario with the significant value of things.
aim of combining the concept of living the Void as a visual and spatial
experience and a curatorial setting of case studies selected. The result Shapes of emptiness
is a system of relations between empty interpretations and the various The Void is defined by the matter that surrounds it and that gives it
abandoned theatres in the territory, with a specific in-depth study of tactility, to be a haptic space, able to build a mutual contact between us
the project in the spaces of a historic cinema in the center of the city of and the environment, emotional and phenomenal, in which the matter
Milan: Manzoni cinema. interacts with the light and with the body; it can accommodate man
and on the basis of this relationship acquire meaning, being therefore
Introduction a space that connects subject and object, the object to its context,
The goal of this paper is to overcome every negative meaning of the internal and external. The interest in this type of space lies in these
term and to go beyond the prejudices that are based on a collective properties that lead to a modification of contemporary architecture,
thought where the void is conceived as nothing. to the overcoming of singular objects, to a new relationship between
inhabitant and space, between architecture and city, from a closed
In oriental cultures, emptiness is not an aspect to be afraid of at all, to and self-referential space to a relational space. In fact, it is “the quality
be looked at with suspicion, it does not bring with it negative aspects of emptiness that determines the peculiarities of our perceptible
as western thought does; on the contrary, it is a generating element of surroundings” (Zennaro, 2001). In architecture, the void is not an abstract
order and purity, meditation and the sacral. In parallel to these topics, space, absolute, devoid of matter as it is defined in the mathematical
an observation of an architectural and artistic nature is introduced, physical field. It can also be an element, the contour, that delimits an
dealing with people who have dealt with this subject in the past and open space - as we have already seen in past eras where it was the
then carry out the greatest works recognized worldwide. However, it is generating centre of the context - that defines the perfect envelope of
interesting to note that by examining different protagonists we have a ‘room’ of the city. In fact, the building does not define the form of the
different visual manifestations and results, and that each of them has a void, but shatters into different architectural nuclei, opening up these
personal vision that is not identical to that of the others. contours and multiple units of planes, surfaces and volumes, creating a
Modern scenic perspective. Emptiness, by definition, should be a place

38 39
where there is nothing, inverse to full, neither object nor substance, a compression. In this way, comparing oneself with space in architecture
place without a body, a non-place without space. means intuiting and therefore governing the relations between the
parts of the composition, which are often hidden behind the overall
Emptiness, by definition, should be a place where there is nothing, image of a work; it is the configuration of a limit that confers form and
inverse to full, neither object nor substance, a place without a body, a identity to the space. The city is a meeting place, in which the dynamic
non-place without space. For a discipline like architecture, emptiness social transformations which affect human life in its history are more
and absence have a paradoxical role because they are traditionally in evident. The city is the scene of new lifestyles, manufacturing, work and
antithesis to any physicality and yet maintain an undoubted generative the use of the spaces of which it is composed (Espuelas, 1999). Urban
value; Rem Koolhaas, in several critical contributions, underlined the voids can be described as those spaces that have been deteriorated or
enormous potential of absence as a proliferative factor and emptiness are not intended for use, places where it is possible for those activities
as a strategy to trigger innovation: “where there is nothing, nothing is of social innovation to manifest themselves. If cities are the moments
impossible. Where there is architecture, nothing is possible” (Koolhaas, of encounter with time, memory and people, it becomes interesting to
1985). Architecture is directly connected to its ability to interpret and analyse them starting from the physical place where this happens, in
arrange relationships for the definition of spaces that are characterized other words the public space: the matrix of the city’s voids (Espuelas,
as the most authentic expression of an era. It finds a response to a new 1999).
experiential dimension of the “perception of space capable of involving
geometry and proportion, matter and light, tangible and immaterial, The Void in the city is the shared space, already seen in the previous
understood as pairs of prerogatives necessary to recognize the status paragraphs when the Greek polis was explored, where people express
of architecture as an art form” (Russo, 2018). themselves and where architecture has the possibility of rooting its own
meaning. It is usual to think of cities from their buildings and to imagine
Emptiness is a creative condition and the best support for life. Bernard the urban form from the full. By reversing this vision, it is possible to
Tschumi (1996), argues that the architectural void is, first and foremost, understand what it means to look at an urban landscape by studying
a kind of open space, available to the project as “unplanned”: this is the form and meaning of the spaces between the architectures, thus
the location of the events. It is necessary to think about the necessity considering the void with the same importance that is given to the full.
and the difficulties to “give rise with a new project to the complex “What seems to be of interest is no longer architecture as such, nor,
interweaving of social relationships and that “make” the city (Tschumi, after all, its relationship if it remains only on an architectural level, but
1996). The part without matter, in a certain the fact that the subject the connective tissue that binds them. In this way, the idea of emptiness
matter itself is the subject matter is not as useful as it is the subject is very close to that of the environment, understood as a unifying fluid of
matter itself, but is the generating part of it, the part without which “the relations, rather than objects” (Purini, 2008). The intention is to look at
object would have no meaning in terms of utility. Everything draws its those voids of the city full of forms, trades, relationships and meanings,
existence and functionality from the presence of what does not exist, as the primary field of investigation of architectural research, observing
i.e. from emptiness, from the absence of space occupied by material’ the space ‘between things’ no longer as that which separates two full
(Zennaro, 2001). spaces, pause, absence, but as an architecture in all respects, which
separates and relates the built, people, and places, “the space that is
The Void is never something neutral, but rather a dynamic field of left is as important as the space that is filled” (Távora, 1996).
attractive and repulsive forces in interaction, which triggers distance
relations between the parts that make up and delimit the space. As in the The urban void is therefore understood as an inhabited-place with a
case of magnetic and gravitational fields, these forces are linked to the high density of events, forms, meanings and, above all, a main source of
masses and their respective distances, so composing spaces essentially urban identity. In urban planning, the void represents an organizational
means creating links between the parts, defining the ways and distances element, an instrument of measurement and dynamic stability, and the
with which they will be arranged. In this sense, building an architecture empty space between the buildings, as a place of putting into relation
does not mean putting a stone on another or placing objects in a space; between the parts, acquires a central role so strong as to overshadow the
architecture is the construction of the void, of the immaterial form of singularity of the architectural objects themselves in support of a unitary
space, which in many ways refers to what Heidegger means by Raum system that unites the full and the empty. Therefore, interpreting the
(Heiddeger, 1969). This german word literally refers to space and in its urban space as a system of places that welcome the dialogue between
ancient meaning is intended to indicate a free-space for a settlement of buildings means thinking about the topology of the urban system as
colonists and suggests the need for a relationship between emptiness a whole, regardless of its specific forms. From this initial definition of
and fullness. This is how a precise function of architecture is defined, void, it can be affirmed that it is, within the urban structure, the sphere
which in this way is configured in a work of intersections between things, of mediation and relationship, the scenario of urban facts and therefore
in a definition of relationships at a distance, in a work of expansion and the place of the city in which the collective structure is reflected and
40 41
therefore its own identity. Cities were born when not buildings, but contained space is transformed into space containing: from occupied
unbuilt spaces have taken on meaning, or rather, when this meaning space to defined space. The Void, from contained space between full
has begun to prevail over the meanings of individual buildings [...] cities spaces, becomes space containing the multitude of situations of the
have their strengths especially in open spaces, those that can be defined dispersed city. In this way, it is possible to overturn the argument and
as ‘unbuilt’). From these considerations we can construct a reflection on transform the negative scenario of empty space as an unoccupied and
the empty urban issue, investigated in its various implications, which uncharacterized place into a place that is available, flexible, adaptable
seeks to trace a new path attentive to the quality of space between and transformable.
things, given that for years architects have not only not spoken about
spaces, but they have not even known how to imagine and build. In a parallelism with spoken language, and as it has already been dealt
with previously, this void can be traced back to an ordered silence, as a
The Void, “by its very nature not directly objective, seems something necessary suspension, an essential interval, which becomes a dimension
difficult to understand, not easily comprehensible, like the smoke between the stillness of the gaze and the tension of knowledge, and
that passes between the fingers, and therefore destined to escape goes to distance itself and move away from a ‘nothing’ and to confirm
reflection. For this reason, while on one side the theme of emptiness itself in that ‘everything’ capable of tracing a fence of references and
has an undeniable conceptual and practical interest, on the other side it arranging an open field of relationships. “For me there is a beautiful
entails an evident difficulty in defining clear and defined fields of action” silence in relation to a building, which I connect to notions such as calm,
(Zucchi, 2016). The system of these urban voids includes not only those naturalness, durability, presence and integrity, but also warmth and
spaces of the city where the city’s public life is being staged, but also sensuality; to be oneself, to be a building, not to represent something,
those places where temporality and stratifications of elements that can but to be something” (Zumthor, 1991).
be perceived through streets, courtyards, galleries or squares come into
relation. They are spaces that tell the story of a place and communicate Emptiness in Milan
with an immediate hierarchy a given urban area. Russo (2018) declares The term emptiness when referring to cities, is used to indicate residual
that “the void of the square is defined by the buildings that make up spaces without any use, urban voids, the system of squares and streets
the adjacent urban nature. It lives and multiplies its presence thanks to of compact cities, places that have lost their meaning as disused areas,
its recognizable shape in the fabric, to the amount of volume given by disused buildings, former agricultural areas, open spaces of the suburbs
its size, to the pressure defined by its margin and by the density linked conceived only as detachments or urban standards.
to the quality of light that characterizes it”.
Milan is a dense and structured city, but also a fragmented city. In the
In the contemporary urban context, it is now evident how much the transition out of Fordist industrialism, the city broke up. Not only in its
urban emptiness that is generally identified in a square or in a free or urban geometry, but also in the multiplication of internal boundaries
open space, is no longer a unique relationship and thus opens up to between the splinters of its social composition. There is a synchrony
new scenarios not yet fully investigated and tested by the architectural between the urban centrifugation of the city and the creation of internal
project. In this sense it seems very useful to wonder about the possible barriers of an almost anthropological type between the different
declinations of the theme of open space, deepening the fundamental fragments of its social body; a coexistence between pieces of a naked
concepts of emptiness, space and place. There is a precise intention to city, lost and left on the margins. It has been possible to trace five
trace a unitary path between art and architecture, which starting from fragments of the social composition of Milan from the beginning of
the most conceptual and abstract declinations of emptiness, formally the twentieth century to the present day, using the metaphor of circles
materializes in the theme of space and in particular of urban space, and that converge in the same urban centre. “The first circle, the inner one,
finally sees its point of arrival in the concept of place that represents reveals a Milan of the neo-bourgeoisie of flows and networks, where
an attribute of quality and meaning in the relationship between space power is managed by mobility on a global scale. The second circle
and man. Empty spaces can be understood as urban reserves for the encloses the Milanese trade and how the areas of the city are divided
experimentation of collective dreams. by area and commercial purpose. The third circle, on the other hand,
sees as its protagonist a multitude of workers employed in the tertiary
In conclusion, the voids can be not only residual spaces but also places sector of maintenance, distribution, collective catering, etc.. This circle
of connections, large areas that structure and regulate the discipline of also includes all the disused areas, those occupied, with temporary
the islands, preventing their reunification through building activity; a settlements and nomad camps that describe Milan as the city of the
giant infrastructure called upon to hold the exploded city together. The invisible. Continuing, the fourth describes the social component of
role of open space, of a non-internal open space, appears more difficult entertainment and creativity, communication and the artistic professions.
to recognize where it can be considered, in reverse order to what Finally, the fifth circle is that of the city outside the walls, where there
happened in the city of ancient regime, pervasive element that gives is a very large portion of industrial enterprises, from the smallest to the
42 43
largest” (Bonomi, 2008). This account of Milan’s main fragmentations theme of the urban landscape in his works. He has produced several
anticipates the fact that it is an Italian city whose role is to be the node series that deal with these topics, but with Dentro la città Basilico he
of the global network. With the emergence of new global flows, in fact, tackles the theme of the representation of space and architecture in
the city increases its centrality and becomes a privileged place for social different ways. He affirms that the void in architecture is much more
and global economic development. This image of a great generating than a lack of matter, it is an integral part of architecture, a structural
machine, Milan is transformed from a place to a flow: passing from part of its being. The presence of a man is enough to restore the void
the valorization of culture and interpersonal relationships, to have to its dramatic sense of absence.
the sole purpose of creating as many connections as possible outside
the walls of the same generating city. Bringing losses to the starting Likewise, there are two parallel stories for a single city, those of Colombo
territorial level. The city-flow is praised by eroding the city-location. and Hänninen, two visions that integrate masterfully telling not only
Milan yesterday. Milan today. Milan as it was and as it is now. Two what happened and did not happen in Milan but also two different
stories but that make it one, but certainly two different worlds. In the declinations of language in images. Colombo began his journey in the
middle of time, the evolution of society, changes in customs, changes fifties, telling a city full of poetry that in a few years will become the scene
in language. The city, industry, but above all the human landscape, that of hope and then tensions, practices a street photography attentive to
system of relationships that define the sense of space animating it with faces, small events, relationships between people and spaces. In 2010
intentions. Giovanni Hänninen turned his attention not to the inevitable changes
but to the transformations that had not taken place, to the immobile
The change in terms of economic and social development has been finds of a city waiting for something to happen, he used documentary
the main cause of a great transformation at the Milanese territorial language, an architectural vision and carried out an almost catalogical
level. As if it were a second city, a virtual city with forgotten pieces of investigation of the places that the development of the city has left to
Milan. An urban reality takes shape, assembled with places out of time, themselves. Hänninen does not intend to make a work of denunciation
which seemed to have fulfilled their mission, but also with buildings that and in fact does not like the concept of abandonment, preferring to
would still be able to live and serve the citizens. It seems like a dormant define Milan as a waiting city that is also the title of this research. His
city, huddled between skyscrapers and great works of art of a hungry photographs, all made in elegant prints with delicate colours, are a
metropolis of success. Uncertainty, bankruptcies, economic reasons, continuous and surprising revelation: “I have never entered these
political reasons, projects aborted even before their completion. places illegally and, to overcome the hardest obstacles, some places
There are many causes that have made buildings invisible and, often, are hidden behind high walls. I define them as empty spaces inhabited
a refuge for the invisible; these are not the peripheries of a retreating by those who sleep here, live or enter only to browse or play, a humanity
city, but places scattered throughout the urban fabric of a metropolis that many do not want to see”.
that proceeds with the construction of new towers. An absent Milan,
distracted by cementing every void, to listen to the silences of buildings Città in attesa is a proposal for analysis, a strong suggestion addressed
waiting for ideas and courage. These are places that do not want to to the city that must critically address the limits of the past to better plan
remain the same as themselves, but that are ready to transform by the future and, of course, the present. Over four million cubic metres.
adapting to new functions, fighting against the deterioration that This is the figure for abandoned buildings in the city of Milan. These are
gradually breaks their foundations and nature that, quiet, takes back public and private offices no longer used, former factories and railway
the spaces that have been taken away. stations, farmsteads surrounded by green parks, etc..

Documenting this dual identity of Milan was possible thanks to An immense heritage of abandoned buildings in Milan that, thanks
authors who share a love for photography and for the city in which to the census started in 2014 by the municipality, you can document
they live: Gabriele Basilico, Cesare Colombo and Giovanni Hänninen and understand the situation through the current photograph of the
in an exhibition in 2013 at the Galleria Bel Vedere in Milan entitled existing city, reporting all those situations that are perceived as a state
Una città per due. One of Basilico’s most interesting works is Milan. of decay and inactivity. The census is divided into macro-areas to better
Portraits of factories, a mapping of the still active or already disused understand the buildings: buildings, large built areas and free areas.
factories in Milan that he himself led at the end of the seventies and that Empty, abandoned, are many buildings of the sixties and seventies
significantly marks the beginning of his long work on the contemporary that marked the development of the city. Others, on the other hand,
urban landscape in its modifications. These are images of the Milanese are simply the result of building speculation. Today, in a city that is
suburbs that present a visual recomposition of a little-known, marginal experiencing a growth in inequalities, a growth in illegal occupations,
landscape. The work is the result of a long investigation that takes urban planning is changing and must also deal with these realities.
industrial architecture as its emblem. Basilico, incessantly tackles the Various associations and educational experiments have also considered
the revaluation and restoration of these empty and abandoned areas to
44 45
be an excellent subject for design and analysis. Film Festival were presented at the Teatro Lirico. An initiative that has
The projects suggest different scales of intervention and different been very popular since 1984 is the exhibition of films in their original
disciplinary connotations: architectural and urban planning, urban language. At the beginning, screenings were held at the Dal Verme and
planning, technology, restoration and conservation, aimed at outlining Paris cinemas.
scenarios, often alternative, of functional reuse, reconversion, even for
temporary uses, and technological adaptation of a heritage relevant for All these initiatives, in any case, are not enough to stem an increasingly
size and diffusion in the city. The temporary use of space is configured pressing crisis, which affects above all the city’s film exhibition, both
in this sense as an opportunity for the city, as a laboratory for the in terms of structures and consumption. In the 1980s, increasingly
inhabitants to become actors and re-interpret continuously parts of the advanced technologies made it possible to watch films on television,
city and city; practices of temporary use such as interactive construction, record them, rent them and even buy them at newsstands. The
dynamic products unstable and not predetermined. phenomenon of the transition to red light cinemas also continues.
Therefore, the crisis of the cinema does not consist in a productive
“A strategy to consider effectively open, indeterminate the collapse but in the crisis of the cinemas. Many Milanese theatres
interaction during which - and not before - are defined the began to close in the 1980s, while the rest were concentrated in the
actors, materials and interests at stake, and the relationships and centre, whose success was associated with the possibility of combining
rules of interaction, between them” (Crosta, 2011). shopping, catering and entertainment.

Temporary urbanism is a potential lever to encourage the re- The multiplex is yet another attempt to respond to the crisis by
appropriation of urban spaces in the time of the ephemeral; a way to diversifying the supply and creating smaller cinemas than the original,
trigger the awareness and knowledge of citizenship towards the city, which were difficult to fill in their entirety. The decline of the city’s
and a form of living in the city, able to combine pervasiveness of the theatres continues inexorably from the second half of the 1990s to the
information system and response to the alienation produced by the present day. In addition to the factors already mentioned, there are
coldness of technological mediation, also attributing new meanings three other causes: the development of multiplexes, the spread of the
to the tiles that make up the city. “Contrary to the more traditional Internet and the advent of the digital age.
forms of urban planning, (re-)temporary use projects define areas where
prototypes of a new urbanity can be tested, and allow the processes The first multiplex opened in Italy dates back to 1997 and immediately
of development to be wrong and reoriented. The knowledge and imposed itself as an alternative model. Located in the suburbs of the city,
experience of places are the result of crossing and losing oneself; walks, often close to the main road junctions, the multiplex offers the customer,
events and performances then become a humble method to look at no longer just a spectator, a series of attractive comforts. Another
the territories of abandonment, which before being redesigned and competitive factor for the cinema has been the recent development
remeaned, can be experienced as repositories of stories” (Inti, 2014). of the internet and the consequent possibility to download films, even
The premises listed above, through various examples, have the task as soon as they have been released, to be seen at home without any
of providing clarity through a quick analysis of the situation of the expense. The real innovation of the last few years is the transition to
buildings and areas of Milan that express vacuity and abandonment, but digital cinema which, involving the production and distribution sectors,
at the same time are an example of a possible rebirth and revitalization sees the abandonment of the film. The advantages of this change are
through a social commitment and design of re-use of spaces. Giving the quality of the support, which does not deteriorate over time, the
a second life to spaces that are no longer interesting, but at the same low costs for interventions on the copies, the lightness and low cost
time maintain their identity and remain faithful to their city-place. In the of the equipment for shooting, which allows even small independent
following paragraphs the attention of this sense of abandonment within productions to shoot quality films.
Milan and a possible revenge of these spaces, will focus on the sensitive
and critical character of the abandoned rooms in the area. However, the adoption of the new technology entails significant changes
in the field of instrumentation, where the film projector is replaced by
Cinemas and Emptiness the digital projector. The management of the cinema and the creation
It is interesting to make a historical excursus and analyze what were of an archive become two determined factors that must be organized
the causes and effects of what is called the Italian film crisis. It was in and this operation is not always simple, given the relative costs. Once
the 1980s that a profound transformation of the economic, social and again, it is especially the small exhibitors of small city cinemas who,
cultural life of the city was outlined in Milan. In recent years, cinema despite public funding, are struggling to bear the costs of digital.
has also become a means of relaunching the image of the city and the
city of Milan promotes numerous exhibitions and initiatives. The 1980 It is in this perspective that in Milan, as in many other Italian cities,
festival was a great success, when the films in competition at the Venice the problem of the role of disused cinemas within the city’s fabric is
46 47
beginning to arise more and more, and like many declining stars, the many possibilities offered by a large empty space such as that of a
they are waiting for the spotlight to be focused on them again. If the projection room.
question of abandoned areas in a city like Milan is a widely visited field
of research. It is outlined in this way the city’s historical centre, its blocks “The ideal cinema is the hall of silence. The viewer must be able to
and radio-centric expansions are inserted like tiles in a constellation of get lost in an imaginary infinite space” (Holl, 1991). By portraying the
fragments. The heterogeneity of these places, which includes empty architecture of the cinema hall, we can learn a lot about film space. The
lots, abandoned buildings and incomplete or crumbling structures, cinema images taken by contemporary photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto
opens up to a different vision of the city, made up of small portions provide a condensed historical view. It portrays the hybrid spatial
that fit into the different spaces of which the urban fabric is composed. archaeology of cinema. In his work one has the feeling of ‘living’ in
The investigation as a vision is metaphorically linked to a recurring the pure space of the cinema, which becomes the essential experience
typology within the decommissioning: the cinemas. In their nature as of cinema. It is an emotional topography that takes place within the
parts and as a whole, cinemas are guiding elements for investigating architectural transport of the ‘home’ of cinema. The cinema is in fact a
changes in the city. This is a widespread condition which, in line with house: place of origin of travel, interior architecture, is a map of cultural
the morphological development of the typology, takes on different movements.
but recognizable structures, capable of describing urbanity in different
ways each time. These two developments are accompanied by different The fourteen portraits that will be analyzed are cinemas that have
relational possibilities, linked to the way in which the cinema faces remained abandoned and disused to this day, and represent
the city and the internal structure of the cinema. If on the one hand suspensions within the urban fabric. With this analytical and later design
lights and posters are recurrent elements, the spatial development of narrative, the aim is to investigate the symbolic value of these places,
the accesses to cinemas calibrates in different ways the relationship where space and time are fundamental elements in the typological
between the space of the street and the interiority of the cinemas. and morphological making of the parts. In this sense, following the
In their fragmentary nature, disused cinemas are silent witnesses of development of these cinemas allows us to glimpse the contemporary
social and cultural changes that, at the end of the last century, have possibilities of a spatial renewal. A design that takes care of these
led to the failure of a large number of cinemas, involving both the abandoned places, spaces denied to the city, in an attempt to reactivate
most central ones and those in the suburbs. However, despite attempts them as a weak and widespread urban infrastructure starting from an
to survive, a large part of the city’s cinemas closed by the end of the internal void, bringing new meanings and ways of use.
1990s. The former cinemas, like the tiles of a mosaic, give a complex
image, made up of spaces and uses that have changed over time; the From this analytical and literary premise comes the need to temporarily
old buildings today house the most disparate functions, also thanks to restore a new look to these empty spaces, and to stage their essence
Figure 2. Figure 2. Map
Theatres by of the four-
Hiroshi teen disused
Sugimoto, cinemas in
2015. https:// Milan
www.sugi-
motohiroshi.
com/aban-
doned-theater

48 49
ex novo through the Void in its infinite interpretations. It was decided irreversible crisis. The cinema ended its activity in July 2006. Artistic
to analyse which were the abandoned Milanese cinemas, to take an constraints prevent the transformation into a multiplex. In the following
interest in their history, their success and what were the causes of their years, while the theatre continues its successful activity until today, the
failure. Emphasizing their most salient aspects, it was planned to create spaces of the cinema are sold and used for rent only occasionally for
a system that would connect the fourteen selected cinemas with the some fashion shows, exhibitions and various events.
fifteen categories that are respective to the theme of Emptiness.
A system of diffuse exhibitions in disused cinemas in Milan
Empty. Milan. Abandoned cinemas and again the Void. A closer look at The project consists of an exhibition scenario with the aim of combining
one of the selected cinemas, the Cinema Manzoni, which is the oldest the concept of living the void as a visual and spatial experience and a
and most central among the others, and already a location for cultural curatorial setting of the case studies previously examined. The result is
events and exhibitions, has determined the design aspect of the thesis, a system of relations between the fifteen empty interpretations and the
which has allowed us to create the basis for this paper. fourteen abandoned theatres of the territory, with a specific in-depth
study of design in the spaces of a historic cinema in the centre of the
The Manzoni cinema, located in via Manzoni 40 in Milan, in a complex city of Milan: the Manzoni cinema.
of commercial buildings began its activity as a cinema in 1950. The
structural and static part was designed by the architect Mario Cavallè, Being mainly a thesis project, what follows this multidisciplinary
while the decorative part was designed by the architects Bergonzo, analysis is a hypothesis of transformation and change, underlining
Fratino and Tedeschi. The group of architects built the entire building the cultural and spatial importance of these disused and abandoned
complex: an underground theatre with 1000 seats, a 1600-seat cinema cinemas. The thesis project is a means of communication and a tool
at the stadium, located at an altitude of 7 metres above the road to give voice to the void, which shows its most interesting features
surface, an 800-square-metre atrium, an all-store gallery at street level, and thus develop a new meaning with added values. The path taken
a restaurant and an office building. From the atrium depart the large for the realization of this project is divided into several phases that
stairs that disengage the theater and the cinema, located respectively see the void as the protagonist. In the foreground, as an initial phase
under and above the atrium itself. The volumetric organism is therefore there is an in-depth research of the theme, dealing with historical,
made up of three large superimposed vases: the first consists of the physical and scientific topics, and then move on to a cultural vision,
underground theatre, the second of the covered square, the third of an observation of an architectural and artistic nature, as was discussed
the large stadium cinema, whose plan resembles the shape of a violin. in the previous paragraphs. This research phase is accompanied by a
There are numerous previews at the Manzoni cinema, invitational further investigation that ends with a series of interpretations of the
evenings, parties, conventions and presentations. The last two years void divided into categories, showing the most similar case studies that
have been managed by Cinecittà (Istituto Luce), which tries to relaunch can return a visual and concrete idea, opening more possibilities of
cinema with events, seminars and conferences for companies, morning events touching different fields of reference. Emptiness as everything.
screenings for schools, but this is not enough to save Manzoni from an
Figure 3. Figure 4.
The Manzo- Pensieri by
ni Cinema, Edoardo
Milan. http:// Tresoldi,
www.giusep- 2015. https://
perausa.it/ www.artwave.
cinema_man- it/arte/artisti/
zoni_-_milano. cupole-daria/
html

50 51
The interpretations, which have been created specifically for this listening to is emptiness. A silent and moving dialogue that never
purpose, are as follows: leaves you indifferent, is the one interpreted by Marina Abromović
(The artist is present, 2010). During the whole time the artist stood
• Spatial Flexibility: the attention to the theme of flexibility is still, in silence, sitting in front of a table for many hours a day,
apparently produced in a void, which hides inside an entire fact of meeting the eyes of the public, who, almost like in a solemn pagan
several parts. Through gestures, design or dynamic by the user, it is ritual, approached her slowly and sat in front of her, for as long as
possible to transform this space into a multifunctional and habitable they thought it necessary.
space according to unpredictable laws. • More is More: one of the most serious diseases we suffer from
• Spatial Delimitation: boundary or limit, it is presented as a two- is that of the Full: the illness of those who live in a continuous
dimensional and sometimes three-dimensional geometric meaning, mental state occupied by a whirlwind of demolished words,
it consists mostly of a demarcation of a space that apparently isolates stolidly recurrent images, useless and unfounded certainties, fears
itself from the context, leaving something outside and incorporating formulated in sentences before emotions.
something inside.
• Spatial Immersivity: an experience of blurred vision and loss, a Figure 5. The
total immersion of the body in an enveloping space. Artist is Pres-
ent by Marina
• Passage: a passage, banally a corridor, is configured as a real
Abramovič,
element that can project the observer in an unlimited perspective, 2010. https://
open, or forced. commons.
• intheMiddle: different ways of filling a void, adding value and wikimedia.
completely changing the vision of space. org/wiki/
• Framework: the act of describing a part of a large component File:Mari-
within a pre-established boundary frame, delimiting a celestial void, na_Abramo-
that is, the sky that interposes itself between the architectures. vić,_The_Art-
ist_is_Pres-
• Bubbles: able to remain in spherical formation for a few seconds,
ent,_2010_(2).
and then burst. So the ‘architectural bubbles’ are made of emptiness, jpg
air and free space that add value to the urban scenario.
• Suspension: the only material from which this suspension is made
is air.
• Pure White: clean, ethereal and almost empty white is often the
object of the greatest works of art that seem to cancel out the entire
canvas. It is the non-color that par excellence directs the rules of
emptiness. The second of the research is based on the concept of interpreting the
• Presence/Absence: “But this is the very condition of existence. void on an urban scale, what are the relationships and whether they
Making oneself spring means accepting the risk of winter. To be a exist between the void, always as a protagonist and the urban territory,
presence means to accept the risk of absence” (de Saint-Exupéry, between the most hidden corners and the ghosts of cement that lie
1943). For this category it is interesting to mention the artist behind the tallest skyscrapers Milanese. It was decided to analyze
Edoardo Tresoldi, who through his sculptures tells the dialogue that which were the abandoned Milanese cinemas, to take an interest in
is established between an empty net figure and the surrounding their history, their success and what were the causes of their failure.
space. To cite one of his most important Pensieri (2013), which Emphasizing their most salient aspects, it was planned to create a
represents an absence of thought, a moment frozen in time. system that would relate the fourteen cinemas selected with the fifteen
• Trace: The track express reality by means of an external element, categories respective to the theme of Emptiness. A closer look at one
in this case absent. of the selected cinemas, the Cinema Manzoni, which is the oldest and
• Memory: The purpose of these case studies is to transfigure a most central among the others, and already a location for cultural
concept such as absence and memory, translating it into a feeling events and exhibitions, has determined the design aspect of the thesis.
experienced in the intimacy of the individual through sensory Emptiness as a manifestation of Presence/Absence and Silent Noise,
perceptions. thus succeeds in giving a new image to the spaces of the structure,
• inVisible: not seeing things allows us to imagine new worlds, new transforming its function into another while maintaining a contemporary
stories and new spaces, stimulates our imagination, everything that artistic imprint. The atmosphere that has been created inside the spaces
was not there before, takes shape. of the Manzoni cinema, can be traced back to a large mysterious cloud
• Silent Noise: Without noise and discover that what you are not that enters the atrium overwhelmingly disorienting anyone. This cloud,
52 53
haze, becomes more and more rarefied as it rises in level. The more of the whole project is to have hypothesized a network of connections
the space of the cinema comes alive and therefore Presence is created, between cinemas, which turn on and off during a precise and pre-
the more the blurred cloud diminishes. The void is filled with the established period of time, referring to the Manzoni cinema as the
experience of those who enter this space. The intent of the project, as central hub and generator of the interpretations of emptiness. The void
already mentioned several times, is to be able to give concreteness to exists and through the void there is something else.
this void, through different manifestations. For the communication and
the graphic elements to complete the visual picture of the exhibition Conclusions
system, it has been thought to realize everything through the technique The objective set at the beginning of this work was to overcome every
of the survey. Having the possibility to orient oneself through texts and negative meaning of the term and to go beyond, to go beyond, the
graphics in relief is a point in favor for the entire space and those who prejudices that are based on a collective thought where the void is
live it for the right time of the event. Basically, the Manzoni cinema will conceived as the ‘nothing’.
be the central pivot from which a system is triggered that will see the
other theatres turn on every day at thematic intervals. The opening and Apparently, the void may seem imperceptible. But the void exists,
closing day will be entirely dedicated to the Manzoni cinema and its exists and manifests itself in multiple declinations. The work presented
spaces, while from the second day on, the others will also come alive. In is a search for months in which the term has been treated with care
parallel with these openings, the Manzoni cinema will always be open, and deep investigation, maintaining an interpretative approach
also in the evening, thanks to an evening programme of screenings of critical to its final composition. This work invites us not to stop at the
eight films selected from among Ozu’s greatest successes. Through this appearance of things, and to succeed in giving meaning to everything,
hypothesis of cultural and artistic event at the same time, it reveals itself even if it has already been given before, in order to add a new value
to the true essence of Void. Living through a few but effective elements and provide new forms of a hidden reality. The idea of undertaking
an ethereal and sublime experience. research work on the void is born from a personal curiosity, to reveal
what is not always considered and brought to light. Emptiness is power,
The installation develops throughout the empty space of the Cinema exploited in different artistic and humanistic fields, and it is at the base
Manzoni: the atrium, the foyer on the first and second floors, and finally of architecture since every project always starts from a void in which to
the internal projection room. The concept of void is expressed in these lay the foundations. Emptiness is space, penetrable, immersive, built,
spaces through a vaporous cloud conductor with different levels of habitable, superfluous space and space to be able to reinvent.
intensity for the entire cinema.
Emptiness is therefore a possibility, that element available to be
To represent the two interpretations of emptiness chosen for the transformed and reused.
Manzoni cinema, namely Presence / Absence and Silent Noise, during Emptiness is a possibility of change.
the exhibition you can interact with some works, as well as case Emptiness is full, it is matter, it is concretely abstract.
studies examined during the analysis, which strengthen the concept Emptiness is pure and ethereal, a sensitive and impalpable world,
of emptiness and experience. In these spaces, one feels immersed magnetic and attractive.
and captured by a white and suspended atmosphere of emptiness, Emptiness is order and totality.
sometimes interrupted by silences or absent images. Giving shape Emptiness is a silence, moments of flat calm, of mute sounds that
to the void, giving a materiality to this concept. The design intent, as create harmony and balance. Emptiness is everything, a physical
already mentioned several times, is to be able to give concreteness to reality and a significant value of things.
this void, through different manifestations. For the communication and From Emptiness everything is created and everything returns.
the graphic elements to complete the visual picture of the exhibition
system, it was decided to realize everything through the technique of
relief. Having the possibility to orient oneself through texts and graphics
in relief is a point in favor for the entire space and those who live it for
the right time of the event.

This system of spatial and experiential relationships, consists of an

exhibition scenario with the aim of combining the concept of living the
void as a visual and spatial experience and a curatorial setting of case
studies previously examined. It is always necessary to start from a void,
to demonstrate the true essence of things. The most interesting part

54 55
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Zumthor, P. (1991). Atmosfere. Ambienti architettonici. Le cose che ci circondano.
Mondadori Electa.
Zucchi, G., (2016). La densità del Vuoto. Dispositivi progettuali dello spazio aperto
contemporaneo. Università di Napoli: Le Ragioni del progetto.

56 57
 Tweaking
retirement-living:
Introducing design
thinking and coffee
bars to shared
lounges
Sam Clark
58 59
Abstract about their housing and how housing providers can use this information
The research presented in this paper stems from doctoral work that to develop more appealing options. The study acknowledges that in
was undertaken between 2014 and 2018, with the aim of exploring the last decade there has been a considerable expansion in the range of
what the homes of older people could look like in the future. The choices available and, while there is a growing demand and requirement
underlying research context is the major societal challenge of housing for specialist housing, it remains true that many older people do not
a ‘superaged’ UK population, and the particular needs and aspirations move until they reach crisis point. It is important therefore to gain
of active third-agers. The research project foregrounds ‘designerly’ insight into not just what retirement housing of the future might look
modes of inquiry, resulting in design-relevant feedback for those like, but also how good design can encourage people to plan earlier in
involved in the production of retirement-living environments. At the order to make more proactive decisions about their housing.
core of this work is a deep inquiry into what older people consider
when making choices about their housing and how housing providers Aspects of the doctoral research were commissioned by an industry
can use this information to develop more appealing options. The study sponsor, referred to here as Pink & Knight, as part of a bespoke
acknowledges that in the last decade there has been a considerable studentship arrangement, which had the qualities of contracted
expansion in the range of choices available and, while there is a research while involving a close, yet critical collaboration in the spirit
growing demand and requirement for specialist housing, it remains true of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The author is grateful to
that many older people do not move until they reach crisis point. It is the sponsor organisation for the opportunity afforded by the PhD
important therefore to gain insight into not just what retirement studentship, and its enlightened board of directors, which was
open to a reflective and reflexive research process. Elements of the
housing of the future might look like, but also how good design can research were only possible through full access to the company’s staff
encourage people to plan earlier in order to make more proactive and customers, as well as its portfolio of retirement developments. A
decisions about their housing. Aspects of the doctoral research were special thank you is extended to the company’s Group Land & Planning
commissioned by an industry sponsor, referred to here as Pink & Knight, Director, who championed the research, through commissioning and
as part of a bespoke studentship arrangement, which had the qualities facilitating introductions within the company, and bravely supporting
of contracted research while involving a close, yet critical collaboration research by Creative Practice. As an architect, the author is particularly
in the spirit of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The author is grateful for the opportunity to have pursued applied research within
grateful to the sponsor organisation for the opportunity afforded by the construction industry, and thanks all those that participated in open
the PhD studentship, and its enlightened board of directors, which was and candid discussions within the board room and other business
open to a reflective and reflexive research process. Elements of the environments.
research were only possible through full access to the company’s staff
and customers, as well as its portfolio of retirement developments. A From the outset, the research sponsor was keen to structure the project,
special thank you is extended to the company’s Group Land & Planning anticipating a process based on defined work packages, milestone
Director, who championed the research, through commissioning and reports and accompanying presentations, as well as regular ‘placements’
facilitating introductions within the company, and bravely supporting within its offices. Indeed, an indicative ‘plan of study’ was written into
research by Creative Practice. As an architect, the author is particularly the research agreement, which was further defined within the research
grateful for the opportunity to have pursued applied research within proposal. Five work packages were determined, though in practice
the construction industry and thanks all those that participated in open packages were scoped in turn. A significant aspect of the contracted
and candid discussions within the board room, and other business research involved ‘designerly’ forms of post-occupancy evaluation of
environments. the sponsor’s ‘retirement-living’ product; a product that is marketed to
customers “driven by need rather than aspiration”. Pink & Knight’s age-
Research Context exclusive developments are made up of privately owned one- and two-
The research presented in this paper stems from doctoral work that was bedroom apartments grouped around communal facilities and services.
undertaken between 2014 and 2018, with the aim of exploring what A typical development consists of 40 apartments in one building, or
the homes of older people could look like in the future. The underlying ‘Chalet’, with the following features:
research context is the major societal challenge of housing a ‘super-
aged’ UK population, and the particular needs and aspirations of active • Concierge reception (staffed by a Chalet Manager)
third-agers. The research project foregrounds ‘designerly’ modes of • Shared Lounge, coffee bar and accessible toilet
inquiry, resulting in design-relevant feedback for those involved in the • Guest suite (for use by friends and family)
production of retirement-living environments. At the core of this work • Intruder alarm and CCTV entry system
is a deep inquiry into what older people consider when making choices • A central lift serving all floors
• 24-hour care and support system
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 • Landscaped gardens (with raised planters and potting sheds) Introduction
• Free parking (including electric vehicles, cycles and mobility I have come to know a developer’s standard product for private,
scooters) independent retirement-living and gained insights into its design,
production and consumption. I now appreciate the retirement chalet’s
All chalets are managed by an independent company, referred to here as qualities, particularly its social architecture, as well as the sustainable
Chalet Management Services (CMS), which is owned by Pink & Knight. benefits to individuals, communities and society as a whole. Nonetheless,
The management company collects the monthly service charge and is through design review, I have questioned the quality of the architectural
responsible for all maintenance, service and ongoing management of environments the product offers, and promoted specific design ‘tweaks’
the chalets. This accommodation model has developed over decades that could enhance residents’ everyday experiences. I have also come
and is now becoming more widely recognised as a ‘lifestyle’ offer. to question the very idea of so-called ‘specialist’ housing, especially
Examples can be found on the websites of the three market leaders in products targeted at ‘older people’, given the inherent diversity and
the UK: Churchill Retirement Living, McCarthy & Stone and PegasusLife. populous nature of this group.

Scope In 2014 I conducted an interview with a teaching colleague with a

For the purposes of the Design Research for Change Symposium, this background in housing, and specific project experience designing
paper reflects on the theme of design research for health and wellbeing ExtraCare facilities, during which we exchanged some candid views on
change, and seeks to answer three questions: the long-term presence and marketability of Pink & Knight’s product. The
following extracts from the interview transcript capture my thoughts, as
(i) who decided what to change, the interviewer, reflecting on my research experience at the time:
(ii) who activated the change, and
(iii) who has been affected by the change? “There are some things that are good about it [the Retirement
Chalet; particularly its social architecture], but on the whole I think
In the context of this paper ‘change’ is defined as revised or ‘tweaked’ it falls short of what I would expect of decent [‘Lifetime’] housing,
design patterns/templates for an established product. Here change has let alone specialist housing. Actually, that term [‘specialist housing’]
a positive effect on the lived experiences of residents and their visitors, I am not entirely comfortable with. I don’t know if we should be
as well as staff, occupying communal spaces within age-restricted looking for specialist housing offers, or whether there just ought to
residential developments. In this context design change adds value to be good housing that anyone can live in for as long as they like”.
an environment that promotes an independent retirement lifestyle, in
which residents can age in place, supported by a social architecture and “It must be an incredibly niche market. This product [retirement
communal space that helps to mitigate loneliness through chances for chalet] is not for me, it’s not for you, it’s not for my parents. It’s not
meaningful and natural interaction over coffee. for [my partner’s] parents. It’s not for their [Pink & Knight director’s]
parents… It’s a very particular demographic that buys into this.
This paper represents something of the researcher’s story. In part it is And, if you are [re-]selling it through an estate agent, your chances
an autoethnographic account of myself as an actor in the research field; of success are fairly limited. I think also there must be psychological
an acknowledgement that I have played a part in the research, having barriers for someone not coming through the sales office of [Pink
developed and performed multiple personas – research student, & Knight] but coming from an estate agent, and thinking, ‘What
associate, architect, lecturer – throughout the project, and sustained is this? This isn’t an apartment, this is something else. What is this
relations with various stakeholders. It is also part sense-making of an community? Who are these people? Are they all “old codgers”?
inquiry framed as ‘creative practice’ and involving elements of design Are they all about to pass away? Where do I fit into this cohort?
research. Autoethnographic writing is by nature self-reflective – placing And is it performing like a cohort; are they all ageing together or is
emphasis on the ways in which I have interacted and been immersed there a diversity in this?’…I think it would be a hard sell [the resale
with the culture being researched (Holt, 2003; Méndez, 2013) – and of a retirement apartment]”.
so this story has something of a ‘confessional’ quality; it refers to
regrets, paths not followed, and mistakes made, as well as some I continue to feel at a distance from the developer and the consumers it
positive experiences and surprises, and connects these to wider cultural supplies. As an architect I am particularly saddened by the low level of
meanings and understandings. consumer knowledge in relation to housing in the UK. I am particularly
concerned for those older people who are moving from familiar housing
typologies – private houses – to forms of communal apartment living, and
not knowing what to look for in their new their home.

62 63
 “That’s my biggest concern in all of this. You ask people about “Research has shown that after location, external appearance –
the architecture and they say nothing. Then you ask them, ‘Well, and in particular a period style – is cited as an important priority
what do you think about your apartment in terms of layout? to the vast majority of [UK] homeowners, with more respondents
What is the bathroom like?’ Then you get pages of feedback. rating the importance of these aspects of their homes than the
You think, ‘You didn’t have this knowledge prior to the purchase’. size, décor and quality of the rooms. Newly built homes in the
That’s what concerns me. I do wonder… The question about the UK are also the smallest in Europe. Why do we value looking-at
range of offers on the market for older people. I think in part over being-in?” (Horn, 2015)
the range isn’t there because of the [lack of] knowledge; the
discerning consumer doesn’t really exist”. I am now familiar with the retirement housing sector, and a cast of
older person informants that presented a wide spectrum of aspirations
Of course, this is not an isolated problem, but symptomatic of a and needs with regard to their homes. I also have knowledge on
wider UK cultural unknowing or unthinking when it comes to housing the retirement chalet and understand its attractiveness and relative
design and respective property searches and purchases. Much has advantages to residents, as well as areas where it could be improved.
been written about this topic elsewhere. For me, the following remark I am also aware that I carry design knowledge – in part gathered from
from an architectural researcher describes the phenomenon rather resident informants – that prospective customers do not possess,
well; a problem of consuming with the eyes, rather than taking into though they will likely come to know, tacitly, post-purchase.
consideration issues of comfort and accommodating the whole body.
Figure 1.
Design Case Study
Lounge The case study presents design work that was prepared for the sponsor,
Interiors based on the findings at one of its built developments, and later ratified
by studying other settings. Design was used as a method for synthesising
and testing emerging ideas, gathered through mixed research
methods and field tactics (including residency and design review). A
close examination of the chalet product led to the identification of
‘opportunity areas’ for design review and enhancement, including the
shared lounge. Designs sought to work within existing frameworks –
grids, layouts, unit mixes, strategies, etc. – and are therefore posited as
potential enhancements to the standard product. Here two proposals
are presented, based on a case study chalet. The first proposal comprises
a simple remodelling or ‘tweaking’ of the existing lounge, reflecting
resident feedback and aspirations. The second proposal involves more
substantial structural alterations, albeit respects the established space
allocation for shared lounges.

The atmosphere of the typical lounge is somewhere between that of

a hotel lobby and a TV or day room within a nursing institution, but
without the nurses (Figure 1). Within the case study location the lounge
is one open plan space, articulated on one side by a bay window with
integral door leading onto a south-facing terrace. At one end the
room is open to the main entrance, which includes a concierge style
reception desk. There is a small kitchen, separated by a door at the
opposite end, which is primarily intended for preparing tea and coffee.
Appliances include a fridge, glasswasher and microwave. The lounge
itself has an ornamental fireplace, flat screen television, a number of
soft armchairs, three coffee tables and two dining tables with upright
chairs. The ways in which residents have appropriated the space were
documented through a photographic survey (Figure 2). Key features are
a small table by the entrance for out-going post, a folding table near
the reception for displaying shared books, and a puzzle table close to

64 65
 Figure 2. to inherent architectural qualities of space and light. Chalet managers
Shared have confirmed that the same furniture and finishes can be found in all
Lounge the developer’s lounges, acknowledging that “they all look the same”.
Photographic
Survey
The first design proposal – ‘remodelled lounge’ (Figure 3) – shows
the concierge desk relocated in-between the lounge and the main
entrance. This would improve thermal comfort within the lounge as
well as reduce unwanted distractions e.g. deliveries. Some residents
also felt strongly about having to walk through the lounge in order to
reach their apartment, sensing that it was an erosion of their privacy.
The proposal recognises the entrance as an important public-private
threshold and makes provision for display space within the lobby as well
as seating around the reception. This area could be closed off by means
of a sliding door. Similarly, the chalet manager would have dedicated
office space that communicates with the lounge and overlooking
the entrance, both internally and externally. The lounge would be

Figure 3.
Lounge Logic

the kitchen. It’s also worth noting that there is insufficient space for all
members to attend a function at one time.

The shared lounge is a kind of default space, typically resulting from

the ‘omission’ of two residential units on plan. My studies of schematic
drawings reveal traces of a ‘plan logic’ associated with the apartments
above – the same compartment and external walls, often with a bay
projection occupied by apartment kitchens elsewhere. In these terms
the typical lounge is a kind of ‘geometrical’ or ‘empty space’ that
might be regarded representative of Henri Lefebvre’s perceived shift
in philosophical considerations of space (Lefebvre, 1991). Arguably
this way of thinking “decouples space from time, and thus also from
considerations of social life as unfolding in space” (Coleman, 2015).
Lefebvre points to an apparent gap that separates the products of
professionals from their intended inhabitants (Lefebvre, 1991). Likewise
I question to what extent the architects working for Pink & Knight
are considering future lived-experiences of the lounge spaces they
propose. It appears that design energy and budget is expended on
interior finishing – the objects that fill the ‘empty space’ as opposed

66 67
articulated on two sides and moveable furniture used to subdivide into “shoppers’ entrance” on other Pink & Knight schemes). The proposal
a games room with fireplace, and a sitting room with the television. The also seeks to make better storage provision for furniture, allowing for
division could be formed by book shelving, thus accommodating the greater flexibility of use and multiple functions within the lounge. Pink
library that is currently laid out on a folding table by the reception. Both & Knight are now thinking about the identity of the lounge and the
sides of the lounge would have direct communication with the outside potential benefits of it looking and feeling more like a coffee lounge or
by means of double doors leading onto the terrace. The sitting room public-facing shop. In some respects this would be a more natural or
features a coffee bar, which would better facilitate coffee mornings better understood venue in terms of its programme, since people have
and parties. There is still a separate room proposed for the kitchen, been ‘meeting for coffee’ for a greater part of their lives. Whereas how
recognising that there are times when residents would want to shut the and when to use a shared lounge is less clear. There is also a risk that
door on the noise of appliances. current participation depends upon the direction of the chalet manager
Figure 4. and therefore limited to office hours. In this way existing lounges share
Through the ‘day room’ image of care settings.
Lounge
Analysis
Working with an industrial sponsor has brought many advantages in
terms of ease of access to a research/practice context, including a
portfolio of developments and population of potential informants
(staff and customers). Equally, the sponsor had a genuine stake in the
research and helped shape its scope and direction; implicitly, explicitly
and through latent or subliminal affect, influencing me and the research
informants. I can recall questions not raised or discussions unentered,
due to self-censorship or more general need for professional tact. For
instance, during my first meeting at Pink & Knight, when empathy
was sought from directors faced with a refused planning application
and appeal case, due to design challenges from the local authority
which appeared justified (to me). The presence of a sponsor had an
immeasurable impact on what could be facilitated for the research,
and what could be imagined for it, as well as what could be discussed
openly, be it in the boardroom or in public. The following extract from
research notes illustrates some of this tension:

“I’ve been to [Pink & Knight] and met various board members.
All appear supportive of design research, albeit ‘design’
defined differently. Design scope ranges somewhat across the
organisation, from moving windows through to alternative forms/
formula for retirement housing. There is an apparent tension with
respect to meeting their current client profile (characterised as
a 79-year-old widower…) and developing up-to-date ‘products’
for baby boomers and subsequent generations with aspiration...
Imagine… a profit-orientated MD, alongside resident architect-
directors looking to evolve a product that has remained more or
less the same for 20 [plus] years...”

The second design proposal – ‘through lounge’ (Figure 4) – presents a Perhaps my greatest struggle was reaching an influential audience
lounge that extends the full depth of the building block, though is no within the sponsor organisation, with regards to ‘design’. Within Pink
bigger in real terms. This has the benefits of more than one aspect and & Knight it appears that company architects have limited voice; their
improved access to and from both sides of the development – street agency being limited to project-specific challenges, as opposed to
and garden court. The primary entrance would be associated with the evolving the design of the standard product and its governing patterns/
garden and parking, while a secondary entrance offers more direct and/ templates. Indeed, I would go so far as to say they have limited license
or discreet access to and from the street (the latter is referred to as the
68 69
to hear critique, with individual enquiries from staff suggesting that ‘enhancing’ existing templates, though robust evidence and cost analysis
dissemination of research findings occurred on a need-to-know basis. is required. Material changes, such as reviewing product specifications,
My experience is that information was filtered before travelling up and are more likely to come about as a matter of reflex, resulting from
down management lines. This is to be expected, since the organisation ‘value engineering’ or changes to the supply chain. Whereas re-
and its respective communication channels exist to efficiently and modelling will only occur in response to new fixed constraints, such
productively serve business objectives. Within this culture continuity as legislative changes to building regulations or nationally described
and certainty rule. There is little tolerance for unpredictable, resource- space standards. Similarly, prototyping and exploring alternative
consuming exploration and innovation. Furthermore, external comment models – for instance different types of sites or development strategies
is regarded as potentially disruptive, unnecessarily challenging business – is led by economic pressures, such as land availability and return on
intelligence (‘what we know’) and prescribed processes (‘what we do’) investment. Pink & Knight does not engage in polemic or speculative
and tested products (‘what sells’). In this environment, design operates design that disregards its established operational frameworks. In these
at the level of the development site and making the standard template terms the organisation is observed to be conservative in its attitude
fit. Product review, or what I regard ‘real’ design, occurs at committee towards design.
level.
Figures. 5
In my limited experience of presenting ‘real’ design ideas to Pink &
and 6 Design Knight, I have observed that design change can only advance if
Diagrams sanctioned at the highest levels of management. Even then, an idea
cannot survive on architectural merit alone. For an idea to translate into
material change it must satisfy a business or financial case as well as
offer a marketable benefit (Figure 6). For instance, the introduction of
the coffee bar into the shared lounge represents a low-cost material
and spatial change, and may offer possibilities for franchising in the
future. The coffee bar is visually impactful and gives prospective buyers
an easy to digest manifestation of the lifestyle offer. It is also easy to
photograph and include within marketing material. Architecturally, it
brings the ‘tea station’ into an open plan environment, making it more
accessible/user-friendly, and offers new possibilities for interior design.
The coffee bar also supports a design narrative for ‘inhabiting’ space.
Of course, the biggest impact is a social one; the coffee bar offers the
shared lounge a familiar programme – meeting for a coffee – and goes
some way to ‘defeminise’ the space and make it more flexible for large
groups. In any case, design change is contingent on business thinking
and the support of directors without design training. In this respect my
role as ‘external architect’ involved some amount of design teaching or
advocacy, as well as an openness to other ways of thinking. Plus, some
amount of tact.

Within the sponsor organisation, evidence has been collated that

demonstrates how the research project – involving a reflective and
reflexive process – has affected the design evolution of the developer’s
standard product in a few key areas, as highlighted by a director cited
in a trade magazine:

“It’s good to have a critical look and to challenge what we

I will refer to Figures 5 and 6 to describe the design culture and activity do…There were suggestions as to how we could improve, for
observed at Pink & Knight. Regarding design scope (Figure 5), low- example in circulation improvements... [the research associate]
level design involves ‘tweaks’, such as moving elements (e.g. windows) came up with the idea of creating a ‘man shed’ where male
or revising non-material details. Larger design changes, such as residents can just potter, which is a great idea”. (Vedrickas, 2017)
revising internal layouts, may be argued on grounds of ‘rationalising’ or

70 71
A testimony (Figure 7) provided by a member of the sponsor’s architectural Figure 8.
team corroborates a change in design approach to circulation, through Tea Station
consideration of ‘resting areas’, as well as general improvements in the (Before)
common spaces, with alternative layout arrangements being explored
for the shared lounge. The testimony confirms that future developments
will have an alternative entrance sequence, separate from the shared
Figure 7.
Evidencing
Impact

Limitations
I suppose the defining characteristic of the design work is one of
contingency; a practice that responds to or ‘depends’ on the real world,
a problem articulated by Jeremy Till in his writing about the gap between
what architecture actually is and what architects want it to be (Till,
2009). If I am honest with myself, as a student I sought an opportunity to
design cart blanche and enjoy the production of architectural artefacts
for a small audience – myself and some professional peers. Whereas
Pink & Knight had sponsored the research, from which they expected
specific answers and to collect a good public relations story and an
independent publication for use in planning meetings and inquiries –
words, not designs.

lounge, and that shared lounges will feature an open plan coffee bar, On reflection, I now recognise that my struggle has been one of
with an accessible toilet nearby. The coffee bar has been found to be shifting from an imagined ideal of ‘practice-based’ research, where
especially popular with resident owners and their visitors. Figures 8 and creative artefacts are the basis of the contribution to knowledge, to the
9 show the physical impact of the coffee bar in terms of the spatial actual ‘practice-led’ situation, where the research has led primarily to
and material differences it has made to the chalet product. In older new understandings about practice (Candy, 2006). One might say the
developments (Figure 8) small kitchens or ‘tea stations’ were placed in research has been more about practice than through practice, though
bays/rooms adjacent to the shared lounge. Whereas, today coffee bars there have been moments where I have performed as a kind of design
are installed within lounges (Figure 9), making a positive contribution to consultant. For instance, through the production and explanation of
the look and feel of this key space.
72 73
 Figure 9. comment. I suppose [Pink & Knight]’s view is that design is not
Coffee Bars the problem; it is a problem of individual personalities within
(After) local authority planning departments (‘this urban designer at...’).
I think the message is clear: ‘no more design/ideas’…”

The need for an invitation to design was most apparent in the way
feedback was framed. The abovementioned design project – produced
to illustrate an alternative design approach to a live Pink & Knight
development site – while positively received in the boardroom, was
regarded a ‘limited objective exercise’ that required a detailed and
commercial assessment. The design director found many positive
features though raised several points that counted against the proposal
when assessed as a potential Pink & Knight project. In summary these
matters were: an unknown six metre watercourse easement, limiting the
development footprint; parking spaces accessed directly off the street
being considered vulnerable to ‘fly parking’; a massing strategy already
determined through pre-planning consultation; being ‘very close’ to
the company’s target margin, due to the building form involving a
section of single sided-corridor; ‘internal’ kitchens, including those with
windows onto the corridor, being regarded ‘unpopular’ with customers;
the apartments being nearly ten per cent larger than the company’s
standard apartments, and respective impact on construction costs
and sales price. Furthermore, the live scheme had received planning
permission. In these terms the uptake and progression of the design
work was curtailed.

Conclusions
Returning to the three questions raised at the beginning of this
paper, I posit that design change had been affected in the context of
retirement-living developments, albeit modest (or maybe I had too high
sketch feasibility studies that accompanied the Product Review reports expectations?). The most significant design change is the revision of
prepared for Pink & Knight. Of course, taken out of context these drawn the design pattern/template of the shared lounge, to include a coffee
studies do not appear to represent in-depth research. bar as standard. This change is already having a positive effect on the
lived experiences of residents and their visitors, as well as staff that
“My ‘design’ work has been very process-led and is relatively manage these environments. In terms of who decided this change, well,
light when considered in isolation. Taken out of context, the the authorship of an idea, and its transfer through a design process
design work could be read as discrete feasibility studies – the and organisation, is never clear cut. Indeed, there could exist multiple
sort an architectural practice would prepare quickly for an stories to explain what happened.
interior refurbishment project.”
One thing that became clear through this work is the relative lack of
If nothing else, my take-home lesson is the need to be invited to design. voice for key actors regarding design decisions, including residents and
The following extract is an email account of a telephone conversation architects. Here the company architect was found to be shaped by a
I had with a director representing the sponsor, approaching the end of strong business context, multi-layered management, and clearly defined
the contracted research: production-oriented processes designed to maximise profit. One might
consider, then, whether architects within development companies
“ …There was no mention of further design work. I offered an are in fact ‘designers’, or if their role could be better described as
outline scheme for [named development site], explaining how it ‘custodians’; persons entrusted with guarding or maintaining a design
developed from the student work [an academic design studio I or set of design patterns that are shaped or tweaked to fit specific
led] and design ideas presented within work package three. No development sites and contexts.

74 75
When explaining my research to a teaching colleague, it was suggested References
that I was concerned with ‘cultural change’ within the sponsor company,
and to a lesser extent wider society (with respect to witnessing an Candy, L. (2006). Practice Based Research: A Guide (Sydney: University of
aspirational baby boomer generation reach retirement). It was at this Technology, 2006) <https://www.mangold-international.com/_Resources/
Persistent/764d26fd86a709d05e8d0a0d2695bd65fd85de4f/Practice_Based_
moment that I registered what it meant to evidence a design ‘tweak’ Research_A_Guide.pdf> [accessed 01 May 2019].
in the developer’s standard product; the result of ‘projecting a clear
Coleman, N. (2015). Lefebvre for Architects, London: Routledge.
and consistent message’ in support of good design, particularly where
it ‘cannot be easily quantified or measured as potential value added’. Holt, N. (2003). “Representation, Legitimation, and Auto-ethnography: An Auto-
ethnographic Writing Story”, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2 (1), pp.
18 – 28.
Previously I had thought of ‘success’ as being an improvement in the
Horn, G. (2015). “The Taste for Neo-Vernacular Housing”, in Demystifying Architectural
material environment of the shared lounge within retirement chalets. Research, Anne Dye and Flora Samuel (Eds.), Newcastle: RIBA Publishing, pp. 109 –
But the introduction of the coffee bar also represented cultural change 113.
inasmuch that it was performed by others. For this feature to appear on Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space, Oxford: Blackwell.
the planning drawings, change had to be affected in the boardroom,
Méndez, M. (2013). “Auto-ethnography as a Research Method: Advantages, Limitations
then communicated to and through the in-house architect team, and to and Criticisms”, Applied Linguistics Journal, 15 (2), pp. 279-287.
the external architects that prepared the drawings. Furthermore, for it
Till, J. (2009). Architecture Depends, London: The MIT Press.
to be materialised, the architectural idea had to be adopted, developed
and owned by multiple people at different levels of the organisation, Vedrickas, G. (2017). “Defining the Grey Area”, Show House, July, pp. 55 - 58.
guiding it through the construction process. This is contingent design
research that affects change.

76 77
 Advancing
sustainability at
universities through
design thinking
education
Paul C. Endrejat, Amelie V. Güntner,
Elena Stasewitsch, Pascal Abel, Simone Kauffeld and
Susanne Robra-Bissantz
78 79
Abstract based learning provides suitable and realistic methods how such a
Teaching students Design Thinking (DT)—a team-based approach participatory approach can be taught to students.
to solve wicked problems—by using real-life sustainability problems,
provides an opportunity to develop solutions that benefit a university’s However, the potential of problem-based learning is yet not fully applied
ecobalance. To make this suggestion tangible, this chapter includes a in the higher education context (Leal Filho et al., 2018). To fill this gap,
case study describing how a student team, while learning DT, worked we illustrate how Design Thinking (DT) education can be utilized as a
on the challenge to decrease the usage of disposable cups. This case problem-based teaching method to create new sustainability concepts.
study includes the workshop preparation, the course agenda, and the DT engages interdisciplinary student teams to experiment, prototype,
prototype BackCup, a deposit concept developed by the student team. gather feedback, and design innovate solutions for wicked problems
Further, we illustrate how follow-up meetings with relevant stakeholders (Brown, 2009). Such a teaching approach asks students not to be
and the collaboration with a campus do-it-yourself platform raised passive recipients but to get involved, gather new information, and
awareness for the idea. Subsequently, we discuss how the team’s efforts create solutions that meet users’ needs. Thus, teaching DT skills answers
to implement sustainable solutions into the university’s structures society’s demand for creative teams who help to meet organizational
helped students to gain a better understanding of organizational sustainability goals (Razzouk and Shute, 2012).
dynamics. Future design thinkers learned that overcoming barriers
towards sustainability requires several iterative process steps and the To outline how DT education can be used to create solutions for
involvement of relevant stakeholders. For instructors who are interested sustainability that fit into existing university structures, we first give an
to use a similar approach, it is explained how the DT course is integrated overview of the concept of problem-based learning and how DT relates
into the university’s curriculum. to it. Subsequently, we report a case study of a DT team that worked on
the challenge to reduce the usage of disposable cups at their university.
Introduction Next to a summary of the course agenda, we also elaborate on how the
Earth overshoot day, the annual date when humanity has used as many collaboration with a project partner, a do-it-yourself campus platform,
resources, as the world is able to renew, is antedated each year. In helped to gain support for the prototype developed by the DT team.
2019, it was July 29, which underlines that human’s usage of resources Finally, we discuss the implications that can be drawn from this case
exceeds by far what the planet is able to repair. To tackle this issue, we study and lay out how further studies might increase our understanding
need new and innovative ways to change behaviors within organizations about how to diffuse sustainable innovations into university structures.
and raise awareness for sustainable consumption on the one hand. On
the other hand, it is important to educate the next generation of leaders Approach: Design thinking as a problem-based learning method
to balance economic growth, social development, and ecological Problem-based learning encourages critical thinking, decision making,
vitality. In this regard, universities take a critical role, not only because and the ability to determine the critical aspects regarding a given topic
they educate these upcoming leaders but also because they provide a what, in turn, fosters an exploratory mindset in learners (Melles et al.,
context in which newly developed sustainable concepts can be tested 2015). DT can be understood as a specific way of problem-solving that
before they are transferred to larger society. Although this potential asks students to consider the interests of the project partners as well
has been recognized (e.g., Sulkowski, 2017), concrete suggestions how as the people affected by a solution and incorporate these interests
a campus’ sustainability could be enhanced are sparse (Disterheft et into their solution. Thus, DT has the potential to be an approach that
al., 2012). Thus, we need tangible designs how sustainability can be grasps the complexity and unpredictability of social structures because
implemented into university curricula. the points of view from all involved stakeholders are simultaneously
integrated in the process of designing a solution (Leifer and Steinert,
Amongst the most crucial barriers that prevent the implementation 2014). In doing so, DT builds upon action research (Lewin, 1947), an
of sustainable innovations into organizational structures are a lack of iterative plan making and fact gathering approach for understanding
support from management and a lack of appropriate technology (Ávila and changing behavior. Confronted with a complex challenge or
et al., 2017). Nonetheless, given the urgency to create sustainable problem, a DT team adopts a user-centered perspective to understand
solutions, waiting till these issues are resolved by structural changes how the behaviors of organizational members can be channeled in a
is not an option (Tarrant and Thiele, 2016). Instead, we need creative desired direction (Gruber et al., 2015). Thereby, it uses a predefined,
solutions that circumvent these barriers and work in the existing iterative process that results in concepts or affordances (i.e. artifacts
parameters (Hill and Wang, 2018). One way to do so is by relying on that depict a desired human-object interaction; Norman, 2013) with
participatory design interventions that involve those individuals that a strong emphasis on the user perspective. The inclusion of potential
are expected to behave more sustainable into the problem-solving users is necessary because credible and feasible solution strategies
process (Disterheft et al., 2015; Endrejat and Kauffeld 2018). Problem- are only developed in collaboration with the affected stakeholders

80 81
and do not arise form ideas developed by a lone genius. During Workshop preparation: DT as a key skill
this learning process, the role of an instructor is not, as in traditional
Figure 1.
teaching methods, to use top-down communication in a teacher-like
Overview of
manner but rather to become a facilitator. That means, instead of giving the design
information and pointing out possible solutions, the facilitator provides thinking
an environment in which students can engage with self-determination process.
in the solution process of real-world problems.

Furthermore, both action research and DT propose that a final solution

is not attained through a linear process but rather iteration and
feedback loops are necessary to integrate new insights. The iterative
process applied in DT is a modification to classical problem-based
learning approaches that rely on predefined and successive working
steps. Another aspect that distinguishes DT from other problem-based
learning approaches is that DT not only focuses on how a problem could
At Technische Universität (TU) Braunschweig (Germany), DT is integrated
be solved but puts equal emphasis on the aspects causing the problem
into the elective soft-skills curriculum. These courses are three-day
and the factors stabilizing the current status (Razzouk and Shute, 2012).
workshops for students from all disciplines who receive course credit
In other words, in DT understanding the problem is of equal importance
for their participation. These heterogeneous teams are a promising
as creating a solution. Instead of diligent analyzes and planning, there
approach to work on a complex problem and due to divergent
is a bias towards action. This is because, finding the correct answer for
perspectives also requires members to develop their communication
the wrong question is eventually a waste of resources. Thus, a DT team
skills to function in interdisciplinary teams (Ávila et al., 2017).
is encouraged to use the iteration steps to experiment which solutions
might go in a direction that satisfies users’ needs. This trial-and-error
In accordance with the problem-based learning approach, we provide
procedure requires a safe-to-fail, pragmatic experimentation climate
students not just with hypothetical challenges. Instead, we have
(Tarrant and Thiele, 2016).
developed various cooperations to introduce projects with real “pain
points” that create an authentic learning environment in which students
A complex, ill-defined challenge suitable to teach students DT would be
can gain the competencies to solve real-life challenges by creating
to help a university becoming more sustainable (Kopnina, 2017; Shapira
a client-based project (Foster and Yaoyuneyong, 2016). The project
et al., 2017). For instance, most students spend few thoughts to their
partner for the cup challenge was Sandkasten (German for Sandbox), a
consumption and waste, and when confronted with the consequences
campus do-it-yourself platform whose goal is to shape a campus that
of their doing, many react with resistance (Savageau, 2013). Thus, we
aligns with users’ needs. Sandkasten enables organizational members
illustrate how DT can be applied to meet organizational sustainability
not only to express their ideas but also helps them in realizing these
goals on reducing the usage of disposable cups by integrating the
ideas.
perspectives of cup users.
DT workshop: Teaching students to work in interdisciplinary teams
Case study: How might we reduce the usage of disposable cups? Our three-day DT training concept is based on the field guide to human
In Germany, there is an annual usage of 2.8 billion disposable cups
centered design (IDEO, 2015) that consists of the three process phases
causing massive environmental problems (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, 2015
inspiration, ideation, and implementation. In the next paragraphs, we
[Environmental Action Germany]). The negative environmental impact
explain the goal of each phase and what the DT team has accomplished
of disposable cups is mirrored by the fact that even the eco-friendliest
during these process steps.
one-way cup is two times worse for the environment than the most
unsound reusable cup (Pladerer et al., 2008). Given these numbers,
Inspiration: What are users’ key needs? The first day began with an
there is a clear need to find a solution that does not forbid coffee or
input from the course facilitator about the DT mind-set and several
tea drinkers to consume their beverages but does ‘nudge’ them away
short exercises to make students familiar with the DT working mode.
from the purchase of disposable cups. Taking these requirements into
Subsequently, the group of fifteen participants got divided into three
consideration, we set up a DT workshop to let students work on this
interdisciplinary teams, each working on a different challenge. For the
complex real-life-challenge and generate solutions that meet users’
sake of readability, we only focus on the cup project.
needs and simultaneously help them to contribute to a more sustainable
university. The whole process is depicted in Figure 1.

82 83
The team first reframed the challenge, meaning, they discussed how they Follow-up meetings: Is there potential to bring the idea to life?
could rephrase the task to make it more tangible. This step considers The final prototype, BackCup, is a reusable cup system that does not
that concepts like ‘sustainability’ are usually too abstract to be worked require to pay a deposit or wait in a queue. BackCup has a special bin
on thoroughly (Kopnina, 2017). Afterwards, the facilitator provided an design, formed as a long tube with printed cups on its top (see Figure
input about several methods that could be applied to collect insights 2 for an image of the BackCup prototype). These inscriptions avoid
of users’ or stakeholders’ perspectives, respectively. For the remainder misuse as the new bins are placed closely to nearest garbage bins. Like
of the first day and the beginning of the second day, each team split regular garbage bins, BackCup should be emptied regularly.
up into two sub-groups to conduct ‘field research’, using interviews or
Figure 2.
observational methods. These activities consider that change agents BackCup
should be able to ask appropriate questions to grasp and understand prototype
the viewpoints of the involved stakeholders. While interviewing the
student office, the team learned that the TU Braunschweig has a usage
of 150.000 disposable cups per year, which underlined the relevance of
the challenge.

Ideation: How to create solutions to meet users’ needs? Following field

research, the two sub-groups got together and shared their learnings
and observations with each other. In a next step, the team had to select
the most important insights that they gained during field research.
These were: 1) users value the to-go experience, 2) users hesitate to
bring their own cups with them, since this is perceived to undermine
flexibility, 3) many users consume their beverage not far from the
location of purchase, and 4) most users consume their beverages within
the next 15 minutes after purchase. Follow-up questions regarding why
the users that consume within or near the cafeteria hesitate to utilize
reusable cups revealed that queuing up again to regain the deposit
or having not enough money for the pledge are the major hindrances
against reusable cups.

To make these insights more tangible, the students created a persona,

which represents behavioral and motivational aspects of target users
(Veryzer and Borja de Mozota, 2005). The key needs of this persona
were rephrased into ‘How to…’ questions, such as “How to design the
usage of reusable cups as effortless as the usage of disposable cups?”
Through brainstorming sessions, the DT team created several creative
ideas how these questions could be solved. The most promising ideas
were elaborated further and transferred into prototypes.

Implementation: Turning an idea into an innovation.

At the beginning of the third day, the DT team tested their ideas
by sharing the prototypes with potential users to gather feedback.
The refined final prototype was presented to representatives from
Sandkasten. This presentation summarized the process and insights
that led to the final concept. Feedback from the project partner and
from other DT teams was structured using special feedback sheets
which provided the opportunity to add ideas on how the concept could
be enhanced further. The workshop ended with an overall reflection
about the learning experiences and newly acquired skills.

84 85
To ensure that BackCup has the potential to become realized at the Discussion
TU Braunschweig, the DT team and representatives of Sandkasten This chapter described a case study on how to develop innovative
had several meetings to discuss how they want to proceed further ideas to reduce the usage of disposable cups at a university campus
and clarified the next process steps. Since the prototype also requires through problem-based learning approaches. It thereby adheres to
acceptance and support by the cafeteria staff, the team had meetings the call to create new approaches and methods that take account for
to take these concerns into consideration and involve this critical the transformative nature of implementing sustainable strategies. By
stakeholder group at an early stage (Tarrant and Thiele, 2016). For using DT education, we build on Herbert Simon’s (p. 111) bon mot that
instance, the staff suspects that the bins will be soaked. This additional “everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing
information led to to the printed cups along the tube. These should existing situations into preferred ones”. Applying this approach
prevent users from putting their cups up-side down into the tube. provides students with the opportunity to gain real-life competencies
Confronted with the question how the idea could be financed, the DT that they can use in other organizations to solve complex issues (Barth
team developed a business plan based on the idea that the BackCup et al., 2007).
stands could be used as advertising spaces.
We highlighted DT as an innovative and problem-based teaching
Campaign design: How to raise awareness and acceptance for the method that fits into a university’s curriculum and aims to develop both
prototype students’ professional and interpersonal competencies. In the course
As a do-it-yourself campus platform, Sandkasten provides a website of the DT training, students were encouraged to not only focus on the
which is a participative tool for campus projects. The idea to make functional goal to reduce waste production, but also to tap into users’
processes as transparent as possible and integrating users’ feedback emotional spheres and gain empathy for their personal needs. Further,
to increase the chances that prototypes become innovations (Leifer our DT training provides an example of how universities can integrate
and Steinert, 2014). To promote their idea among students and staff, the topic of sustainability into courses that are usually unrelated to
the DT team designed an online campaign, which required that 500 this topic. This aims at creating a connection in the minds of students
organizational members gave the idea their “Like” to proceed with between the subject in question and sustainable development
BackCup. This quantitative mechanism aims to ensure that a prototype (Sammalisto and Lindhqvist, 2008).
is supported by a critical mass before resources are invested in its
realization (Sammalisto and Lindhqvist, 2008) Theoretical and Practical Implications
The case study demonstrates that establishing collaboration between
Manage the campaign: Gain further support from potential users a DT team and a project partner with actual “pain points” can provide
The duration of the online campaign was set to one month, but within innovative solutions for a real-world scenario. While working on such
five days the idea was supported by 500 fans that was the target number issues, a team becomes motivated to learn and apply DT in a self-
to start with the realization of the BackCup idea. To stay connected with determined manner. By providing a challenge that affects a whole
their fans and get further feedback, the DT team posted updates of the organization, students learn that complexity increases exponentially
project’s progress. Furthermore, fans were also able to join and support when several stakeholders with divergent interests are involved (Flood,
the project, e.g. by providing their expertise. 2010). In doing so, the students also acquired the competencies to
cope with ambiguity: in a first step they learn to make a problem more
Project application: Interweave the prototype into organizational tangible, so it can be worked on. Subsequently, they experience how
structures it feels like when there is no predefined way towards a solution but
A DT team needs to consider an organization’s culture to ensure an how new information continuously impacts the process (Leifer and
implementation and acceptance of the innovation (Michlewski, 2016). Steinert, 2014). By asking students to integrate their prototype into
Coping with these aspects is necessary to educate students to become the organizational structures, they also learned other key skills such as
change agents who are dealing with the complexities of sustainability and creating a business plan or communicating with organizational members
‘soft’ issues in organizational change management. Thus, Sandkasten in a way that those support the developed solution.
offered the DT team access to the university’s institutional network and
enabled a meeting with the staff of the university cafeteria company. By Our educational concept can be used as an innovative teaching method
making their project public via the online campaign, the team received in other universities and for other challenges. For instance, at the TU
cooperation offerings from the elected student representatives, NGOs Braunschweig, DT teams also work on other sustainability projects,
like Greenpeace, and a reusable-cup-company. Currently, the BackCup such as redesigning the allocation of office spaces to reduce energy
team works on the laundry cycle and prototypes the return mechanism. consumption, a challenge provided by the facility management. Such
ideas and concepts are also in line with—and support—broader efforts

86 87
such as The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Leal Filho suitable approach to improve existing management practices (e.g. team
et al., 2017a; Leal Filho et al., 2015). These goals include that the insights meetings, job crafting) related to organizational change (Güntner et al.,
resulting from sustainability research are used by practitioners, such 2019). Motivational interviewing, as a solution focused communication
as understanding complexity as well as critically questioning systems, approach aligns well with the optimistic and constructive DT mind-set.
policies and routines that appear fundamentally unsustainable (Leal It emphasizes that people are not likely to embrace changes when
Filho et al., 2015; Barth et al., 2007). We provided several ideas how these are imposed on them. Instead, motivational interviewing rests
to contribute towards these goals by building on the beneficial effects on exploring individuals’ motives by using specific communication
of problem-based learning approaches as the theoretical foundation. methods such as open questions, reflective listening, and affirmations.
By using the DT approach, practitioners can engage users to take These basic competencies serve to understand others’ needs, build up
part in the solution process, turning it into a bottom-up, participative interpersonal trust, and help users co-create which aspects of an idea
method, rather than imposing changes top-down (Disterheft et al., would enhance their motivation to change their routines (Miller and
2012). Moreover, by involving students and letting them reflect on the Rollnick, 2013). Therefore, we argue that teaching DT teams motivational
difficulties of how to motivate users to behave more ‘greenly’, our course interviewing communication methods would answer previous calls for
educates future change agents to promote sustainability (Svanström et expanding designers’ empathic horizon to create innovations that meet
al., 2012). In teaching a DT mindset, students are encouraged to work users’ needs.
collaboratively, think critically, and apply systemic thinking which fosters
the empowerment of students. Furthermore, the DT team worked on the challenge to reduce the
usage of disposable cups at their university. This is a narrow and
For universities that intend apply our approach and incorporate specific problem definition, as the team did not further question
DT in their course curricula, we have three recommendations: First, fundamental assumptions related to the issue of today’s disposable
qualified facilitators familiar with the DT approach and group dynamics food and beverage culture as a general societal issue. Therefore, we
are needed to guide students through the DT process. Second, think it would be interesting to see in how far a more experienced DT
universities should ensure the DT training can easily be integrated into team would take a more holistic perspective when the goal is to cut out
the curricula. An extracurricular course program helps to ensure that single-use cups and re-define the challenge to tackle a problem’s core.
they work in interdisciplinary teams. Third, an institutional cooperation
network provides students to work with project partners that have real Conclusions
‘pain points’. In this way, students do not operate with hypothetical Aligning a course agenda towards solving sustainable issues while
challenges but interact with stakeholders who need to be involved in preparing students to become change agents in a complex world is
the process. A do-it-yourself platform that supplies the resources and an efficient way to approach environmental and educational goals. As
expertise to follow-up with an idea might be an optimal basis for such an idea how to use these synergies, we described how a student team
a collaboration. that learned DT created a prototpye (BackCup) to reduce the usage of
single-use cups at the TU Braunschweig.
Limitations and further course advancement
As TU Braunschweig’s infrastructure was an important driver to foster
the realization of BackCup, we cannot distinguish, whether project
progress was due to the good idea and dedicated team members
or the resources and support provided by Sandkasten. Nonetheless,
previous research shows that the way in which intended change is
communicated is important for its success (Ford et al., 2008). Thus,
an appropriate communication with organizational members that are
affected by new ideas is critical to enhance the probability that DT
projects become realized. Such an extension of the DT approach seems
necessary, as thus far, DT does not fully unfold its potential to produce
innovations (Arnold, 2017). Therefore, we encourage future research
to consider combining DT education with motivational interviewing,
“a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own
motivation and commitment to change” (Miller and Rollnick, 2013,
p. 12) to advance DT projects. Whereas motivational interviewing
originates from substance abuse treatment, it has been suggested as a

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 Design meets
neuroscience:
Future directions
for developing
and implementing
design probes
Melanie Flory and Ninela Ivanova
92 93
Abstract mindset which is at the very heart of user experience design. A case in
The frontiers of design and neuroscience are rapidly shifting as a point that is directly relevant to the theme of this paper is how design
result of recent advances in neuro-technologies, and the pivotal role and neuroscience define and think about probes.
user experience design plays across a wide range of analogue and
digital applications at individual, community, and global level. These Design Research or Research Design?
applications range from learning and education interventions to Design and neuroscience as disciplines with their respective
innovation of large-scale healthcare options. Every day new frontiers distinguished and experienced practitioner communities, view and
are forged as neurobiologists and cognitive scientists look beyond the relate to probes with discipline-related understanding that includes
mere structure-function neuronal correlations of thought, emotion, and differences and commonalities. In designing and presenting probes to
behaviour. This has direct impact for design research and design-led a specific population, our approach has been to:
probe development. Translating this growing evidence-base through
a mind well-trained in critical, rigorous, and creative thinking, and an • Embrace the added levels of complexity that emerge in any
attitude of equitable collaboration and mutual respect, heralds immense multidisciplinary research or collaboration (Flory & Ivanova, 2019);
potential for unfolding ground-breaking design probe applications • Explore conflicting perspectives (Hooper et al., 2013), and;
through the intersection of neuroscience and design. • Strive to create pathways that lead to rich user experience
by interweaving the methodological approaches, underlying
Introduction philosophical and scientific perspectives, and research and practice
In 1999 when Bill Gaver and colleagues put together a variety of cultural culture that inadvertently influence and drive research, design and
probes for presentation to a group of ten elderly residents of the small intended outcomes (Flory & Ivanova, 2019).
village of Peccioli in Italy, their intent was to gather “inspirational data”
(Gaver Dunne & Pacenti, 1999, p.21) through provoking, inspiring, Beginning with definitions, an often-quoted definition of design
engaging, and assisting participants via probe artefacts, to share their research which includes the application of probes in design research, is
thoughts, ideas, feelings, desires and lived experience of being an that of Jane Fulton Suri (2008, p. 54):
elderly resident of that town. This creative endeavour in engagement
design came about in response to a European Union funded research “Design research both inspires imagination and informs intuition
call to develop technologies that would facilitate increased presence through a variety of methods with related intents: to expose
of the elderly in their local communities. These beginnings and patterns underlying the rich reality of people’s behaviours and
subsequent applications of design probes in varying contexts ranging experiences, to explore reactions to probes and prototypes, and
from experience of living with dementia (Wallace et al., 2013), to to shed light on the unknown through iterative hypothesis and
dealing with bereavement (Massimi & Baecker, 2011), establish context, experiment.”
i.e., the bigger picture, the ground, the soil, the zeitgeist so to speak,
as the primary and preceding factor that gives meaning, purpose and Fulton Suri’s definition of design research includes the words “research”,
value to design probes and designing probes. “imagination” and “intuition” in the same sentence. This is an anomaly
in terms for the scientist whose research training is in controlling as
Given that context is the seed from which the process of developing many variables as possible that might “interfere” with the research
and designing probes begins to sprout and grow highlights the need to aim and objectives. Has the scientific landscape shifted at all from this
clarify the cross-disciplinary underpinnings of this paper. paradigm? In the last two decades, design research has been steadily
gaining recognition and application in some areas of scientific research
Ours is a multidisciplinary partnership – a space – in which design and application (Sandoval, 2014). It is however, referred to by terms such
and neuroscience intersect to innovate and create pathways to better as, “design-based research” and “design experimentation” (Sandoval
experiences and improved futures for individuals and organisations. On and Bell, 2004). For the science community, this terminology ensures
a day-to-day basis we live the experience of the 2016 Design Research that design research, i.e., design discipline research methodology, is
Society’s (DRS) future-directions call for “rigorous interdisciplinary not confused with the systematic scientific methodology of “research
collaboration” (Atkinson & Rae Oppenheimer, 2016, p.2) between design”.
designers and members of other disciplines.
The role of design research has been especially appreciated and
In practical terms this means developing a mutual respect and openness applied in the learning sciences where designers work with educational
to central concepts, ideas, insights, methods, practices, and vagaries psychologists to innovate novel and creative environments and
of each other’s discipline. These are also qualities of an empathetic approaches to learning, problem solving, improved memory and

94 95
focused attention in the classroom and other formal teaching and the aim of expanding the role of design research and design probes in
learning settings (Anderson and Shattuck, 2012). Thus, through design scientific enquiry, clinical applications, and subjective wellbeing. This
interventions that are developed for real-life educational contexts, is demonstrated through the Emo-TTM and SwatchathinkingTM probes
learning research scientists and educational psychologists are able the authors developed and applied in 2015 (Flory & Ivanova, 2016), and
to develop relatable and usable theories of education, training and continue to do so, in a variety of circumstances.
learning. The cross-pollination of design thinking with its attending
Figure 1.
research methods and processes have been pioneering pathways to Neuroscience
fulfilment of the DRS’s call for interdisciplinary collaboration and co- for Design
creation via multidisciplinary project teams in the field of educational Model 1
psychology.

In educational research, the remit of scientist and designer differ. In

the case of design probes, the overall design thinking, methods and
processes adopted by the designer is guided by the question, “what
effect am I looking for on user thinking, behaviour and experience?”
(Penuel & Frank, 2016). User experience in the context of the classroom
is therefore the conceptual basis for designer engagement, innovation
and creativity in this case. Beyond the remit of learning science however,
user-centred design probes that enable positive experiences through
creative activities have been introduced in a diverse range of contexts
and projects addressing the needs of vulnerable populations such
as the elderly (Mattelmäki, 2003), the deafblind community (Ivanova,
2015), survivors of domestic violence (Clarke et al., 2013) and vulnerable
women in secure hospital settings (Thieme et al, 2013). Hannington’s
Human-Centred Design Model (2003) succinctly sums up the design
probe and probe design approach as creative, participative, visual,
requiring cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagement of both
the designer and the user, in order to extract and yield understanding
of patterns, themes, affinities, aversions, and other cognitive and
behavioural responses.

In scientific disciplines ranging from earth and space science to

biological life sciences, probes are designed technologies used
primarily for collecting information and data. Twenty-first century
space probes, DNA probes, neural probes – and an ever-growing list – P.R.O.B.E.S.
are all technology-based innovations aimed at detecting, diagnosing, When we the authors met in 2014, Ivanova was in the writing up phase
decoding, mapping, measuring, and monitoring patterns, connections, of her doctoral research. The pivotal objective was to introduce a
anomalies, changes, and activities of their host. Probes in their own wearable probe – in this case a globally recognised garment – the T-shirt
wake contribute to developing and expanding the scientific research – to advance engagement and understanding of challenging concepts
and knowledge base. They play a major role in developing solutions related to novel materials and sensory experience (Ivanova, 2015).
to current and recurring problems, predicting outcomes, and informing Flory, who had founded MindRheo in 2010 had been developing and
future scenarios planning (Flory, reflective journal, 2014 - 2019). delivering neuroscience-based workshops and training tools aimed at
Blending the best features of design research and design probes stimulating brain plasticity for personal and organisational development
with research design and research-based outcomes of design and and advancement. She was also exploring innovative and novel ways
neuroscience respectively, has led Flory to establish Neuroscience for to enrich the learning experience, growth of self-awareness, sense of
Design Worldwide (NfDW) – a consultancy wherein the integration of agency , and other personal and organisational transformative change
neuroscience and design is focused on raising the potential to design components of her practice. The design probe with its empathetic
creatively and efficiently for human health, happiness, behavioural user-centred approach to engagement, personal context, and guided
change and user experience (MindRheo, 2019). This multidisciplinary exploration (Mattelmäki, 2003; Wallace et al., 2013; Ivanova, 2015),
model of practice and application depicted in Figure 1 is about fulfilling she felt, was the perfect fit for purposive and strategic activation of
96 97
brain plasticity in a range of personal and organisational transformation the first design probe – the Emo-TTM – which we developed in 2015.
projects. Over the last five years Flory and Ivanova have collaboratively A fuller exposition of the Emo-TTM appears in the section entitled
researched, designed, developed and delivered a number of design Multidisciplinary Beginnings.
probes aimed at improving emotional intelligence, subjective wellbeing,
sense of agency, and cognitive and emotional reframing. Mapping the people and user experience context through this simple
Design meets Neuroscience which is a lived experience in but effective method gives clarity regarding two central themes of “user
multidisciplinary working and collaborative design for us, has yielded group” and “user experience” remits for the designer, and direction
a six-component design probe model depicted below (Figure 2). It to the scientist regarding the evidence base to consult and draw from.
captures the planning, research and operational phases and processes
in our development of design probes. Six-Component Process Model for Developing Design Probes
The six-component PROBE mapping exercise is in effect, a blueprint for
Figure 2. developing design probes. Similar to an architect’s plan, this mapping
Six-compo- model (Figure 4) provides an at-a-glance design brief for the probe.
Purpose nent process It’s the blueprint against which both designer and neuroscientist can
model for exchange and blend their ideas, knowledge, expertise and efforts to
Sample Research developing
optimise – in this case – user engagement and experience, in utilising
design probes
imagination to expand emotional intelligence and emotion regulation.
PEOPLE

CONTEXT Figure 4.
EXPERIENCE Six-Compo-
nent Process
Essentiate Orient Model
derived from
developing
Blend the Emo-T™
Probe

Context
Tennant (2017), a palaeontologist, defines the term context in the
context of research, as “The circumstances that form the setting
for an event, statement, or idea, and the terms of which it can be
understood.” In terms of design, Esser (2019) advises that “it is
essential to understand users and the context in which they will use
your design.” These perspectives demonstrate agreement between
the scientist and designer that research, design and implementation
are all primarily rooted in context. An example of the context mapping,
which is presented in Figure 3, shows the initial mapping exercise for

Figure 3. Con-
text of Design
Research /
Probe The value of design probes which are a synthesis of empathic
inquiry, creative play and iteration, in collaboration with cutting-edge
psychology and neuroscience, has exponentially added value in
provoking and precipitating human cognitive, emotion, and behaviour
changes at personal and organisation level. Neuroscience for its
part, must rise to a better understanding of the potential for design
– of a building, healthcare service, or crime reduction intervention, for
example – to influence and engage human beings (Flory & Ivanova,
2019). Our experience in adopting an agile, inclusive, multidisciplinary

98 99
approach that is a willing sharing for the betterment of the user, is one • in post-workshop settings where participants were required to
of the future directions that applies equally to design and designers, wear the probe in day-to-day settings such as cafés and at work,
and neuroscience and neuroscientists. and note down any responses and engagement with it by the
public;
Contextual Beginnings: The T-probe • in enabling the research and the wider design community to
The contextual underpinnings of our multidisciplinary collaboration engage with novel ways of thinking about fashion materials and
in developing design probes began with Ivanova’s doctoral research design;
project. It is an essential component in the storytelling of our history • in scoping ways for probes to be implemented within stakeholder
together of design probes and probe design. engagement and education;
In her fashion-based research inquiry, Ivanova (2015) chose the T-shirt • in advancing understanding of fashion-led probes.
– which she later termed “the T-probe” – to explore participant
engagement and response to novel materials and related sensory Figures 7 to
experience. The following two sections provide examples of the inquiry 11. Deafblind
in practice. participants
creating their
T-shirts with
Novelty and User Experience support from
In relation to novel materials such as fungi-based textiles as an emerging communica-
proposition for sustainable fabrics, the challenge was two-fold: novelty, tion guides.
and negative associations such as decay and deterioration, e.g., with Techniques
moulds (Figures 5 and 6). These cognitive associations and attitudinal included
mindset would have to first be overcome in order for such types of textile col-
lage, image
materials to be introduced successfully and ethically in the future of
transfers,
high street culture. and direct
Figure 5 and painting /
6. A ‘Mouldy’ drawing onto
T-shirt the fabric.
designed by
a research
participant
and then
worn in social The literature on design probes revealed very few examples of fashion-
situations. led, or ‘wearable’ probes, which could fulfil the above intentions. Such
The T-probe probes often address technologies and experiences that appear foreign
was used and within the realm of science fiction (Philips, 2006; Philips, 2008). In
to engage
considering how design probes of such speculative value could be
participants
creatively with developed within a methodological framework, the practice of designers
mould-based Helen Storey and Becky Earley appeared more closely aligned with the
Sensory Experience of Inclusion designs by intentions of the research. Storey’s Field of Jeans (Story & Ryan, 2012),
In relation to fashion experience, a group of six young adults with dual- transposing and Earley’s 5 Ways and Top 100 projects (Earley and Fletcher, 2003;
the ‘raw’ Earley, 2014) evidenced the potential of everyday, ubiquitous garments
sensory (deafblind) and cognitive impairment, a user group who are
engagement such as jeans, scarves and shirts, in creating platforms for discussion
currently not catered for in mainstream fashion, were introduced to the with mould-
experience of choosing one’s own clothing (Figures 7 -11). and engagement, and eliciting a shift in attitude and perception. The
based visual
wearability of such garments provides an accessible point of reference
stimuli to
The research aimed to test whether the T-probe could be applied with designing to a wider research demographic. Their everydayness presents a
agility to fulfil a range of design and research intentions at various an actual relatively culturally neutral ground for discussing novel and complex
points of engagement throughout the project, e.g.: garment that ideas. Additionally, their replicability and customisability can be quickly
they would employed as a blank canvas for the development, exchange, and
wear in social communication of ideas.
• in participatory workshops, to elicit engagement and gather
situations.
participant feedback and response;

100 101
Therefore, the research required a probe that: these findings as an exciting new opportunity for incorporating creative
and novel ways of addressing the EI component of her clinical and non-
• could be worn by a diverse demographic; clinical practice which includes workshops, learning and development,
• was culturally familiar, yet versatile, customisable, and capable of and organisational consultancy.
operating within a wide range of social situations;
• was aesthetically simple and neutral, and could serve as a ‘blank Together, Flory and Ivanova’s mutual appreciation for the agility of the
canvas’ or framework for the exploration of new ideas; T-shirt as a probe in a variety of participant engagement settings, led to
• would elicit imaginative engagement; a series of brainstorm, discussion, and futures-thinking sessions which
• fulfilled both a research intention to study user perception, and resulted in the co-creation of the Emo-T™ probe.
the design intention to advance understanding and engagement.
As they bounced and blended ideas and discipline-related knowledge
“Identity, community, difference, gender, sexual preferences, and expertise, they were convinced that a T-shirt probe would be an
political affiliations, humor, corporate slogans, support for apt item for developing self-awareness and practical learning of EI.
causes, product endorsements, religious beliefs, profundities, Flory’s expertise in neuroplasticity, which is the innate flexibility of the
athletic teams loyalties, school and college links, travel trophies brain to form new neural connections throughout life in response to
– T-shirts say it all.” (O’Connor, 2010) new learning and behaviours, resonated with Ivanova’s use of probes to
change perception, behaviour and mindset.
The ‘humble’ T-shirt, which is universally worn around the globe, and
has been historically used as a bridging mechanism to address a variety The resulting Emo-T™ probe is a creative, fun, relatable, and inclusive
of challenging topics, e.g., in political and environmental campaigning, way for people across different continents and demographics to
in advertising and activism (Talbot, 2013), fulfilled all of the above and feel connected as they collectively learn and train in cultivating and
was a natural choice as best fit for this research. nurturing specific positive emotions and felt-experience (Figures 12
and 13). Evoking and regulating emotion for personal wellbeing and
During the course of this research enquiry (2011 – 2015) Ivanova had health, we envision, could become a personal practice and art through
gained invaluable knowledge and practice in contextual alignment and creative and intelligent design and application of this and other probes,
sourcing, and developing relevant materials and artefact-fit to context. which we continue to develop.

Figures 12
Multidisciplinary Beginnings: The Emo-T™ and 13. The
Emotional intelligence (EI) was a term first used by Salovey and Mayer Emo-T™
in 1990 to describe the human ability to master one’s own emotions and probe used
understand and influence the emotions of others. Over the last three in a group
decades much has been written and researched on the subject resulting setting to
in evidence-based applications for clinical and non-clinical settings. stimulate and
These include a diverse a range of subjects from post-traumatic stress elicit specific
disorder (PTSD) and depression, to political negotiation and marketing. positive
emotions
Prior to these authors meeting each other, Flory, whose client base
included combat-related PTSD survivors had repeated clinical
experience of military personnel “putting on a brave face” and “carrying
on as normal” whilst supressing feelings of sadness, alienation,
insecurity, fear, and lack of identity. This was in direct contradiction The Emo-T™ probe is rooted in the neuroscience (Barrett, 2011 and
to the popular belief and EI discursive theory that quoted consistent 2017) of emotion and inclusive design thinking and practice. It’s
alignment between outward expression and behaviour and internal a probe that flips the design-to-provoke-emotion concept used in
emotional experience. To Flory’s relief, EI research carried out in Dr marketing and moviemaking, to emotion-inspired design. The aim
Barrett’s lab (2011, 2017) at Northwestern University in Illinois, resulted is to engage and activate creative imagination related to a positive-
in the categorical statement: “we have misunderstood the nature of feeling emotion, e.g., joy or excitement, which in turn creates a “felt
emotions for a very long time.” Through a series of studies, Barrett response”. Research by leading neurologists and neuroscientists are
and colleagues discovered that face and body language which are increasingly uncovering the role that specific emotions and feelings
taken for granted to gauge emotion in ourselves and others, are not as such as empathy, joy, and gratitude play in decision-making, creative
straightforward and reliable as they are alleged to be. Flory interpreted thinking, positive self-image, leadership ability, and personal and
professional accomplishments. In our workshops, using the Emo-TTM
102 103
probe, participants are able to evoke and memorise their experience of Co-creating and developing the Emo-T™ probe with a designer
positive feeling social interaction or wellbeing emotions. (Ivanova) has been a novel and freeing-up experience for Flory (2017).
Departing from the traditional experiment, data collection, analysis and
The Emo-T™ is a paper or cardboard T-shirt which “probes” participants interpretation practice within scientific enquiry, and putting personal
into visualising and imagining that the T-shirt is a self-designed wearable experience at the centre of the research aim and design has brought
emotion. In “wearing” an emotion of their choice, i.e., one they wish new insights about the importance of personal experience and meaning,
to experience, practice, and express through creative media, the brain and the symbiosis between positive self-expression and self-agency.
registers the information and stores the memory for recall at a later
time. SwatchaThinking™: The Reframe Probe
Texture is ubiquitous and a major portion of the sensory input that we
Using creative imagination to evoke a wellbeing emotion, participants receive every day (Liu et al, 2015). Touch and texture perception cause
express their internal experience through designing the T-shirt via sensory receptors in the fingers and hands to send information signals
drawing, writing and other artistic media. This creative exercise can up the arm which results in corresponding patterns of activation in the
take 5 to 10 minutes from start to finish which is an important factor in brain. Human beings interpret this as sensation.
ensuring emotion-memory retention for future recall. More importantly,
participants come to recognise that they have a distinctive felt sense Exploration, discovery and coming to sensory conclusions about the
related to a specific emotion. This is like a unique signature. world we live in through touch and texture perception begins in early
childhood. Toddlers explore their world through hands-on sensory
It is not uncommon for participants to report that a particular bodily engagement. This learning continues into adulthood. Sensory
sensation that they had been associating with fear or anxiety, is now information stored away in memory from childhood and current lived
recognised and understood as positive anticipation and excitement. experiences determine attraction and avoidance preferences with
This personal understanding and cognitive reframe not only bears out accompanying emotion-based responses. Social media capitalises on
Barrett and colleagues’ findings (2011), but more importantly, it has these responses through the emoji culture.
expanded the user’s EI repertoire and ability to self-regulate emotion
through recall and association. Maintaining a visual journal of these Flory had been mulling over the possibility of texture perception and
T-shirts helps participants to conjure up the emotion instantly through association with cognitive and emotion reframe during the course of her
visual association. work with PTSD survivors for over a decade. The idea of rekindling and
evoking the early childhood instinct for play and exploration through
The Emo-T™ has been well-received in the boardroom, classroom, positive-feeling touch periodically surfaced from the ignored recesses
leadership, branding and sustainability workshops to date. Our of her mind. Ivanova’s tacit knowledge of the sensory qualities and
intention is to collate a million Emo-Ts which will become a design feel of materials accumulated through formal education and practice in
portfolio demonstrating the emotion-expression-design connection, fashion and textiles was essential in translating these ideas and insights
whilst also serving as an artistic global platform for future education from neuroscience into a palette of fabric swatches to be used as tactile
and training in the development of EI. We call this project the Emo-T™ stimuli to reframe cognition and emotion. Over a period of several
Global Wall. months spanning 2015 and 2016, the SwatchaThinking™ probe was
born.
Figures 14 to 16.
Participatory en-
Ivanova, choosing a variety of fabrics with varying texture, weight,
gagement with
the emotional
drape, temperature and so on, set up a user-experience design grid
experience of of textile materials. Together, the designer and the neuroscientist
“confidence”, began to ideate the engagement-association effect of these materials
having reported on emotion and thought. The SwatchaThinking™ probe (Figures 17
a previous emo- and 18), nudges participants to engage with the various textures in the
tional experi- swatch to reframe thoughts and feelings about topics and areas in their
ence of “chaos” life that generate feelings of frustration or stagnation. The self-learning
in relation to
and training through voluntary engagement helps in developing new
academic perfor-
mance
understanding, new perceptions, and better emotional experience.

104 105
 Figures 17 and technologies and designer-led applications ranging from encouraging
18. Participants environmental awareness (Gaver et al., 2013) to mobile health
engaging with interventions (Poole, 2013) have placed both these disciplines at the
the Swat-
centre of the ever-expanding Industry 4.0 world we live in.
cha-Thinking™
probe at a
Company “fu- Every day new frontiers are forged as neurobiologists and cognitive
tures-thinking” scientists look beyond the mere structure-function neuronal correlations
workshop. Image of thought, emotion, and behaviour. Understanding this growing
courtesy of Ezzi- evidence-base through a mind well-trained in critical, rigorous, and
din Alwan. creative thinking heralds immense potential for ground-breaking
applications and multidisciplinary collaboration. In adopting a
translational approach in sharing knowledge and cutting-edge research,
and embracing an equitable stakeholder attitude in multidisciplinary
After four successful trials, the probe continues to be well received and endeavours, scientists can significantly increase the potential for creating
used by participants to reframe aspects of thinking and emotion about and implementing innovative, novel and mitigating solutions to global
topics ranging from the personal to the global. problems and crises ranging from hunger and nutritional deprivation,
to the worldwide increase in recurring or early onset ill health problems
A documented example of the SwatchaThinking™ probe in action is expressed through coronary disease and depression. Designers have a
that of a female entrepreneur struggling to bridge the gap between major role to play in this futures direction agenda. At the heart of the
bootstrapping and competing against her “betters” for funding designer mindset and focus is empathy-driven user engagement and
investment. She reported battling feelings of loneliness – an the “experiencer” who is best informed to provide the key for scientists
experience that often accompanies early start-ups. She was asked and designers to develop ideas, insights, hypotheses, pathways, and
to choose a material in the swatch the “feel” of which was a good quantum leaps that result in positive changes and improvement.
fit for her emotions. Beginning with the fear-evoking thought of
“there’s no money in the bank” and associating this thought with the Proliferating the knowledge transfer “space” with inter- and
tactility of coarse-grit abrasive sandpaper, she progressively shifted to multidisciplinary workshops, research, think tanks, conferences and
softer fabrics like cotton and silk chiffon. With this fabric came new expert panels is an essential in the way forward for design research.
thinking (“Actually, I have enough to get by”) that then progressed to Building and strengthening communities of people actively engaged
personal, professional, and global insights about money, monetisation, in multidisciplinary research and design, collaboratively addressing key
investment, and so on. This entrepreneur thus began an organic process issues and possible solutions, building bridges that remove barriers
of reframing her relationship with money and the creative leadership to understanding and cooperation between disciplines is no small
her business demanded. task. The authors endeavour to do this through their collaborative
partnership.
Strategic reframe can remain a purely intellectual exercise in a clinical
or therapeutic setting. True internal shift begins with a shift in emotional Charles T Munger, the world-renowned investor and businessman
association which is then expressed through new behaviours and habit considers multidisciplinary partnerships the key to successful outcomes.
formation. Reversing a top-down reframe approach through using Munger’s words (2005) succinctly summarise our own experience of
touch to identify where one is, and then identifying a new texture or working together:
texture range that one wishes to arrive at in their lived-experience,
begins the reframe process of “changing one’s mind.” “If you skilfully follow the multidisciplinary path, you will never
wish to come back. It would be like cutting off your hands.”
Our research, design and implementation efforts on the
SwatchaThinking™ probe continues to progress and evolve. Although we’re still in the early stages of the Design meets
Neuroscience paradigm, every day reveals new opportunities and
Design Meets Neuroscience: Future Directions potential for complementary and compatible intersection between the
The frontiers of design and neuroscience are shifting at a rapid pace two disciplines. Cognitive and affective neurosciences in particular
every day as these disciplines continue to evolve, expand the remit have the capacity to inform and clarify design-related decisions
of their applications base, and form cross- and multidisciplinary teams involving emotions, mental associations, and affective response. In
and partnerships across the globe to develop better futures and new this way the “empathise and experiment” approach is fulfilled through
experiences for people and communities. Recent advances in neuro- multidisciplinary exchange.
106 107
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 The ontological
nature of design:
Prospecting new
futures through
probabilistic
knowledge
Fernando Galdon and Ashley Hall
110 111
Abstract and evaluation, finally, design uses modelling, pattern-formation and
As design thinking evolves we are beginning to develop a clearer idea of synthesis.
its relationship to other domains of thinking and in particular its specific
ontological nature. Here we consider design’s special relationship to the In terms of the values of each culture, the sciences aim for: objectivity,
future and how concepts of anticipation, probabilism and prospectivity rationality, neutrality, and a concern for ‘truth’, whereas, in the
underpin a new understanding of design’s relationship to cross-domain humanities the aim is for: subjectivity, imagination, commitment, and a
collaboration potential. In effect we discuss how design cares for the concern for ‘justice’. Finally, in design practitioners aim for: practicality,
future of transformation in an era where rapidly advancing technologies ingenuity, empathy, and a concern for ‘appropriateness’ (Cross, 1982,
via exponential technological developments are challenging human- pp. 221-222).
machine interactions. Probabilistic knowledge emerges as an
ontological reality for addressing the intrinsically abductive nature of Archer proposed design as a third way of knowing in 1978, however,
future design research. Ultimately this approach implies a different form this proposition was previously presented by Aristotle in the form of
of knowing and aims to position design research as the discipline better productive knowledge in several works (Physics, Nicomachean Ethics,
prepared for addressing the future. Rhetoric and Metaphysics) more than two thousand years earlier.
Productive knowledge is defined by Aristotle as “identical with a state of
Introduction - The ontology of design capacity to make, involving a true course of reasoning” (Nicomachean
Design approaches have been compared to and categorised among Ethics 1140a10-16). In this type of knowledge, the “origin” resides “in
the sciences, arts and humanities. For instance, Snow (1959) defined the maker and not in the thing made” (Nicomachean Ethics 1140a10-
the separation of the domains of knowledge into the sciences and arts 16). Like practical knowledge, prospective knowledge deals with what
and humanities. However, the design discipline can be seen as having can be “otherwise”. However, practical and productive knowledge
its own distinct way of understanding the world. In classic Greece, have different goals.
Aristotle classified knowledge into three categories: the theoretical,
the practical and the productive (Atwill, 2009, pp. 165-166). Therefore, In practical activities such as ethics, politics or art, goals are directed
positioning productive disciplines such as design in its own dedicated toward the end. Whereas, productive practices are directed towards
practice, distinctive from the aforementioned sciences, arts and means, and knowledge is neither in the user, nor the producer. In
humanities. Design’s intrinsic approach based on planning, solution- this paradigm, neither of them is capable of determining productive
based problem solving, problem shaping, synthesis, preparedness, knowledge (Nicomachean Ethics 1140a11-13). It is defined by an act
readiness and appropriateness in the built environment determines a of exchange (Metaphysics 1033a24-26). Which always redefines the
different way of knowing. subjects involved by effecting a shift in power and status. This type of
knowledge resides in its transformational capabilities. It is concerned
In this context, Archer (1978) went some way to proposing design as with competing standards of value rather than securing boundaries of
the third culture of thinking fulfilling Snow’s challenge to ‘fill the vacant knowledge. Its ontology is indeterminate as it is based on potentialities
plot’. Cross developed this further in his seminal paper Designerly ways or alternative possibilities (Rhetoric 47;7357a4-5). Things that can be
of knowing building on Archer’s work at the Royal College of Art. He otherwise. It cannot transcend time as it depends on time, circumstances
describes a third culture as: and contexts, therefore past, present and future exist. Knowledge is
always “outside itself” residing not in the “product” but in the use
‘…the collected experience of the material culture, and the made by a receiver or audience. It is defined by an act of exchange. It
collected body of experience, skill and understanding embodied has no external arbiter and no final judge. Only users and makers who
in the arts of planning, inventing, making and doing’. (Cross, change with exchange. It is transformational in nature.
1982, p. 221)
This lack of historical research beyond design may have prevented
In the process, Cross differentiated design from the sciences and Cross from proposing why there is a dichotomy among scientific
humanities by comparing the terms of different kinds of phenomena and humanistic knowledge and why design, as an embodiment of
studied in the three cultures; the sciences focus on the natural world, the productive knowledge has been out of the picture. Atwill, building
humanities on human experience and design on the man-made world. on Ball’s (1977) critique of theory/practise opposition argues that in
He also differentiated among the appropriate methods to approach the 19th and 20th centuries the “post-enlightenment perspective of
each ‘culture’. The sciences use controlled experiments, classification knowledge fostered the binary opposition of theory and practice, which
and analysis, while the humanities use analogy, metaphor, criticism only further obscures the place of Aristotle’s (productive) knowledge”
(Atwill, 1998, p. 163)

112 113
Additional contemporary arguments can be found in Lawson differences this context, the deductive becomes limited by access and abductive
among scientist and designers/architects; reasoning aspects becomes more dominant, prevalent and necessary.

“the scientists focused their attention on discovering the rule, Design’s intrinsic prospective approach, based on planning, solution-
the architects were obsessed with achieving the desired result. based problem solving, problem shaping, synthesis, preparedness,
The scientists adopted a generally problem-focused strategy readiness and appropriateness in the built environment determines a
and the architects a solution-focused strategy.” (Cross, 1982 p. different manner of knowing. In this scenario the designer is neither a
223) scientist nor a sociologist as they are projecting what is yet to be known.
Therefore, knowledge cannot be empirical nor observational, but as
In this context, the scientist does not have a client and architects cannot Aristotle stated; transformational. Consequently, its output is based on
work without a client. As described by Aristotle; knowledge is in the potentialities not certainties. In the same way that anthropology is not
exchange and not at the end result. Furthermore, the designer’s role about facts, but approximations which are updated as new information
demands to ‘go beyond’ what already exist. This ontological demand emerges. As Glanville proposed, ’knowledge for’ future action and
differs significantly from science. Building from Levin: transformations rather than ‘knowledge of’ past actions and events
(Glanville, 2005). This position connects to John Chris Jones’s statement
“The designer knows (consciously or unconsciously) that some above (1992. p. 10). In this context, as the life of the intervention is
ingredient must be added to the information that he already has placed into the future, the time to assess the impact of the design is
in order that he may arrive at a unique solution. This knowledge extended during its lifetime and forever bounded to its environment. In
is in itself not enough in design problems, of course. He has this context, validation is always a posteriori, and the proposed output
to look for the extra ingredient, and he uses his powers of becomes the main element to be assessed. This intrinsically argues that
conjecture and original thought to do so”. (Cross, 1982 p.224) knowledge in design is probabilistic in its nature.
Figure 1.
Another fundamental element that is missing in Cross’s analysis is its Knowledge
temporality or timeframe interventional positioning. In this area John and time.
Chris Jones, one of the first design science theorists postulated in his Fernando
seminal book Design Method that design was different from the arts, Galdon (Gal-
sciences and mathematics. In response to the question ‘Is designing an don, 2019).
art, a science or a form of mathematics?’ Jones responded:

“The main point of difference is that of timing. Both artists and

scientists operate on the physical world as it exists in the present
(whether it is real or symbolic), while mathematicians operate
on abstract relationships that are independent of historical time.
Designers, on the other hand, are forever bound to treat as real
that which exists only in an imagined future and have to specify
ways in which the foreseen thing can be made to exist.” (Jones,
1992. p. 10) This argument is extended and explored in three applied examples of
a prospective nature in the forms of actions, practice and products that
From these perspectives we could position design as a prospective demonstrate probabilistic future knowledge aimed at underpinning a
thinking activity in the context of abductive reasoning (making decisions proposed new framework.
without having all the information). In this area research by Dorst (2011)
or more recently Cramer-Petersen et al. (2018) have concluded that Method - Examples and Prospective Actions
design combines deductive and abductive reasoning, however in both Recently, due to emerging technologies transforming the future of our
cases abductive reasoning plays a fundamental role as the initiator of cities, the Swedish government decided to investigate future housing
design activity. Without abductive reasoning there cannot be deductive typologies. They selected a plot of land and invited a range of architects
as there would not be anything to reason from. Furthermore, as the to present proposals for addressing the rising concerns around
digital paradigm with its exponential development and network sustainability and mobility. Some of these proposals were completed by
uncertainty will become more prevalent for design and research, 2018 (Mallet, 2018). The experiment was finished however we do not
researchers will need to focus more on the preventive and prospective know whether these new typologies are adequate or not as we need to
aspects of design (preparedness, readiness and appropriateness). In
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wait another 10 years to find out. As proposed by Aristotle, productive problem solving, problem shaping, synthesis, preparedness, readiness
knowledge is defined by an act of exchange. and appropriateness can provide a suitable framework to access these
future spaces for knowledge.
Prospective Practices
In fashion, once a collection is presented, designers start to prepare The same aspects could be drawn from the previous example in
their next collection. In this context, first they research potentialities; government lead prospective transformation to investigate future
colours, fabrics, new materials, culture, etc. From these referential typologies in cities. Neither scientist nor sociologists can grasp
points, they must generate ideas (vision), then design ideas are created potential developments as they are limited by the present, either by
(technical aspects of making), and finally these ideas are presented to measurement or observation. Yet the government must take action.
the public (show). The designers must develop this process without fully
knowing how the world will be. They start a collection in September Finally, design practises may be understood as practises aiming for
which will be presented in February, yet will be bought by consumers personal fulfilment or personal development. However, the authors
in the following September. At the time of the presentation when address the applied nature of these disciplines aiming to go beyond
‘the experiment’ is finished they will know if the designs have been personal transformation to deliver practical interventions to transform
technically well constructed, but will not know whether or not they will society. This implies exchange beyond oneself involving social,
be successfully adopted in the marketplace. They need to wait some economic and environmental activities. This exchange is always a
months to know whether they were the right designs or not. And they posteriori and forever bounded to its environment. When you finish
will be able to assess them by the level of exchange generated. a fashion collection, or an iPhone, or a house, or a song, or a theatre
play, or a movie, or a book, or an app, you do not know whether it
Prospective Products will transform society or not. It will be known a posteriori and will be
In term of technology, another case can be illustrated by the iPhone. valued based on whether there is exchange or not. Therefore, design is
When the design is finished we know if the camera works, whether a prospective activity and knowledge in design is probabilistic in nature.
it creates photos with the right amount of pixels, whether the GPS
is accurate or whether or not it is ergonomic. However, we do not These examples present a totally different knowledge, which is radically
know whether the iPhone will change future social and economical different from the humanities and sciences observed by CP Snow. As
factors in 2 years time. The iPhone X is better in many ways than any described in the examples presented in this section we may know
predecessors as it has a better camera, better screen, better sensors ‘technical’ aspects; for instance structural or material qualities, or
and better software Etc. However, it is not being adopted at the same whether they comply with a set of regulations, however we do not know
rate as previous versions were. A posteriori social, economical and whether these are the right typologies for future living or the social
environmental factors affect the exchange mechanism. As proposed by impact they may inflect in some years time. In sociology or science once
Aristotle, productive knowledge is defined by an act of exchange. the experiment is finished we know the answer via measurement or
observation. Design is prospective and this implies a probabilistic nature
Critical analysis to the knowledge generated as we are dealing with new propositions
The iPhone is a paradigmatic case to understand how we are grasping that evolve in time.
the a posteriori impact of design as time evolves. In the first 2 years we
discovered that it had transformed the mobile industry. After 5 years Discussion - Design as a method in research
we discovered that it had transformed the manufacturing system. Over Design research practice emerged as a professionalised activity in the
10 years, we are discovering that it has transformed society. Scientific 1960’s, where domain thinking was largely dominated by the humanities
extrapolations could never have predicted the social implications and the sciences. This ‘late arrival’ forced designers to adapt design
of having a tracking device in your pocket capable of monitoring practice through methods from other domains. A good example of
everything you do and everywhere you go and use this information this is Bruce Archer’s doctorate which attempted to explain design as a
to manipulate society, trends, markets and beliefs. Neither science nor special branch of science (but usefully it failed in doing so)(Boyd Davis,
sociology could approach this a posteriori reality as they are limited 2016). Other examples are critical design, participatory design and
by what we do and have done and how we have achieved it. In other social design which could be argued as conducting aspects of social
word an ontology of the past. As Glanville suggested, we are limited science through design. Even environmental design or engineering
by knowledge of the past (Glanville, 2005). However, the intrinsic design could be thought of as doing science though design. In these
prospective approach of design, based on planning, solution-based cases design is dissolved into a methodological process based activity.
If we position design as a data gathering method then we are tying
design to the present. These aspects imply the dissolution of design

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as a discipline into views of the present and prevents it from being among experts. To participate and collaborate with them as equals. In
recognised as an independent domain. Furthermore it questions the this approach the gathering of an event returns to sociological practices
core ontology of design’s knowledge base for transforming that which and the designer is embraced as a prospective expert whose main duty
has yet to arrive. is to develop and envisage the potential transformations between a
knowledge-based technology and future society. This framework does
In this context, design becomes secondary and is subjected to other not aim to prevent designers from becoming facilitators or doing
disciplines’ rules and mindsets. In this scenario thinking is analytical, sociology through design, rather it aims to provide a new possibility
reasoning is deduced and knowledge must be factual by means of for designers to act as experts and embrace the intrinsic perspective of
observation or measurement. In this context abduction is denied. The their true ontological expertise.
traditional paradigm positions design as a method within research
which creates tensions that arise between the prospective nature of Probabilistic knowledge
design and the factual requirements of working in the present. There However, this future-led proposition presents a problematic situation
is an ontological problem between the nature of design as future-led for the ontology of knowledge, by which the limit is the present and the
and prospective, and the nature of research which is present-based researcher is the witness, either through measurement or observation.
and factual. We argue that the core nature of design is probabilistic In this area, if we analyse what happens in economics research we may
research, not empirically driven research. We trade some degrees of find a suitable framework to solve this conundrum.
accuracy to access areas yet-to-be or not-fully-formed, therefore our
output is probabilistic and research is always preliminary in its nature. Economic forecasting is the process of making predictions about the
Moreover, in exchange we provide guiding knowledge for prospective economy with many institutions such as the International Monetary
technological developments; ‘knowledge for’ instead of ‘knowledge Fund, World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
of’. We are concerned with how things ‘ought to be’ (Simon, 1996. Development, national governments, central banks, private sector
p.111-167) instead of how things are. entities, including think-tanks, banks, consultants and companies use
economic forecasting. Economist use statistical analysis of historical
Design as a discipline of the future data to determine the forecast. Formal forecasts are produced once
From this perspective we would position design as a future-led a year, however, quarterly updates or corrections are implemented to
prospective thinking activity in the context of abductive reasoning. fine-tune the projection. The fundamental function of the economist
In this scenario, as the designer is neither a scientist nor a sociologist is to anticipate future risks (i.e., events or conditions that can cause
(Cross, 1982, p. 221), design cannot be experimental as understood in the result to vary from their initial estimates). These forecast are
scientific terms nor observational as understood in sociological terms, continuously updated as the conditions of the environment evolve.
but transformational, as Aristotle suggested. (Hall, 20111). These evolutions determine whether the adjustments will get tighter
or looser, how interest rates vary affecting a wide range of factors from
Consequently, its output is based on potentialities not certainties. In loan repayments to employment levels.
the same way that anthropology is not about facts, but approximations
which are updated as new information emerges. In this context, as At this point a fundamental question arises; is this knowledge? Of
the life of the intervention is placed into the future, time to assess the course it is knowledge, it is probabilistic knowledge of the future. Based
impact of the design is extended during its lifetime. Validation is always on theses economic forecast international institutions and governments
a posteriori and the proposed output becomes the main element to be implement all manner of adjustments impacting the lives of millions.
assessed. The validity of the output generated, whether in a commercial From this perspective economics research enables design to access
or research context will be judged by the transformational impact the future by legitimising probabilistic knowledge as a valid type of
generated, which is defined by the level of exchange. The function of knowledge. This element provides a bridge to reconcile the probabilistic
design is to transform and if the output does not achieve this, it has nature of design with established frameworks of knowledge so far
failed. understood as factual.

This perspective also repositions the role of the designer from a facilitator The value of probabilistic design knowledge
into an expert in prospecting what could or should be done in the future. In 1969 Peter Drucker popularised the ‘knowledge economy’ in his
It challenges current ideas in the field positioning the designer as an book The age of discontinuity. (Drucker, 1969). Some decades later,
event gatherer, whose main function is to facilitate exchange among the ‘Cox review’ established the need for an hybrid model entangling
experts. By repositioning the designer as an expert of the future, the academia, the public and the private sectors (Cox, 2005). One year later,
role of the designer is to sit in the same room with an equal status the World Bank presented its Knowledge Economy report and KAM

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methodology which asserts that sustained investments in education, several universities in the sciences such as Stanford, University of
innovation, information, communication technologies and a conducive Maryland, or Ball State University have been integrating design thinking
economic and institutional environment will lead to increases in the use courses into their curriculums for some time (Morris, 2015). According
and creation of knowledge in economic production, and consequently to Dorst ‘Design Thinking’ is identified “as an exciting new paradigm
result in sustained economic growth (Chen, D. H.C.; Dahlman, C. J. for dealing with problems in many professions—most notably IT (e.g.,
2006). Following this report the Sainsbury review positioned science Brooks 2010) and Business (e.g., Martin 2010)” (Dorst, 2011, p.131). If
as the main paradigm in developing the hybrid model. (Sainsbury, we look at the term in Google trends, we can observe an exponential
2007). From this perspective a four years translational quarterly pilot increase of the term ‘design thinking’.
project started in Liverpool. It was a project aimed at experimenting Figure 2. De-
with the hybrid system proposed by Cox. Following this experiment, sign thinking
in 2012 a report enhancing the advantages of the pilot was published evolution.
(Knowledge, 2018). Finally, in 2014 two £1 billion pound projects From Google
were announced; Imperial west and UCL East they aimed to scale the trends.
Liverpool pilot project.

In this context, what is changing is the productive model, from the

production of goods to the production of knowledge. The main
element to account for in this paradigm is the translational potentialities
of it, in other words, how to transform basic research into social and
economical opportunities. Nowadays, the value of research is not in
the discovery but in the value and impact it returns to society. In this
context sociologists and scientist are struggling when presenting the
future translational potentialities of their research and many institutions
are moving from fundamental to applied research to fulfil this shift.

For instance in sociology, building from the work of Pain, Gregson

and Olsen (Pain et al. 2011; Pain, 2014; Gregson et al. 2012; Olssen,
2015) the LSE’s Impact Blog explains that “Anxiety around the impact
agenda arises from the increasing instrumentalisation of knowledge,
the corporatisation of UK higher education, and the relationship
between assessment metrics and neoliberalism” As well as “fears that
impact will prioritise certain kinds of knowledge” or “there are also
concerns it rewards particular types of researcher” (Marchen, 2018).
In a demonstration of the transformational nature of research output
and impact, the LSE blog’s author argue that instead of building from
Pain et al.’s emphasis on the “political imperative to restate the kind of However as Dorst point out its adoption is much more complex that
academy in which we want to work” (Marchen, 2018). Researchers need current simplifications. This reality positions design and designers
to apply participatory action research to address the evolving nature centre-stage as key partners in knowledge production and translation
of research (Marchen, 2018). Clearly the translational imperative of the with an expertise as catalysts for prospective transformations.
knowledge based economy is starting to affect practices in sociology.
In this context cross-disciplinary collaborations among sociologists Social
and designers may enhance the transformational potentialities of As we are completing the transition from the industrial to the digital
sociological enquiry. economy the acceleration of innovation is transforming reality and
affecting the development of society. In this context recent strategies
However, it seems that instead of fostering collaboration, which imply in the social sphere call for anticipatory strategies, for instance Guston
understanding the expertise of designers and treating them as equals, (2014) introduced the idea of anticipatory governance defining it as
others disciplines are either rejecting the new reality in the research “a broad-based capacity extended through society that can act on a
ecosystem or adopting design methodologies as part of their toolkit variety of inputs to manage emerging knowledge-based technologies
rather than inserting designers in the research process. For instance, while such management is still possible” (Guston, 2014). In this

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context, design, due to its intrinsic prospective characteristics based theoretical knowledge can never be utilitarian builds on the ancient
on preparedness, readiness and appropriateness, seems the most sense of theoria as observation rather than participation. In contrast,
appropriate partner to deal with the exponential nature of technological the practical is applied and question based; it has a beginning and an
development from a prospective and preventive perspective. In this end. Finally the prospective is based on a continuous interaction with
context applied ethics emerge as a fundamental implementation of the environment. It is transformational and a commitment to practice
prospective design. (Atwill, 1998). Therefore prospective knowledge is defined as a capacity
to make involving prospective reasoning to ‘go beyond’ what exists and
However, this acknowledgement has been missing in the area of propose what can be ‘otherwise’.
social governance, where traditionally three main methods have been
implemented to deal with ethics in technology; technology assessments, These assertions and arguments question the reality of the
ethical quandaries and public engagement. Sheila Jasanoff, professor methodological nature of design and confront the practice-based
of ethics and invention at Harvard University provides a critical review timeframe with a beginning and an end model imposed from the
of these procedures, and based on an extraordinary amount of sciences and humanities. The nature of time-based industrial processes
supporting evidence, she states that these processes while interesting of knowledge production and traditional research approaches
are not sufficient to deal with the exponential nature of technological are affecting the very same nature of these transformations and
advancement. Her book is a testament of the limitations of sociological potentialities.
methods to address prospective technological development. As a
conclusion Jasanoff illustrate “how the power to set the rules of the game Conclusions
for governing technology rests with capital and industry, and not with We have argued to reposition the origin of design research and place
the political representatives of the working, consuming, and too often it with an Aristotelian rationale of productive knowledge. This implies
suffering masses”. (Jasanoff, 2016. p. 266). The future of governance that design research has no end in itself as it is always implicated and
is determined by design and only prospective activities may access will remain in exchange. In this scenario design research has no external
those spaces from a proactive perspective. Sociological strategies are arbiters and no final judge in the present. In this context neither the user
reactive in nature, as they limited by the present. Jasanoff’s account nor the producer is capable of determining prospective knowledge as
presents an empirical need to enable a research space to address the it is defined by an act of exchange. This exchange always redefines
rising concerns of technological development from a social perspective. the subjects involved by effecting a shift in power and status through
And design prospective ontological nature fulfils this requirement. its transformational nature. It cannot transcend time like mathematics
and depends on time, contexts and circumstances. Therefore assuming
Finally, in a report presented by the Institute for the Future on past, present and future timeframes and the impact of the environment
‘anticipatory governance’ (Future, 2009) the authors aim for processes changing future social and economical factors. It is instrumental and
that involve the simulation of possible futures to address anticipation situated, and its value is social, economic and environmental.
as a strategy for good government. In this context the prospective and
probabilistic nature of design may contribute significantly to the future Design research is concerned with competing standards of value rather
development of society supporting anticipatory governance through than securing boundaries of knowledge and its practice is based on
abductive-prospective thinking. the capacity to make new futures involving abductive reasoning. It is
concerned with something coming into being indicating that things
In this processes we aim to change the directionality of the action; can be otherwise and beyond themselves as currently configured.
instead of waiting for the anticipation to happen, design allow us to be It is concerned with indeterminate and possible within alternative
proactive and move for more imminent future transformations. The role possibilities. From passive intellect (contemplation becoming its object)
of the prospective research-focused designer is to enhance knowledge- to active intellect (object being defined) to prospective intellect (object
based technological potentialities and reduce future risks. being transformational a posteriori through exchange).

From time-based research to prospective interaction research In the prospective framework we have proposed design research can
How do we approach prospective design practice in the knowledge access the future, however current models of research are limited by the
landscape? If we go back to the categorisation of knowledge presented present either by observation or measurement. In order to address this
by Aristotle we can observe that he established three main categories; fundamental aspect we present the concept of probabilistic knowledge
the theoretical, the practical and the productive. Theoretical knowledge by building from new approaches in design and economics. Probabilistic
encompasses abstract subjects. It is concerned with things that are knowledge in the context of design could be defined as the potential
universal and necessary. Yet that cannot be applied. The idea that impact of transformational initiatives.

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 References
The value of design research as presented here is economic and social
therefore aiming for mixed methodologies to implement strategies Archer, L. B., (1978) Time for a Revolution in Art and Design Education. RCA Papers No.
building informed interventions to support planning, solution-based 6. Royal College of Art, London.
problem solving, problem shaping, synthesis, preparedness and Aristotle., (2000). Book VI. In R. Crisp (Ed.), Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (Cambridge
appropriateness in the built environment. These aspects are fundamental Texts in the History of Philosophy, pp. 103-118). Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511802058.010
for an adequate development of society in an ever evolving world
based on exponential technological developments. So far inaccessible Aristotle., (1998). Metaphysics. Translated by Lawson-Tancred, Hugh. Penguin. 1998.
ISBN 0140446192.
due to the present limit framework of sociology or science that can
only analyse what already exist. We propose making a contribution to Aristotle., (1984 ). Rhetoric. W. Rhys Roberts (tr.). in The Complete Works of Aristotle.
Vol. II. Jonathon Barnes (ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
contextualising Glanville’s concept of knowledge for transforming the
future as a probabilistic knowledge ontology. Atwill, J., (1998). Rhetoric reclaimed: Aristotle and the liberal arts tradition. Ithaca, NY:
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 The future
of seafaring:
Designing an
on-board user-
Interface to predict
engine faults on
marine vessels
Simone Gumtau
128 129
Abstract 2005; Winton, 1989; Brown, 2016). They have equally suffered in times
This paper describes a collaboration between a communication designer of globalised changes in labour markets and manufacturing capacities in
and data scientists and engineers at the University of Portsmouth, to the maritime transport industry (Lee, 2010). In spite of local protestation
work with a consortium of companies in the marine industry around the (BBC News, 2013) around the outsourcing and relocating the majority of
Solent in South East England. The change affected here was economic the shipbuilding works (Rankin, 2013; Milmo, 2013), the lure of cheaper
and environmental: to add value to marine engineering services in labour overseas and the advantages of centralising resources, as well as
order to retain market competitiveness, to comply with international the decline of naval contracts as government investment has dwindled
standards to reduce fuel consumption and emission through innovation, has meant that companies have to look for alternative and increasingly
and also to provide a better user experience through design. creative solutions to survive. The UK government has recognised
and partially addressed this issue and through their funding body
In particular, the design research for a user interface on board the ship ‘Innovate UK’ seeks to invest in skills training and technology research
to assist non-experts in monitoring engineering data will be described. & development – their solution is to maintain market competitiveness
The design visualises sensor data taken from various engine components through the creation of innovation, knowledge and service. In 2011,
by utilising body schema like movement and rotation. Theoretically, this Innovate UK released a UK Marine Roadmap for Growth (Department
design approach draws on phenomenology, embodied cognition and for Business, Innovation & Skills, 2011), as part of their funding call
metaphor. ‘Vessel Efficiency II – Better Systems at Sea’ (Vessel Efficiency, n.d.),
which pictured greater cooperation across the marine industries and
This project involves a design lecturer working with data scientists in maritime services sector. Key opportunities for business growth were
order to make the data more user-friendly. The context is data taken predicted to exist for business and research that work together to
from the marine and dairy industry, which is ultimately used to detect develop innovative solutions in advanced materials, and, relevant to
and predict faulty engine parts. The design aspect here is to provide a this project, green ship technologies, positioning and communication
user-friendly interface, but involves much more than that. To make sense and vessel design and engineering.
of the data and make it accessible to a wider audience, the designer
has to work closely with the data analyst to decide upon relevant Rising fuel costs, shipping overcapacity and the International Maritime
parameters in the raw data, which then also determines the hierarchy Organization (IMO) requirement for all ships to have a SEEMP (Ship
of information on screen – i.e. questions of which information the user Energy Efficiency Management Plan) meant that there is a concrete
needs immediately, and which can be hidden in a different layer, can incentive to develop technologies that support the monitoring
only be answered if the whole of the data collection and processing and management of ship engines to their optimum performance,
system is understood. In practice, the collaboration between the reflected in the government funding call ‘Vessel Efficiency I & II’. The
designer and the data scientists was crucial in determining an approach collaborative project IConIC (Intelligent Condition Monitoring with
to visualise the data set and to develop the story that the data tells. Integrated Communications) was timely for addressing these global
The challenge for the data visualisation was to move beyond simple and societal challenges, and proposed to utilize state of the art
traffic light systems – as the data was processed through intelligent technologies involving intelligent data solutions, big data and satellite
machine analysis, the key approach to the data science here is that a communications as well as the design of a user-centred interface.
‘healthiness’ score is generated, which contains more complexity than IConIC project: improving maintenance and communication systems
a threshold-based system, which could be dealt with through ‘on’ or through intelligent data use
‘off’ states.
The IConIc project consortium received £1.4million by Innovate
The design approach seeks to enhance understanding of the data, UK (the former Technology Strategy Board government investment
by letting users / the audience experience it in an embodied and also arm for tech research & development) to develop and implement
tactile way. Sample data, which represents healthy and faulty engine new technologies using data to improve marine vessel efficiency
performance, has been visualized in a prototype user interface and and safety. The performance of marine engines used for propulsion
translated into a vibrating display. These different ‘data materializations’ and power generation has a significant impact on efficient vessel
set out to problematize the human experience within the scientific operations. Inefficient or failed engines, when undetected, can leave
process of data processing and representation. a vessel stranded at sea resulting huge costs in time and money, and
with increased risk to crew and passengers. Famously, one of Carnival
Changes in the Shipbuilding Industry in South East of England Splendor’s cruise ships was unable to propel itself forward for days
The Solent area with its busy commercial and naval ports Southampton after a mechanical error and resulting fire in the engine room, leading
and Portsmouth has a rich history in terms of maritime industries (Coad, to very uncomfortable conditions for the people on board and at a
huge cost for Carnival Splendor in 2010 (Medina, 2010). If, however
130 131
the crew was able to monitor and predict engine faults, planned repairs The team enlisted the expertise of a designer (author of this paper)
and maintenance could then take place in a timely fashion at a suitable to work on visualising the data into an easily perceivable form, and to
location with suitably trained engineers, rather than out at sea. Global allow non-experts make sense of the information.
societal benefits in the reduction of fuel consumption and emissions
were a direct aim of this research – the target for IConIC was a 3-5% Making sense of and preparing the sample data
reduction in fuel consumption and emissions coupled with a 25% The first step in the design process was then to get familiar with the
increase in engine availability. Regional benefits were envisaged to be kind of data that the sensors were generating, and how we might
achieved by working towards ensuring economic competitiveness of make sense of it in terms of what needs to be communicated. To this
local employers and growing and maintaining skilled jobs in a future end, communication and collaboration with the data scientists on the
less reliant on defence contracts (in this case mostly implementing, project, Dr. Edward Smart and his PhD researcher at the time, Dr. Faith
monitoring and maintaining systems and services on civilian marine Thompson was essential. They provided me with a data sample taken
vessels like ferries and cruise ships). on 3 different dates, that I could use to pore over and experiment with.
Looking at the Excel tables, it was clear that some editing, filtering and
The IConIC consortium formed of The Centre for Intelligent Data organising was going to be needed if any sense was to be made here.
Solutions / Institute for Industrial Research based in the faculty of While somebody dealing with this data every day in numerical form, and
Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Portsmouth, the even in classic mathematical diagram form (such as a box and whisker
University of Southampton, the Digital Catapult for Satellite Applications graph) may have been able to glean some information from these rows
and a consortium of Solent based shipping companies worked together of data, anybody less familiar with it and less skilled in decoding these
to develop an advanced automated condition monitoring system for visualisations would have been lost.
diesel and electric engines, to predict and prevent catastrophic faults in
a timely manner. The engines in question on these marine vessels are Figure 1. Box
huge and opaque and tend to reside in dark, noisy and inaccessible and Whisker
spaces (for an indication of the kind of engines that are being referred Plot of
Sample Data
to here, this video of an engine starting up at the Diesel House Museum 1-24
(2015) in Copenhagen serves as an illustration https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=g3DsWLn0r24). The engineering solution therefore
was to deploy sensors on the main engine parts, to monitor the rate
(frequency/intensity) of vibration and torque in real time – for the
purposes of this paper and the prototype data visualisation, we focused
on vibration data. An engine part showing large and frequent anomalies
in their vibration pattern would be diagnosed as likely being faulty. The
innovation in this system is not to rely simply on ‘thresholds’ in the data,
but to be based on the algorithmic analysis of the data (autonomous
intelligence), which allows each component to be diagnosed with a
‘healthiness score’, which needs a more complex representation than
simply stating ‘on’ or ‘off’.

Design challenge: Visualizing ‘Healthiness’ of Sensor Data

The design problem now was to visualise this data in a way that it
would be a) readable by low skilled crew, who would be able to monitor
performance just by a glance while performing other tasks on board b)
communicate anomalies and decay in the data that would go beyond a
simple traffic light system, as this form of colour coding is too limiting
for the complexity in the data and only indicates ‘healthy’ or ‘faulty’. So,
in a sense this interface would serve as a first point of call, an alert that
would prompt further investigation of the issue, and it therefore would
have to be as user-friendly as possible.

132 133
 Figure 2. Box to thresholds, but about a more nuanced recognition of ‘healthiness’, Figure 4.
and Whisker which is inherently more complex. Sample Data
Plot of Sample in Excel x
Data 3-3

Figure 5.
Sample Data
in Excel x.1
Figure 3. Box
and Whisker
Graph Sample
Data 3-23

Figure 6.
Sample Data
in Excel x.2

Sensor data was read at a frequency of ca every 2.7 seconds, so a

timespan of 1 hour would already generate approximately 25 data rows
in Excel, and there are 13 columns representing the different engine
components. To get a sense of the data, I generated some simple So, for example, it may seem logical to look for the largest ‘outliers’ and
visualisations within Excel, and that allowed me to see enough patterns highest ‘spikes’ in the data, because this would seem to indicate that
in the data to be able to talk about this in more depth with the data there is a problem – due to the scale / severity of the anomaly. However,
scientists. When I showed these figures (4-6) to my collaborators, they familiarity with the nature of the sensor data provides a more in-depth
were able to explain the key consideration in terms of the intelligent view – singular spikes and extreme outliers are not as interesting to this
data solution: that this was not simply about recognising and responding particular purpose of engine fault diagnosis, because they may simply
134 135
be a freak, or singular, occurrence. What is much more of interest here Figure 9. Ex-
are incidents where the data graph seems to be changing its shape cel graph of 3
over time, as that is more likely to reflect an engine part becoming engine parts:
1 part spikes
‘unhealthy’. Another key thing to look out for was if 2 graphs start to
below very
change their shape, within the same timeframe, especially if they are low threshold
representing connecting engine components – as this can indicate that - healthy
the faulty engine part is starting to transmit its wayward force to another
engine part.

The next step in the data handling was then to reduce the data further
in order to get to more depth in my sensemaking – so I focused on
3 engine parts (1 showing no variation, and 2 showing some amount
of variation, i.e. ‘unhealthiness’) and reduced the sample data to 24
rows (which roughly translates to one hour of sampling). This step in
the design process enabled a much better communication between
data scientist and designer, and together we were able to agree on the The figures 7t o 9 illustrate 2 states that we were interested in, and
parameters that were going to be used in the visualisation. that were going to be visualized as distinct points of interest in the
data story: fig 7 shows 2 extreme spikes, which are not necessarily of
Figure 7. Excel
interest as they are high, but short. They are however occurring in 2
graph of 3
engine parts: engine parts, which may be relevant. Fig 8 shows at a later date, that
short, intense these 2 engine parts have indeed started to show anomalies in their
spikes – prob- performance over time. Although the spikes are not nearly as extreme
ably healthy as before, what is relevant here is the fact that the shape continuously
changes, and that there seems to be some correspondence in the
graphs of the different engine parts, which might reflect that they have
started to affect each other. Figure 9 shows a couple of spikes, however
they are fairly low in reach on both intensity and timespan, and only
affect one engine part – we can therefore probably safely assume that
this shows a ‘healthy’ engine.

Figure 10.
Sketch of
Data graphs
- all samples
Figure 8. layered
Excel graph
of 3 engine
parts: 2
parts show-
ing anom-
alies over
time – alert

136 137
In the following, I set to work on writing a set of rules, akin to an Lakoff and Johnson (1980) describe in ‘Metaphors We live By’
algorithm, that would allow a systematic processing of this data into a how metaphors are more than just literary devices, but allude to
visualization. So, for example if the graph stays below a certain point, mental concepts that we share and understand and are essential to
data will be assumed to be ‘healthy’. If the data shows intense, but understanding the way we make sense of our experience. Lakoff and
short, spikes, then this might bring up a slightly different state and act Johnson write that “the essence of metaphor is understanding and
as an alert to keep watch. If the data shows spikes over a certain value, experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another” (Lakoff & Johnson,
over a certain time, then this will be reflected in a changes state visually, 1980, p.5). Exploring metaphors can therefore unpack some of the ways
and if this includes another component then another visual element will we understand certain concepts. These metaphors are emergent in
be added. The next section will describe how the visual responses were everyday language and ‘we live by them’ to the degree that it is hard to
mapped to the data. step outside of them. Lakoff & Johnson (1980) also describe how a lot
of metaphors are based on our physical experience (e.g. ‘intangible’):
our knowledge of what we know and what we don’t know about our
Figure 11. bodies in space and time.
Rules generat-
ed to handle
the data into 4
Mark Johnson further explores the relationship between the body
data states and the mind, and suggests that the formation of internal concepts
is grounded in physical experiences. They are based on patterns of
occurrences between our bodies and the environment. These patterns
become coherent structures through which we make sense of our world
and develop “publicly shared meaning structures” (Johnson, 1987,
p. 13). He introduces the idea of embodied ‘image schema’, based
on Kant’s definition of schemata as “non-propositional structures
of imagination” (ibid, p.19). That is to say they “exist, rather, in a
continuous, analogue fashion in our understanding” (ibid, p.23). They
are also not strictly images in the sense of concrete pictures, and can,
and often do, incorporate the haptic modality, in a cross-modal manner -
often linked to spatial manipulation, orientation, and movement. Image
schemata share some basic elements that have related structures, yet
are flexible. They have gestalt characteristics: “coherent, meaningful,
unified wholes within our experience and cognition” (ibid, p. 41).
He suggests they form structures for organizing our experience and
comprehension. Also, Johnson in his more recent work (2007) provides
more detail and evidence towards the claim that some meaning is pre-
linguistic and pre-reflective, unconscious and the base for metaphor
processes. He defines several categories of sensorimotor schemas,
and the most relevant here is the ‘spatial motion group’ of embodied
metaphors, in particular the concept of containment or a container
Enactive Metaphors for Making Sense of Abstract Meaning (understanding ‘in’ or ‘out’, and the concept of a path (understanding
The visual data visualization design concept draws on theoretical something that goes ‘up’ or ‘down’. Gallagher (2005) also writes about
approaches to embodied perception and metaphor. Embodied body schema as relevant to contemporary cognitive science research.
perception considers the body and actor-environment relationship as Reed’s work on the ontogenetic precedence of indicational, pre-
essential for communication and interaction (Gibson, 1966; Gibson linguistic interaction between infants and caregivers makes a similar
1979; Nöe, 2004; Merleau-Ponty, 2002). Understanding embodied point, from the perspective of ecological psychology (Reed, 1995).
metaphors as something fundamental to communication means there Ramachandran (2003), drawing on the famous ‘kiki’ (spiky shape) and
are synesthetic phenomena we can draw on to enable interaction ‘buba’ (soft, bulbous shape) example argues that the mapping across
that is more immediate, intuitive, pre-linguistic and multimodal. This different sensory modalities is the phylogenetic foundation for language
was intended to be a key characteristic of the data visualization in the itself. It is the metaphoric link between the visual form of the shape, and
design project described here. the aural shape of the word that are important, not primarily the more
abstract symbolic content. Jay Seitz further elaborated on the origins
and exact processes of metaphor and provided extensive evidence
138 139
for the neurological, developmental, biological and evolutionary basis of it much easier. If we look at an engine part going wrong, we could
of metaphor. He proposes metaphors to be so fundamental as to probably tell by the way it jars and moves off kilter. There is a level of
include preliterate, prelinguistic and extra-linguistic factors. Perceptual experiential, embodied knowledge we can all employ to tell when there
metaphor (e.g. colour, shape, texture, size) is described mostly a seems to be an error. This is how intuitive this data visualization design
case of ‘it looks like that’ – for example, even children will be able to needed to be. I continued with the theme of cyclical rotation and off
identify a plate of spaghetti as a “bunch of worms”. Enactive metaphor kilter motion to design a representation for each engine part made out
(movement, action and activity) could be classed as a case of ‘it moves of a set of moving circles that could interlink, line up, and be off set
like that’ – where movement and motion information are correlated, against each other. Visual research included exploration of geometric
for example in associating a spinning top with a dancing ballerina. The form (Fabiano Coelho, 2009; Eva Schindlig, 2008), graphic ways of
other two types of metaphor are classed as cross-modal or synesthetic expressing traces of motion (Pierro Zagami, 2010) and spirograph
(e.g. brightness and loudness) and physiognomic experiences (visual- patterns (Max Frey, 2007).
affective and sensory-affective) and can be useful for design, but will
not be explored further here. Images schemas, embodied perception Figure 12.
and in particular enactive metaphors inform the design concept in Rules for
this project, and it is assumed that this will allow the user to generate handling the
meaning in their interaction with the data visualizations. data mapped
into visual
form: 4 state
Applying Perception Theory to Develop Design Prototype changes
The concept of enactive metaphor, actor-environment interaction and
image schemata has been applied to the data visualization design
concept here in a way to draw on our (or the engineer’s) embodied
experience of the world. For other work related to embodiment,
metaphor and data visualization, refer to Risch (2008) or Zhao & Vande
Moere (2008).

We (the project team) were told anecdotally that the ship engineers that
used to travel onboard would be able to diagnose the state of a vessel
engine by using all their senses and tacit knowledge. They would be
able to place a hand on these huge, opaque and inaccessible engines,
and roughly locate the sources of any anomalies through feeling the
vibration pattern, and they would use their highly attuned listening
skills to further identify the state of the engine. Now unfortunately
through the rationalization in the ever more competitive marketplace,
these highly trained and skilled workers are no longer in place. With
this project, we could neither bring them back nor seek to replace them Figure 12 shows the 4 states of data that was derived from the sample,
– but what the technology and design innovation here could provide the rules to process this data, and the corresponding visual response
is some measure of ‘tacitness’ and ‘intuitiveness’ that would benefit mapping to communicate the state change. From State 1, which is
the less skilled person on board in order to help them make the right healthy, and the circles do not move off centre, to State 2, where one
decision (which is to either alert the ship crew to a severe error in case circle goes briefly slightly off centre, to State 3 where one circle goes
this becomes obvious, or to decide that no extra effort and investment right off centre, and finally State 4, where 2 circles simultaneously go
is needed in case the engine shows healthy scores). extremely off centre. This was produced as a sequential animation,
to demonstrate the visual effect of seeing the parts move and go off
I therefore decided to place intuitiveness and embodiment, as discussed centre. The static image captures some of this intuitive perception,
above, at the heart of the design concept. In one way, what I was trying but the motion in the animation really enhances it and makes it more
to do is to revert the abstract numbers back to their original analogue immediate.
form of vibration as much as possible. The data in the Excel table
makes no sense to us, the human user, because these are numbers are The rules that were developed are open to interpretation, if they are to
representing motion in a very abstract, alphanumerical way. If we could be used for creative development – in this case, I had to decide in which
see the motion behind the numbers, we may be able to make sense way to map the data, via the ‘algorithm’, to a designed visual response.
A demo prototype focusing on 3 engine parts from the sample data:
140 141
End Gear Box, Universal Joint and Main Gear box was developed to Figure 14
show how this could be implemented. Visualization
of State 2:
Short, intense
For state 1 (value stays below 120), data seems to be healthy, and the
spikes in the
3 circles representing the engine parts rotate at a steady pace (fig 13). data on 2
For state 2, which was identified as short intense spikes (value goes engine parts
over 1000 briefly), that might be worth investigating, but probably are
of no concern to the state of the engine, intense dark jagged circular
lines are added to the rotating circles (fig 14). For state 3 (value is
more than 120 for more than 2 points on the x axis), this was meant
to communicate that this may need monitoring, as the engine part is
starting to behave differently over some time - another component is
added to the circle, in this case a light blue shape that rotates around
the circular shape, starting to look slightly ‘off centre’ and ‘off kilter’
(fig 15). For state 4 (value is over 50 for 2 elements for more than 2
points on the x axis), this data shows that a part of the engine is going
wrong for some time, and has possibly started to influence another
component of the engine, so this will definitely have to raise an alarm
Figure 15 Vis-
– in this case, 2 red elements are added to the rotating circles (fig 16). ualization of
Reflecting on the implementation of the ‘rules’, there has been some State 3: Data
adjustment when it came to making sure that the visual mapping really is showing
does communicate intuitively and without the need for explanation in anomalies
this demo prototype. The prototype was placed in an exhibition at the over time
University of Portsmouth (Gumtau, 2015), but as the IConiC project was
not centred around the design of the GUI, but rather the intelligent
data and satellite communication system, there was not enough time
within the funded project to implement this on board. It is envisaged
that a second stage of this project would entail the installing of the GUI
on board of the company vessels that formed part of the consortium –
for example, a Solent ferry. This would then entail in situ user testing of
the intuitiveness and effectiveness of the interface.
Figure 13
Visualization
of State 1:
Healthy Data
Figure 16 Vis-
ualization of
State 4: Data
is showing
anomalies
over time,
on 2 engine
parts

142 143
Materializing the Data: Vibration to Vibration Figure 18.
For the purpose of the exhibition and experimenting with making the Haptic
interface
data even more intuitively perceptible, we decided to take the return
CodeEye
to the original stimulus behind the abstract numbers even further and representing
developed the haptic interface: “CodeEye”. Inspired by the tacit – and data through
tactile knowledge that ship engineers use to allow them to diagnose cyclical vibra-
the state of an engine, the sense of touch was going to be an obvious tion patterns
choice to extend the immediacy and intuitiveness of the communication
for a non-expert. This kind of interface would also go some way to
address the difficulty of perception in the spaces that these engines are
situated: dark, noisy, uncomfortable and inaccessible places. CodeEye
was designed to allow the user to place their hand on a circular
surface, which provides the data as vibration patterns, picking up the
circular theme from the data visualization. The aesthetic of the physical
interface takes its cues from materials utilized in industrial shipping,
such as a black rubber surface, stretched across a circular wooden
frame, making the unit resemble a kind of analogue marine navigation
instrument. The rubber surface was embellished with a circular pattern
made from conductive paint, that could respond to the presence of
touch by communicating the sample data via a circular array of small
vibration motors underneath the surface. The design research for this
interface will not be described in depth here, but it serves to exemplify developing innovation in a consortium of marine services companies,
the experimentation around the materiality of the data, and the stated academic research and development departments and the end users
aim of transforming the abstract alphanumerical data back to its original in form of shipping companies using ferries, cruise ships etc. The
analogue qualities. aspect of the intelligent data analysis was shown to be a complex data
visualization problem and therefore prompted some design research
experiments to develop an intuitive graphical user interface that could
Conclusions
be used by non-expert members of the shipping crew. As part of the
In the context of global changes in the maritime industries, and in
prototype development for an exhibition, a haptic interface was also
the South East of England in particular, the project IConIC has been
designed. Both interfaces seek to return the abstract data to the form
described. This was not a design-led project, but it was aimed at
of their analogue stimulus in order to make them easy to understand,
Figure 17. while complex enough in terms of the state of the meanings rendered.
Sketch of Drawing on perception theory like phenomenology, embodied
the vibration cognition and metaphor, body schema of rotation and motion were
motor array in applied into a system using circular elements to represent different
CodeEye states of healthiness in 3 engine parts: End Gear Box, Main Gear Box
and Universal Joint. Working with the sample data set, 4 different states
were devised that would be relevant to make sense of the data and
require different levels of responsiveness from the user. The vibrotactile
interface ‘CodeEye’ develops the theme of tacit knowledge and
intuitive perception by adding the haptic modality to perceive circular
data patterns. Concluding, it can be said that this project was useful
to explore new boundaries and ways to apply design thinking and
user-centredness in the context of engineering, which has traditionally
focused more on the utility of design. It has opened up channels of
communication between the data scientists and the data visualization
designer, which would be useful to explore further as this kind of
development of a shared language and process would benefit this
quickly developing discipline of data visualization. In a future project,
the implementation and evaluation of the design would have to be

144 145
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 Designing a
sensibility for
sustainable clothing
(S4S): Affective
activism
Fiona Hackney, Clare Saunders, Joanie Willett and
Katie Hill
150 151
Abstract community groups in dialogic reflexive workshops that both mimic and
The need to improve the sustainability of fashion has been widely noted reimagine phases of the lifecycle of clothing by, for instance: making
by academics (Black 2012, Fletcher 2008, 2016), activist campaigns fibre and fabric; making, modifying and mending clothes; up-cycling,
(Greenpeace, Fashion Revolution) and policy makers (DEFRA, EAC). repurposing and dealing with waste fabric. The underlying thesis is that
While there have been creative attempts to provoke sustainable fashion, engaging in such activities will not only raise consciousness about the
few studies have explored ways in which making fibre, using ‘waste’ appalling effects of the fast fashion industry, but also help to change
fabric and modifying clothes might change individuals’ behaviour everyday behaviour through affectual engagement with dress and
(thoughts, feelings and actions ) in relation to how they dress. This textiles communities and processes, skills, materials and methods. As
chapter will present, analyse and reflect on work-in-progress research such, S4S proposes a mode of ‘quietly’ affective, everyday activism that
from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded project is embedded in, stems from and is transmitted through communities
‘Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing (S4S)’, which combines (Hackney, 2013a), a lived, embodied equivalent to partner Fashion
arts with social science methods to investigate how creative activities Revolution’s global activism. Research draws on data from a rich mix
might shape a ‘sensibility’ for sustainable clothing and promote pro- of social science and arts methods, including co-generated creative
environmental behaviour change. Drawing on social design thinking, outputs, in-depth interviews, short reflective videos, wardrobe audits,
the project works with communities to co-produce knowledge through clothing diaries and surveys. For the purposes of this chapter analysis
‘hands on’ making. It involves community groups in dialogic, reflexive will focus on findings from two areas that demonstrate the benefits of a
workshops that mimic phases of the lifecycle of clothing (making fibre combined quantitative and qualitative approach: 1) preliminary surveys;
and fabric, purchasing, mending, modifying and making clothes, 2) film screening workshops.
and dealing with waste fabric) and has produced a rich array of data
including co-generated creative outputs, in-depth interviews, short Extant research reveals the difficulty of reversing fast fashion. Even those
reflective videos, wardrobe audits, clothing diaries and surveys. In aware of fashion’s externalities can get caught in a value-behaviour
collaboration with partner Fashion Revolution, the project proposes gap since quality fast-fashion items are more readily available in the
these methods as a mode of quietly affective activism that is embedded marketplace and out-compete eco-fashion (Moon et al., 2015; D’Souza,
in, stems from, and is fuelled by everyday lived experience (Hackney, 2015). To effect change we have to locate clothing behaviour within
2013a). Fashion industries, cultures and imaginaries are multi-faceted wider formations of identity, attachment, socially constructed values and
and complex with significant social and environmental consequences. psychological drives. Part of the answer lies not only in our intellectual
Drawing on theories of affect (Ahmed, 2004), S4S findings suggest that but also our affectual relationship with fashion, its deep connections
participatory design and crafts practices offer an affective response to with individual identities that are themselves rooted in socio-
the pressing problem of fashion’s devastating environmental effects. cultural attachments (Cassidy and Bennett, 2012; Kaiser, 2012). Such
complexities underpin the project’s focus on the notion of ‘sensibility’.
Introduction Defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘an understanding of or ability
The dangers of ‘fast fashion’: a ‘buy now, throw away tomorrow’ to decide about what is good or valuable, especially in connection with
culture (Birtwhistle et al., 2003; Michon et al., 2015) are increasingly artistic or social activities’ and in the Oxford Dictionary as the ‘quality of
known. High street and online retailers, motivated by economic being able to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic
drivers, provide low cost garments often designed to be worn only influences’, a sustainable fashion sensibility suggests the ability to
a few times. Clothes are manufactured to a lower quality than even identify, develop and practice a new set of clothing qualities, values
in the recent past and garments are rarely thrown away because they and behaviours. Thinking about sensibility, moreover, foregrounds
are worn out. Young women in particular prefer to buy several cheap emotion as a driver of change in making sustainable fashion choices,
disposable fashion items rather than one durable piece, while low costs as Otto Von Busch argued in his recent keynote at the Global Fashion
discourage consumers from repairing worn out clothes (Morgan and conference, LCF, 2018. Finally, the notion of forging a new sensibility for
Birtwhistle, 2009; Binotto and Payne, 2017). While designers such as sustainability is valuable because it involves both change in our outer
Katherine Hamnett and Phoebe English, and design researchers such ‘sensible’ lives - from physical sensations to sociability – and our inner
as Professor Dilys Williams and her colleagues at University of the Arts thoughts, subjectivities and imaginaries.
London (UAL) (Black, 2012; Fletcher, 2012; Erhman, 2018), play a crucial
role in critiquing and rethinking fashion from the perspective of design, Fashion is not solely the preserve of global corporations, it is also
manufacture and textile technologies, less work has been done on how about individual experience. As Dilys Williams recently observed on a
changes in consumer/user behaviour might address this situation. The radio programme about environmental change, fashion makes ‘climate
Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded (AHRC) project Designing change human in scale because each day each of us makes a decision
a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing (S4S) aims to do this by involving about what we buy, what we wear, how we value it, how we care for
it’ (Fidgen, 2019). Furthermore, we know that buying things does not
152 153
increase happiness. Psychologist Lorraine Whitmarsh, speaking on the to the field of sustainable fashion and design (Fletcher 2016). Third, it
same programme, identified three fundamental psychological human contributes to research on behaviour change. Dominant approaches
needs that drive our actions and behaviour: 1) Autonomy through to behaviour change, which focus on information and fiscal incentives,
experiencing an element of freedom of choice; 2) Competence that have limited efficacy due to the value-behaviour gap. A novel aspect of
comes from feeling good about doing something; and 3) Relatedness, the project is its use of the concept of ‘affect’, which refers to how socio-
which fulfils our need for social bonds with people. Significantly, all political contexts and emotional responses shape how people learn
three featured prominently in S4S videos, participant reflection and and behave. Affect is particularly relevant to fashion and consumerism,
discussion. Policy makers are more alert than ever to the damaging social since the current economic system ‘mines affect for value’ by generating
and environmental effects of the fashion industry. Recommendations by emotional responses to sell products and make profit (Clough, 2008).
the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion This is most notable in celebrity culture (Morgan and Birtwhistle, 2009),
and DEFRA’s Sustainable Clothing Roadmap (DEFRA 2011) have recently but it also pervades self-identification with clothing (Guy and Banim,
been supplemented by an intensive interrogation of fast fashion by the 2000) in relation to peer approval (Roper and La Neice, 2009). Clothes
cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). The latter’s report generate culturally resonant affective markers of popular aesthetics
into the Sustainability of the Fashion Industry closes with an urgent and symbolic meanings that determine how individuals communicate
call to action: the ‘current exploitative and environmentally damaging their identities to others (Schofield and Schmidt, 2005). Integral to
model for fashion must change’ (HoC, 2019a). S4S recommendations understanding ‘affect’ is recognition that emotions can be seen as
for reinvigorating the high street with spaces dedicated to skill sharing, sticky markers which attach to things and ideas, shaping how they are
making and mending, repurposing, swapping, and clothes rentals are absorbed into identities. Understanding how to encourage a sensibility
featured in the EAC’s final report, Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption for sustainable clothing choices thus requires us to unpick the layers of
and Sustainability. Fashion: it shouldn’t cost the earth, (HoC, 2019b), emotional attachments that underpin human responses to what might
suggesting one way in which the S4S method for promoting more otherwise seem to be ‘rational’ choices and transfer them to more
sustainable clothing behaviour might be scaled up, or more properly sustainable behaviours.
scaled across, by connecting multiple agencies.
In order to explore this the team developed a range of research
Method and Methodology methods and tools, including: experiential workshops involving ‘making
S4S is an interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers in the social interventions’ (Hackney et al, 2016a), questionnaires, in-depth wardrobe
sciences and the humanities: politics academics at University of Exeter audits, clothing diaries, interviews and short reflexive video films, to
and arts research practitioners at the University of Wolverhampton. replace standard notions of production and consumption with material,
The project also involves external partners: community organisations in sensory and emotional practices generated within communities (Clay
Cornwall and the West Midlands, sustainable fashion designers Antiform, and Bradley Foster, 2007). A conceptual framework around processes
the campaign and advocacy group Fashion Revolution, and a group of thinking, feeling and doing: ‘think, feel, act’ was devised and
of specialist design, fashion, and environmental advisors. Concurrent embedded in mini-questionnaires, longer interviews, group discussion
linked launch events in Cornwall and the West Midlands attracted over and film-making to help participants identify and reflect on and their
a hundred people to listen to sustainable fashion experts, participate responses throughout the project. The workshops were designed
in maker workshops and help shape project research questions and to mimic and rework the lifecycle of clothing, from production to
themes. The forty people who elected to become involved in the consumption and disposal, by enabling participants to rethink their
project proper went on to attend between five and twenty workshops relationship with the fashion system through processes of engaged,
and participate in project research methods . Twelve participants participatory making (Barthes, 1990/1967/; Kaiser, 2012). They include
attended all twenty workshops in Cornwall while twenty-eight took part a range of activities, from spinning fibre, weaving fabric and natural
in at least five, and in some cases all twenty, workshops held in the West dyeing processes, deconstructing and reconstructing knitted garments
Midlands. All workshops lasted for a full day and they ran over a period and bespoke pattern cutting, to make-do-and-mend, up-cycling and
of nine months in total. Around twenty people engaged in wardrobe repurposing charity items, embellishment as visible repair, and leather-
audits, counting, logging and talking about items they own (Fletcher working (Figures 1 & 2). The workshops were conceptualised as spaces
and Grimstad Klepp, 2017). ‘in between’ the flow of fast fashion which short-circuited it through
creative interventions that foregrounded the quality, skill, labour and
The project draws from three main strands of research. First, it extends environmental impacts conventionally hidden in mainstream discourse.
work on social design, co-design, and the relationship between crafts Skype conversations, film viewings, social media, and the reciprocal
and material affect (Armstrong et al., 2014; Kimbell, 2011; Hackney et exchange of collaboratively produced items at the end of each set of
al., 2016a and 2016b; Twigger Holroyd, 2017). Second, it contributes workshops, enabled groups in different regions to communicate and
learn from one another.
154 155
 Figure 1. it was to provide the spaces for conversation so we could understand
Make-do- more about how participants felt about clothes, and the kind of learning
and-mend journey that they were on. Here, the act of doing and being through
workshop,
the material act of making facilitated a more in-depth understanding
Chyan Fields,
Cornwall of how individuals constructed their phenomenalogical lifeworlds
around clothing (Mead, 1934; Blumer ,1992; Goffman, 1959; Lee 2016).
Secondly, the tasks in themselves were designed to enable participants
to learn about the journeys that clothing takes (for example, making
yarn or fabric from raw materials); the kinds of ethical questions that are
raised by fast fashion (eg. The human and environmental costs of mass
consumption of cheap clothing); and to learn skills to make, mend, and
modify clothing themselves.

Participants in both locations were introduced to four series of

workshops, familiarising them with various aspects of the clothes making
process. The workshops followed iterative themes that responded
to, and built on, one another: 1) Fluff to Fibre: spinning, dyeing and
weaving yarn; 2) (De)Constructive/(Re)Constructive Knitting: un-picking
Figure 2. and re-making garments; 3) Towards Zero Waste: learning about the
Visible Mend- problem of global textiles waste; 4) Vintage Pattern Cutting: making
ing, West patterns and garments using 1940s techniques and waste materials; 5)
Midlands Make-Do-And-Mend: learning and applying sewing, darning and repair
techniques; 6) (In)Visible Mending: using stich techniques such as needle
weaving and goldwork to embellish stains, rips and tears in clothing; 7)
Second-Hand and Ethical: charity shopping, adapting and re-making
garments; 8) Re-Make, Re-Purpose, Upcycle: upcycling, repurposing
existing garments and making new artefacts from waste leather. A set
of colourful leaflets, including workshop summaries, participant quotes,
and instructions about skills and techniques, is available in print form
and will be downloadable from project website (currently in process
https//www.sites.exeter.ac.uk/s4s).

The Cornwall group was formed in the initial phases of the project, and
although there was some attrition, most participants remained involved
in some way over the duration of the study. Due to the wider geographic
spread, working with partner organisations, West Midlands participants
were asked to attend a minimum of four sessions in any of the four
Our method, which combined quantitative social science method workshop series. The majority in fact were present at far more than
with qualitative practice-based arts research, was underpinned by this, some being involved in all twenty. All the Cornwall participants
‘embodied research’ approach, which invites participants to use their were female with most aged around or under thirty. The West Midlands
bodies to explore and generate knowledges (Spatz, 2017; Thanem and group included a more diversity in terms of age and gender, including
Knights, 2019; Vachelli, 2018). The principle combines the emphasis teenagers and three men. As the workshops progressed people began
on activity and learning as part of the research process found in more to invite friends and family along, and a number of parent/child teams
action-oriented research with a focus on the physical and emotional developed (Figure 3). The workshops were recorded and transcribed,
use of the body. The benefits of using this kind of methodological tool and participants were asked to keep a reflective ‘clothing diary’
is that participants are provided with the spaces and opportunity to recording details about the skills they learned, their participation in
connect and reflect on the topic matter in depth through engaged social the group, the garments they made, and to what extent and how their
material practices as they make and talk together (Hackney et al 2016a). thoughts, feelings and actions around sustainable clothing changed. All
In this respect, the research is both informative, and transformative data was inductively thematised following the principles of grounded
(Heras and Tabera, 2014). There were two objects to the activity. Firstly, theory (Charmaz 2006; Strauss and Corin 2008) looking specifically
156 157
at the ideas and affective emotions (Ahmed 2004) that participants 19 of 23 that they had purchased clothes from a fast fashion retailer in
attached to clothes, the various aspects of the clothes making process, the past 2 years. However, a minority would be tempted to purchase
the materiality of clothing, and how participants felt about clothing fast-fashion in a sale (only 4 of 18 said they would do so). Their overall
choices. These themes were then coded for further analysis, clustering spending on clothes appeared, on average, to have increased from pre-
around: how people feel about clothes; how they shop; clothes and to post-participation.
ethics; the process of making, mending, and modifying clothing;
creating behaviour change. Of our 22 participants with valid answers to the question on clothing
spend in both the pre- and post- survey, 9 had increased their monthly
Quantitative Data Analysis, Style and Practice clothes spend, 8 had remained the same and 5 had reduced it. Of the
A quasi-experimental questionnaire was devised asking participants 12 spending less than £20 per month at the start of the project, four
for self-reported assessments of skills, attitudes and behaviours before had maintained a low spend, and 7 had increased to £20-50. Of the
and after engaging with the workshops. This enables us to gather a five participants who spent £20-50 at the start of the project, three
quantitative measure of the effects of the workshops in relation to how had remained the same, one had increased to £100-200 and one had
reduced to £5-10. One participant spending £50-100 kept her spending
Figure
constant, but another had reduced from £50-100 to less than £20 per
3. Moth-
er-daugh-
month. All 3 of our participants who used to spend more than £100 a
ter team month on clothes had reduced their spending: one to less than £20 per
repurposing month, another to £20-50 and the third to £50-100.
maternity
wear, Antiform That some participants had increased their clothes spend seems to
workshop, be related to their more discerning tastes post-participation, as they
West Mid- increasingly sought more ethical – and presumably more expensive –
lands
fashion items. In Table 2, we show the mean scores (where 1=not at
all and 5=very much) for a range of factors that influence decisions to
purchase clothes. Despite the low sample size, the mean scores are a
good summary of the data given the low variance in responses across
our participants. Table 2 also includes the standard deviations of the
mean, which give an indication of the high measure of fit of the mean to
the majority of participants. After taking part in the workshops, people
are markedly more influenced in their buying choices by the quality
of the fibre and construction, the brand and locally produced clothing
items. They are also slightly less concerned about what their peers think
people think, feel and act about their clothing. Our approach illustrates about their clothing choices and, overall, never concerned about being
the value of survey research for making such assessments and the in fashion.
considerable multi-faceted effects that our workshops have had on our
participants.

We asked our participants to provide a list of their top five shops for
purchasing clothes. We then characterised these as: high street, charity,
online, vintage and reused. The majority of the twenty two participants
for whom we have valid pre- and post-participation answers preferred
to list high street sources both before (on average 2.8 out of 5) and after
(on average 2.2 out of 5) workshop participation, with a very slight shift
away from the high street towards charity shops (mean before =0.6,
mean after = 0.7).

Most of our participants (16 of 20 valid answers) reported that they

would ‘not continue to buy fast fashion’ in general except for essentials,
like underwear. This marks a significant change from the claim made by

158 159
 Factors that influence Mean score before (1-5) Mean score after (1-5) Table 1: Feeling Film, Aesthetic Affect
purchasing choice (n=26) Factors that Short video films were made iteratively throughout the workshops and
Quality of fibre 3.6 (SD 1.18) 4.6 (SD 0.80) influence from the outset this was envisaged as integral to research activities. The
Country of origin 2.0 (SD 1.16) 4.1 (1.22) clothes film-makers: Nina Constable in Cornwall (www.ninaconstable.co.uk) and
purchas- R & A Collaborations in the West Midlands (www.racollaborations.co.uk )
Quality of construction / 3.9 (SD 0.95) 4.4 (0.95)
ing choice operated as co-researchers, sometimes participating in discussion and
manufacture
before and making activities (Figure 4). Over thirty short films have are available
Price 4.3 (SD 0.95) 4.0 (0.76) after our on the S4S You tube channel along with ‘Resolution’ a twenty-minute
Brand 2.6 (SD 1.31) 4.1 (0.95) workshops summary of the project and its findings (S4S Films, 2019). Academic
Locally produced 2.6 (SD 1.20) 4.1 (0.84) work on community film is growing (Malik et al, 2017) and S4S builds on
earlier research by team members who used film as a reflexive device
Being in fashion 2.1 (SD 1.26) 2.0 (2.03)
for community craft groups (Hackney, 2014; Rana and Hackney, 2018).
What peers think 2.0 (SD 1.16) 1.6 (1.62) The films were intended to operate as a discursive device helping
participants to better understand their own and others’ experience of
Notes: SD refers to the standard deviation of the mean, which indicates the workshops, to what extent and how their ideas, attitudes to and
that the majority of cases in the sample fall just a small distance from feelings about clothes, their clothing habits and behaviours, might
the mean. change.
Figure 4 Nina
A battery of agree-disagree (5-point likert scale) questions further Constable
reveals the impacts that our workshops had upon our participants in filming while
relation to thinking carefully about what they buy, learning new skills, the Cornwall
buying fewer items, finding new meaning, sourcing clothes ethically, Group spin
thinking differently about how they dress and being more likely to fix
their clothes (Table 2). Strikingly, few reported that they have changed
their style, suggesting an enduring emotive connection with style,
despite shifting preferences towards more ethical attitudes to clothing.
Less than half acquired new equipment, such as a sewing machine.
The effects of the workshop series might be compromised because the
‘things’ that facilitate behaviour change are no longer readily available.

Category Impact (n=26) Number agreeing or Table 2:

strongly agreeing
Thinking,
Think I think more carefully about the clothes I buy 23 feeling and
Feel I feel more empathy for the people who make my clothes 22 acting im-
Act I am more likely to fix my broken clothes 22
pacts of our As the project progressed the film makers began to identify themes
workshops that underpinned an emerging sustainable fashion sensibility. These
Act I have learned new skills 22
include: identity (Jack’s Jumper), changing values (Value), time (The
Feel I feel I have made new friends 21 Gift of Time), economy (Being Thrifty), affective connection (The
Act I buy fewer new items of clothing 20 Ripple Effect), community and communication (Group Chats), science
Act I try to find out who made my clothes 19 and environment (Detergent Test), family (Family Influences), abilities
and asset-building (Hidden Potential), media (Unravel: The True Cost),
Act I increasingly source my clothes ethically 19
heritage (Reclaiming the 1940s), facilitation and learning (Hanny’s
Feel I find different meaning in the clothes I wear 16 Workshops), skill-building (Upcycle), and material practice (Make-Do-
Think I think differently about how I dress 15 And-Mend). Screening workshops gathered feedback about participant
Act I have acquired new equipment 12 responses. The degree to which the films prompted an emotional
Act/feel I have changed my style 8
connection with the project was immediately apparent. West Midlands
participants felt that they rekindled ‘the feeling … from doing the

160 161
workshops together and then the feeling can come back through the of use, the social milieu in which clothes are worn, cared for, appreciated
films’. Watching them in chronological order, moreover, they noticed and become socially meaningful, and the mentality through which
how they communicate a journey: ‘[T]hat very first opening sort of they become markers of identification on a deeper psychological
session I don’t think we really were aware of what kind of journey we level. The combination of social science and arts research methods
were really going to step onto … You can start to see the change provide quantitative and qualitative insights into this process helping
happening … It’s changing, it’s changing your habit pattern isn’t it’. us to better understand and assess, not only the changes that are
taking place when participants engage in this kind of work but also the
These perceptions of filmic affect as an emotional conduit and memetic context, conditions and motivations for change. They also suggest the
device can be linked to the films’ aesthetic qualities, whereby colour, ways in which a sensibility for sustainable clothing might disseminate,
texture, detail, light, close-ups, personal narratives, and temporal as participants take ownership of the research methods and techniques
slowness convey values of trust, intimacy and honesty, and a sense (workshops, films, diaries, design, stitch skills) and embed them in their
of emotional closeness and pleasure, something that may be equally lives as tools for behaviour change.
available to wider audiences (Hackney, 2013b). Cornwall participants
noted that the film narratives felt true to their experience of the An affectual economy of making emerged as participants connected
workshops, communicating a sense of authenticity that would appeal with their clothes in new embodied ways. Inductive analysis of project
to others. One West Midlands’ participant saw the films as connecting data uncovered the ideas and affective emotions that were attached to
people with the experience of working in a community even when clothes, the making process, the materiality of clothing, and how people
working alone. Another talked about how they communicate the ethos felt about their clothing choices with a focus on: feelings about clothes,
of the project and the pleasure of participation: ‘[A]s a body of work it’s shopping and ethics, processes of making, mending and modifying
a lovely, a lovely portfolio to look at and just kind of keep remembering clothing, and creating behaviour change. The films prompted group
some of the ethos … it’s reminding that actually when we do things discussion about the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion,
together we’re probably more productive as well [and] by doing things but this was framed within a context of lived experience and personal
together it becomes a pleasurable thing rather than a weight on your connection. They reconnected people with the ‘feelings’ experienced
shoulders you know’. A third, projecting into the future, thought that the during participation, something identified as a motivator for future
films will help to keep feelings and habits formed during the workshops behaviour change. Continuity, meanwhile, thrived alongside change.
alive for her: The questionnaires reveal that as clothing thinking and practice
became more ethical, an individual’s perceived sense of style, and
It’s been a nice reminder of the journey actually and I think I identity, remained unchanged. The workshop materials (booklets) and
probably will watch them to keep my momentum going myself. accompanying films show how participants adapted project learning
I think the changes have been made up here so when I go and and methods to reinforce/develop style/identities by making and
buy new clothes or, you know, I’m looking at where they’re from reshaping their garments as the tyranny of fast fashion loosened its
I’m not necessarily going to go to those cheap chains anymore. hold, at least to some degree.
So that’s kind of, that’s integrally changed. But I think it’s too
easy to get wrapped up in so once you move away from the The questionnaires and films evidence behaviour change in related and
project … if I sustain it I’m going to get the feeling back again. complementary ways. Many participants have restricted their shopping,
(West Midland’s participant, 2018) buying from charity shops or swapping, repairing and upcycling
clothing. A number have not bought any new clothes, taking a pledge
The films helped her ‘get the feeling back’ of embodied affective to buy second-hand or swap with friends and family, accepting new
participation becoming, not only a prompt but also the emotional clothes only as gifts. Fast fashion began to be judged as unacceptably
glue forging a felt sensibility for sustainable clothing by attaching poor in quality and not worth the social and environmental ‘cost’. As
experiences, things and ideas to identities. their affectual relationship with clothing shifted, several remarked
that buying new clothes just didn’t ‘feel right’. The Cornwall group
Conclusions emphasised the importance of developing a self-reflective mentality: to
While the shock effect of films such as The True Cost (Morgan, 2015) slow down and ‘pause’ before buying, asking oneself, ‘do I really need
and Stacey Dooley’s documentary Fashion’s Dirty Secrets (2018) raise this item? How and where was it made? How can I look after it?’.
awareness about problems in the industry, they are less helpful in
providing strategies for change. Designing a sensibility for sustainable A West Midlands participant declared that the workshops made change
clothing, in contrast, approaches the problem from the ground up, seem achievable because ‘they weren’t about saving the world, they
affectively and experientially including: point of purchase, the context were about darning’. Both groups agreed that change had occurred
gradually through a ‘process of doing things with the group’ rather than
162 163
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166 167
 So, what do you
do? The role of
design research
in innovation for
worklife inclusion
Lise Amy Hansen
168 169
Abstract work support (Figure 1). The project is currently midway and we will
This paper focuses on the role of design research in a large innovation share some reflections and early findings from the process so far.
project in Norway – InnArbeid - where technology and services are
developed for social change. There are numerous policies in place and The project was initiated by Sogndalen municipality in the south of
an increased awareness in Norway that agree to and support worklife Norway, where they noticed that young people with ID where leaving
inclusion of young people with developmental, intellectual disabilities school and increasingly struggled to find their place in working life.
(ID). Also, technological advances today could allow for a more diverse Research confirms that in recent years there have been fewer - not more
workforce, yet the opposite is happening and their participation in - people with ID in working life (Engeland & Langballe, 2017). This sits
working life is in decline. Our case then, presents a challenge where against a broad political and general consensus that society should
even national policy together with a general consensus of agreement facilitate such work participation.
and good intents do not lead to change, and we argue that design
research can play a role in teasing out novel areas of opportunity for Key factors that challenge the research in developing innovations for
creating and in particular co-creating technology-supported services. the transition from school into work, are that the end users are persons
This is through creating scenarios and dialogues where the user with developmental disabilities, which entails cognitive and adaptive
involvement provides a radical expertise that may go across sectors and functional impairments (ICD-10, 2011). Additionally, the transition from
silos and be put into play. Here design has a role through its explorative upper secondary school to working life is part of a complex context
and adaptive nature as well as its wide applicability and – at times – as involving many different actors with mutual dependencies (Holen-
a trouble-making, wishful and wicked approach to current needs and Rabbesvik et al, forthcoming).
state of affairs.
The project adopted an Action Design Research (ADR) which draws
We reflect on the strategies that underpin the research design towards on action research and design science in information systems (Sein
innovation. Design is positioned as explorative and - for service et al, 2011). The combination of action research and design science
design in particular - as a visually and holistically driven practice. We provides an approach to open, complex and dynamic problems whilst
explain our thinking behind the use of design research approaches for contributing with design research on general solutions. The aim is
developing sensitivity to emergent processes and involvements, and to innovate beyond the problem situations which today’s situation
how they are blended with practical methods and skills in building presents, and to enable a set of actors to become proactive in their
design knowledge. We will discuss three positionings of design relationship to their environment (Dorst, 2015). Thus, the project is set
research within the InnArbeid project: as an experimental development up partnering with the key actors in the life of young people with ID; from
(design school work), as co-created ideation and conceptualisations the municipality to upper secondary school to health care, to assisted
(workshop involvements) and as well as the role of design research as living to employers and colleagues. This broad involvement reflects
an overarching approach (research designs). the systemic challenge of the project and to anchor the wider systemic
changes through co-creation to ensure the ensuing implementation
In an innovation project, there is tension between creative explorations (Murray et al., 2011).
and critical analysis on which we elaborate, by way of reflections on
Figure 1.
the development of our innovations. In particular, we look at how
Stills from
such a design-centred approach can provide access to nuanced yet the introduc-
meaningful, dimensions of knowledge. We conclude with a reflection tion film of
on the challenges involved in developing an explorative, yet critical the project
innovation approach grounded in co-design sensibility, and the need available at
for building communities of practice for ongoing design literacy in https://innar-
design research. Innovation for Norway’s public sector beid.uia.no/
The Norwegian public sector is now increasingly identifying a
need to innovate its services, and several national plans support
The Innarbeid Project
this (KS, Direktoratet for e-shelse & Helsedirektoratet 2019; Norsk
InnArbeid forms the case for this paper and frames the discussion on
Forskningsråd., 2019a; Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet, 2013). At
the social turn in design research today. The three-year innovation
the same time, the need is also increasingly facilitated through national
project’s aim is to contribute towards increased work participation for
financial support schemes to initiate more innovation in the public
people with developmental, intellectual disabilities (ID). We will do this
sector (e.g. Helsedirektoratet, 2019; NHO, KS & Difi, 2019; Norsk
by co-creating services towards four aspects: coordination and process
Forskningsråd., 2019b). The InnArbeid project is financed as part of
support, everyday support, work application support and (staying in)
such a strategic programme - the NFR Helsevel programme – where the
170 171
public sector is invited to be the initiator of innovation projects. It has psychological and physical effects (Dalgård, 2006), and that it is
been shown that when the public sector employers themselves partake particularly important to people with disabilities (Law et al.,1998).
in the practical experience of identifying users’ needs and co-create
service concepts, the public sector participant’s attitude towards service The students were given access to the project’s ongoing research
innovation and user insights changed (Hansen, Kistorp & Almqvist, findings through presentations, papers and project references and in
2016). Our ADR approach includes mapping of needs and co-creation, particular the transcribed and anonymised interviews, workshops and
and the user involvement continues through the evaluation stages as observations – the involvement of over 60 people thus far. They also
well as the implementation stages in iterative processes (Sein, 2011). had access to the interdisciplinary research group and other partners
This proposes that the act of framing the problems and the solutions, in the project.
involves a sequence of creative and critical steps (Dorst, 2019).
Their early concepts were presented to central actors from the
For the InnArbeid project then it was central to have a close involvement Department of Health in Oslo (Helseetaten) and Nordpolen Enterprises
of users and a transdisciplinary approach to the identification of who working with young people with ID in policy and practice
underlying needs and themes. The main research group comprises health respectively. The independent yet informed concepts introduced some
care, ethics, information systems, inter-organizational cooperation and experimental and discursive aspects on the framing of the challenge of
service design. We have conducted interviews, workshops of various getting young people with ID into work, as well as insights from their
forms and observations to be able to form an in-depth mapping of own research from their own concept development. The presentation
needs whilst also creating engagements with the end users and the afforded for Oslo municipality and Nordpolen Enterprises to give
other actors (Engström & Elg, 2015). critical, real-world feedback, which was followed up in a co-creation
workshop (Figure 2). With an overall challenge of such complexity, the
Below, we present three aspects in the InnArbeid innovation project challenge is ‘to intervene in a way that makes the whole system move to
where design played a central role, in order to tease out some concerns a more desired state’ (Dorst, 2019: 123). Working on the experimental
and considerations for design research towards social change. We will and midway concepts formed a way for Helseetaten and Nordpolen to
first describe a design studio module with Master AHO student which engage with InnArbeid by creating ways to implement reframings and
tackled the innovation project as a design brief. This is to describe insights into new service design innovations.
some experimental and discursive aspects of design and how these Figure 2:
may feed innovation research. Next we describe a set of workshops that Early concept
were central for our user involvement – both to validate and challenge presentation
the user needs identified initially in the project - and to involve the and work-
various users and actors in ideation and concept development whilst shop with
informing and challenging the problem framing and the solution Helseetaten
spaces. Thirdly, we describe how the project group came about and and Nordpo-
len.
how we negotiate and collaborate on the various phases towards the
proposed innovations.
Holistic solutions and visual challenges
The Design School The students worked in groups and were asked to select and scope
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Institute for Design, is their new service designs and were invited to make use of the project’s
a partner in the project and lead the service innovation and research research to date. When working on the project they learned to draw
design. One year into InnArbeid, AHO created an elective Master upon advanced research whilst they were able to take risk beyond
course module to run alongside the project independently, where perhaps what a research group would had the time or nerve to - in
master service design students were invited to work with our research- particular with such fundamental social issues at stake.
based design brief to produce future service design concepts. This
took place over half a semester – eight weeks. The design brief was to The work resulted in two distinct directions – towards systemic changes
develop service design concepts the enable and ensure the transition and towards user-empowerment solutions. An example of the former
from school to working life. Their challenge was that there is a lack was the concept ‘On Track’. Here the students suggest a re-organised
of knowledge concerning people with disabilities, where especially flow of the work training and employment to ensure continuous
inclusion in working life has received little attention (NOU, 2016) yet development and engagement (Figure 3). The students took on board
it known that participation in working life is known to give positive a complex and explicitly wicked problem –- ensuring that young people
with ID do not end up in their first positon after school. This could be the
day centre, at home or at a work training centre, but that they develop in
172 173
their post-school life. Their project reflected a thorough understanding and discursive aspects of design and how these may feed innovation
of the current state of needs, services, roles and institutions. They did research. Design research has a role to play to ensure that the practical
take an art school flight of imagination – yet firmly grounded in research relevance is explored within a practical ‘makers’ frame – reshaped
– and by embracing the freedoms this offered suggested a bold and through co-evolution. Through such investigations, one may seek
innovative set of services for changing the transition from school to assurance that the problem framing can potentially lead to realistic and
apprenticeship to work for young people with Intellectual disabilities. relevant solutions (Dorst, 2015). The final presentation was to a senior
They re-adressed the roles played by the different institutions in order service designer at a leading Norwegian design consultancy, several of
to stagger the road to employment – a radical move, yet also one that the partners in InnArbeid and the AHO researchers.
makes ‘sense’ if one were to enable change from a user perspective and
with a service delivery in mind. And in the making processes of our service design concepts, there are
also insights appearing that may only be apparent or come about only
Figure 3.
The resulting during the creative process. These may in turn be pivotal in the work of
concept ‘On implementation and transferability, and as such are crucial for innovation
Track’ pro- projects. Such an emergent approach in design practice to the problem
posed a new framing has also been described as non-linear, and explorative (Van
‘track’ for the der Bijl-Brouwer, 2019). This ‘reframes the task of design as system
person with transformation, rather than the creation of a solution’ (Dorst, 2019: 117)
ID whereby
the daycentre/
activity The Workshop Design
centre was The InnArbeid ideation and concept stage is led by AHO and it followed
positioned on from the user insight work led by Sogndalen municipality. At this
as a place of stage, we’d gained some early insights; an interdisciplinary perspective
transit and and a conformation that close cooperation with the public sector is
furthered important (e.g. Jacobs 2016). Furthermore, a flexible and pragmatic
training approach to data collection is crucial for obtaining relevant knowledge
Advanced service co-design requires knowledge transfer and towards an
from all involved actors (Holen-Rabbesvik et al, forthcoming).
assisted work-
negotiation of the contextual frame for the design projects, as the
ing position
participants need to understand, decide, and cooperate on acting and towards We designed a series of co-design workshops to explore what design
forward. Therefore, alongside the service concept development, the traditional intervention may support systemic coordination and mapping of work
students were set challenges such as visualising central user insights – employment. ability. We ensured a broad involvement across professions and with
which is quite a challenge with these hard-to-reach users (Figure 4). The the various roles that relate to our end-user in the workshops: from
student’ design process explored how we may visually present these the municipality, department of employment (NAV), upper secondary
users’ ‘voice’ that is ‘information about a particular user’s preferences school, assisted living carers, to work training employers, to employers
and perspectives’ (Langergaard, 2011: 227). The resulting visualisations and colleagues. The rational for this broad involvement was an
aided an understanding on the perception of people with ID. increased understanding that services are not only an end product in
themselves, but that services increasingly become a driving force for
Figure 4.
broader societal changes (Sangiorgi, 2011). The first set of workshops
Shivani
Prakash using focused on participation for idea generation and the second set for
graphic marks concept design developments.
illustrating
insights, whilst Ideation workshops
untangling the To start of the idea workshops, a design researcher presented the project
visual issue through a narrative visualized by way of a user journeys (Figure 5). Upon
of avoiding
entering the workshop, each participant could place themselves on the
identifying the
Making do people with journey.
When explorative design processes are teamed with co-creation and ID whilst also
user-involvement, we have an activity that is a ‘working with’ rather working on
than a ‘doing to’ (Ingold, 2011; Sanders & Stappers 2011). I mention avoiding the
the design school’s involvement to make a case for the experimental stigmatizing
clichés of ID.
174 175
 Figure 5. researchers involved in the project. This formed a feedback loop and
The timeline quality insurance whilst also prompting further feedback on new ideas
and scope and new user insights. The emergent problem framing was thus keep
for people
firmly within an innovation frame, where each involvement with the
with ID in the
InnArbeid.. users afforded reframing – beyond merely conforming what we knew
thus far.
Figure 6.
The complex Concept workshops
sets of actors
From the ideation workshops, we chose to develop three concepts: a
mapped out.
visual CV; a digital meeting place between employers and a digital ‘market
Figure 7. Each place’ to connect potential workers and employers. These concepts
task had a came out of a combination of ideas generated in the ideas workshop
question card and were presented as incomplete (Figure 9) as incompleteness has a
with reference generative force in triggering new ideas, attracting contributors and
material. adapting to changing environments. However, there is also a challenge
in establishing enough rules to provide stability, without stifling the
The workshop material and activities were shaped in order to leverage design (Garud, Jain & Tuertscher 2009).
the expertise of the different actors, by using questions informed by Figure 9. Ear-
the user insights thus far infused with current research and framed ly concepts
within the project goal of innovating technology-supported services sketches
(Figures 5 to 7). We also invited young people with ID themselves as presented as
incomplete
well as parents of people with ID. Whilst the workshop was designed designs.
to include – we confirmed ahead that questions were relatable and we
used visualisations actively – we also knew that the young people with
ID would have limited opportunity to contribute in such a setting. We
therefore also had smaller, individual meetings where the work could be
more on the terms of the person with ID.

These activities gave us an opportunity to confirm or contest the

collected narratives and insights as a way of ensuring robustness in our Engaging with the great variety of users at every stage in the innovation
new insights and current challenges. However, as this is an innovation project opens up a space for thinking and exploring through doing
project, the focus went beyond this and the activities were designed – not relying only on cognitive reasoning. Such an involvement,
to leverage the participants’ ideas for future technology-supported whereby the actors are not just sources of information on the outset
services and the implications for the networks each actor presented. but active participants throughout as in co-creation and evaluation, we
The discussions allowed for an untangling of why something was acknowledge that the stakeholders constitute the system and that any
chosen or why it was important to an actor or set of actors. change will be tethered to or depend on the involved stakeholders
The transcribed material from these workshops was analysed by (Jones, 2014). From the ideas workshop, we developed a CV probe
inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The emergent (Figure 10 & 11) towards the concept workshops in order to further
themes were summarized and presented back to participants in develop a conversation on possible designs and directions (Boehner,
the next concept workshop, as well as to project partners and other Gaver & Boucher, 2012).
Figure 8. Four
During the workshop, sketches or visualizations of different concept
workshops were
conducted each solutions were shown to the participants who was asked to further
engaging 12-14 explore and critically discuss these concept designs. The visual
participants, of concepts worked as a kind of experience prototyping: “any kind of
which several par- representation, in any medium, that is designed to understand, explore
ticipating twice. or communicate what it might be like to engage with the product,
space or system we are designing” (Buchenau & Suri, 2000, p. 425).
The participating young people with ID had either a parent or a carer

176 177
with them to ensure that they could participate as much as possible of The Research Group
the workshop and also to inform facilitators ahead in creating a safe and For this paper, we have focused on the design research interventions
inclusive experience. and methods rather than on our results and the paper highlights the
research entanglements of using design for future service innovation
Figure 10. The processes by way of engaging with and for people with reduced
CV probe was
cognitive abilities.
worked on
by individual
members in Collaboration dialectic
the workshop, The project’s trans-disciplinary group found a way to work together
and was also during our pre-project and during the application process we agreed
discussed on participation across work packages. The application procedure
in a group however demanded a certain division of labour. When we successfully
at school
gained funding, we realised we would need certain set times to working
prior to the
workshop things out together and planned more frequent two day meetings.
participation This set-up was in keeping with a holistic approach to innovation:
– led by a research shows that a holistic understanding of problems - and in turn,
These workshops show how design researchers’ may make tactical teacher. of the underlying user needs - is necessary to bring about innovation
forays into exploring a complex and difficult situation, which in turn in contexts where the problems are complex, dynamic and linked to
generate knowledge towards the next technical development stage. Figure 11. networks (Thies, 2015). The lack of knowledge base is particularly
However, the main challenge at this stage in the innovation process was Annotated challenged when it comes to identifying needs in complex contexts
not only to identify solution spaces but rather to co-creatively decide probe.
that require inter-organizational cooperation such as for InnArbeid, and
on a problem framing. With such a complex social issue - we do not when end-users have various degrees of cognitive impairment.
lack problems to solve – neither singular nor systemic ones. As a recent
study shows, the problem framing in the social sector tends to be non- In order to support our emergent problem formulation (Van der Bijl-
linear, emergent and explorative (Van der Bijl-Brouwer, 2019). Brouwer, 2019) we strove to combine academic rigour with practical
relevance through engagement. AHO also initiated and engaged an
Figure 12.
eclectic mix of researchers and designers to be a disruptive group
screenshot of
an experien- (e.g. ‘forstyrrergruppe’) to ensure the project group was not tripped up
tial prototype by their own good intentions or their own learned practices entering
of the CV new fields. Importantly a ‘forstyrrergruppe’ is not tasked with solving
explored in anything – they are free to give critical feedback without repercussions of
a workshop an increased workload as a consequence of any critique or corrections.
through visual
components.
Collaboration as a shared balancing act
By ensuring this extended, shared time, we created a productive
The analysis of the concept work embraced this complexity and leaned space which has given us joint publications, a national conference and
on process studies that sees change and innovation as ongoing, instead exhibitions well as the innovation concepts thus far. We propose that out
of a linear approach consisting of phases, and focus on ‘how and why of this space grew a dialog that can be seen as a frame through which
things emerge, develop, grow, or terminate over time’ (Langley et views and perspectives forged from differing discursive paradigms,
al., 2013, p. I). Process studies are stories about change; patterns in disciplinary trainings and personal histories that were brought into an
events, activities and choices over time; who did what when (Langley, improvisational activity of critical co-production. These voices speak
1999) and the participation and engagement were designed to tease from particular positions within design, computer science, municipal
out the relevant practices for our project’s overarching aim to ‘design a work, health care studies and interaction design, information systems
new service model for the transition between upper secondary school and ethical studies. We also knew that we had to work with a hard-to-
and working life for people with ID’. However, the positivistic ethos of reach expertise from our end-users – young people with ID - and find
co-creation (Manzini, 2015) is pushed to its limits when working with ways to involve and engage them. Therefore, many kinds of expertise
people with ID and we had a focus on performativity and practices, were necessary towards our contribution in an academically funded
approaching practices as the unit of exploration, where knowledge is innovation project and we negotiated the lines between pragmatics
embedded and expressed in the doing – in the practice itself. and possibilities, from politics to propositions.

178 179
Design Research For Innovation presentation of proposed functionality, they can ‘encourage engineers
Next we discuss the potential for design to contribute and enact and and researchers to focus their attention, not only on the science of
enable change and challenge society by way of some tactical designerly prospective inventions, but also their design’ (Heidingsfelder, Kimpel
and scholarly forays together with other knowledge domains. & Schraudner, 2017: 48).

As mentioned, the research project group created a dialectic space to Innovation projects such as InnArbeid is also an opportunity for design to
develop an emergent problem framing together, as opposed to the evolve, not just contribute to other fields. It allows for a contextualization
more distributed (and perhaps more time efficient) way of delegating of design practice or a self-reflection. As Margolin has previous argued:
separate sections – a typical approach to such wicked problems (Jacobs, ‘if designers are going to realize the full potential of design thought,
2006). As a group, we have created a conference, produced joint then they should also learn to analyse how the situation that frame
publications, workshops and by now early concept innovations. Design design practice are themselves constructed’ (2002: 241). For InnArbeid
research infused with informed freedom presents as an interesting the involvement of design research meant we collaborated in visual and
idea generator for innovation. The robustness as well as the emergent in part experimental ways. This contributed to a holistic approach to a
solution space was held in place through the wide user involvement – complex and necessarily incomplete innovation environment. InnArbeid
from the practice field to the trans-disciplinary research group to the is the only Norwegian research project to approach the entire timeline
disruptive expert group. from school to finding work as well as starting and remaining in work.
The trans-disciplinarity of the research group is part of ensuring a wide
Here, design as a practice and an approach could contribute by engagement and actual user involvement with the complex transition
creating, conceptualising and enabling innovations in particular ‘where that people with ID find themselves in when going from school to work.
the conceptual thinking depends on the craft skills’ (Frayling, 2015).
The new Horizon 2020 program - Horizon Europe - asks for just such By involving all actors by partnering them into the project and inviting
an approach: more innovation, industry collaboration and tackling young people with ID and their parents and carers ensured that we
of complex problems such as climate change and health. Design’s had many iterations and alterations on the development of ideas as
expertise has a close fit to such innovation work in making ‘unthinkable much as concepts. And by applying for and designing ways in which
discoveries’ , in other words to not only rely on cognitive current the user engagement and feedback may involve alternative ways of
knowledge, but on the actionable knowledge – the practices - of the communicating – whether through a trusted advocate such as parent or
expert users. However, design’s participation in a research group require experienced carer or through using visuals and video to communicate
a certain set up - it asks for an iterative process, whereby insights and concepts e.g. experiential prototypes.
needs have to be revisited and revised because of the complexity
involved in proposing change into an interdependent system (Jones, With our design research participation, we suggested some tactical
2014). designerly and scholarly forays into the knowledge domains of adjacent
fields, such as education, care, work training and work assessment. In
Dialectic spaces turn, research has pointed to that ‘research through design is likely to
Our planning led to long meetings where we moved forward at a produce theories that are provisional, contingent, and aspirational’
slow pace, yet it was crucial to be exposed to the same material and (Gaver 2012: 937). There is a tension in the propositional nature
respond to it from our own individual practices. Design can play a role of design, with that of a deductive, rational progression towards
in rigorous research through informed yet experimental forays into innovations as well as the diverse insights from such hard-to-reach
new solution spaces (Wood, 2012). Research has shown that people people. Research suggest that such a long view of development via
from different fields not only work with their specialist languages, but communities of practice helps to “focus energy and intention to build a
‘they are actually trying to achieve different things’. (Blackwell et al., body of design knowledge that may take design into a desired future”
2009: 4). Working with and through methods of design that encourage (Poggenpohl, 2015: 44). As such the innovation project InnArbeid
experimentation, can help researchers and developers ‘uncover the highlights design research as less of a technical, improving activity than
virtually unlimited inherent contingencies of the world and gain new that of a cultural and performative endeavour.
insights, both within and across their particular disciplines’ (Grand and
Wiedmer, 2010: 5–6). In this sense, design is a cultural endavour and
the cultural semantics aspect of this is under researched (Frayling 2015).
Methods of design can help transcend the limitations of dominant
terminologies or methodologies and aid a transformation of diverse
perspectives into shared visions. By presenting a visual or tangible

180 181
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182 183
 The digitisation of
cordillera weaving:
Designing a new
oral tradition
Rachel Kelly
184 185
Abtsract Figures 1
Under the remit of the UN Global Challenges Sustainable Goal 4, it & 2. Nesta
Problem
must be understood that the capital value of knowledge preservation
Definition
needs to be elevated by the economic benefits of formal education & Theory of
and the ongoing and often lifelong socio-economic impact it creates. Change plans
The development and support of ethnolinguistic weaving practice devised by
may enable real-world benefits for Philippine society, culture, the Kelly, 2018
environment and the economy; it may address global challenges of
diminishing craft skill bases and knowledge and it may encourage an
education ecosystem which challenges dominant craft and design
education structures…

It has been evidenced that while the Cordilleran weaving tradition has
the status of National Heritage within the Philippines, the numbers of
community weavers able to practice is dwindling. A 2019 British Council
& Crafts Council / Crafting Futures grant project enabled a collaboration
between the Philippines based CordiTex project and Manchester School
of Art to support the future digitization of indigenous weaving tradition
within the Cordillera region of the Northern Philippines entitled:
Creating a Sustainable Textile Future for Women via the Digitization of
Cordillera Weaving Tradition (CSTFW) project. This project developed
a Learning Framework and Toolkit to support the preservation of an
oral based weaving tradition and to develop interventions for practice
and knowledge based change. The project raises the voice of oral craft
traditions and presents a heteroglossia, defined by Mikhail Bhaktin
(1895 – 1975) to describe the relationships between different voices
which can be heard within authored works such as hand woven textiles.
The CSTFW project is considering the structures and systems from an
educational and social standpoint to understand the perspectives for
change this project identifies. Our rationale was to listen, observe and
consider the research context and its challenges, in order to be able to
respond with effective and useful strategies for support. We asked if
the weaving tradition of the Cordillera is to transform and change from
the problems it faces, what impact might the shift from of an oral to a
digital tradition create?

We became a part of the CordiTex project in their second year out of

three years funding and we brought Crafting Futures based research cultural, functional, and which represents the artistry of ethnolinguistic
questions from our project funders. The British Council Crafting Futures communities in the northern Luzon geographic region. The major
project asks, How can craft generate economic opportunities and groups in the region include the Ifugao, Kalinga, Tinguian, Kankana-
enhance livelihoods for women? and, how can the global craft sector ey, Apayao and Ibaloy, each presenting unique histories, rituals,
address the declining youth engagement in the practice as well as language and weaving styles. The weaving techniques across the
the growing intergenerational divide? These questions sit beyond the whole Cordillera region and communities is represented by a weaving
CordiTex project aims and part of our work in the collaboration, has design process and culture which is underpinned by distinct religious,
been to consolidate our differing research destinations and aims. socio-political and mathematical values. The process of weaving is
often taught from grandparent to grandchild and features a meditative
Research Context process of counting from memory which weavers learn from a young
In the Cordillera region a rich tradition of weaving can be traced back age. The uptake of weaving amongst younger women today and the
through time for centuries. Cordillera weaving occupies a niche, that is knowledge of weaving techniques, pattern structures and traditions

186 187
are diminishing due to a range of socio-political and economic factors. 2011). A Theory of Change model (Nesta 2018) was the backbone of our
Weaving knowledge is not held in a written form but is passed on methodology and we utilised our model to inform the project research
via an oral tradition, where the holders of this knowledge are mainly questions, aims and outcomes. The Theory of Change framework was
elderly women ‘Master Weavers’. The impact of the oral tradition as key to embedding a consideration of the wider landscape of change in
an unwritten knowledge base for Cordillera weaving is now in a critical which this project is located.
state and the weaving tradition may become extinct.
Research Part 1: Field visits to five Cordilleran weaving
“The focus of the CordiTex research was conducted among communities in Kiangen, Abra, Manabo, Santiago and Mindoro
the Tinguian of Abra in northern Luzon, who had scarce While the CordiTex project is looking to preserve the Cordillera
documentation of its weaving tradition, but revealed the most weaving tradition, our research focused upon two communities who
intricate designs based on the collections from the museums are considered in most critical need of support due to the near decline
in the US. The weaving declined in the 1980s, and only one of their tradition. The communities from the Abra delta area near to
Tinguian community in Manabo, Abra is still weaving, and Llocos Sur and the South China Sea are described as having Ibaloy and
natural dyeing is revived in Penarubia, Abra. Most of the Tinguian heritage (Tolentino 2018). Both groups weave textiles such as
master weavers are elders and many who passed away without the Binakul which was a cloth originally used to call upon the wind gods
transmitting knowledge to the younger generation” (Salvador- to warn off dangerous spirits.
Amores 2018).
Figure 3:
Binakul
Project Approach Fabric. Credit
The groups of weavers from the Cordillera are identified by their CordiTex
ethnolinguistic languages which define their cultures and represent Archive
identities specific to place, ritual, beliefs and work. The Cordillera
ethnolinguistic groups were traditionally “a society made up of
small, dispersed, rivalrous groups, with a reputation for wildness (e.g.
headhunting)” (Rosaldo 1980). The difference between the knowledge
systems, culture, and material knowledge held within the Cordillera
communities and the knowledge we hold as research practitioners is
distinct. The value of the weaving community languages and voices is
a richness we as western contemporary educators find hard to improve
upon.

In terms of approaching data collection we employed phenomenological

and ethnographic methods including field research and deep hanging
out (Geertz 1998). Such approaches meant that we were located in the
research context where we could listen, looked, feel and remember
rather than walk around with a notebook or camera. We were fortunate
to have a photographer with us during our first field visit (Arnold Groups such as those who live in Manabo & Illocos are geographically
Salvador-Amores) and his photographs tell a visual story of the project. dispersed communities of Tinguian heritage having had to move due
Amores captured what we couldn’t always see and our reflections on to deforestation and problems faced as a result of environmental
the data he collected via the photographs have supported us to figure problems developing in rice growing (Gabattiss 2018; Glover & Stone
the range of practitioner identities and voices we encountered (Holland; 2018). The groups have an identity which is demonstrated by their
Lachicotte; Skinner & Cain 1998) ethnolinguistic language and the representations of their language by
their textiles. If their textiles disappear, a large part of their identity will
This project held a mirror up to us as researchers, educators and women also be diminished.
and we the project team of Rachel Kelly and Dr Michelle Stephens
maintained an identity as textile practitioners and weavers rather than The Manabo community from the Abra Delta
researcher outsiders (Walmsley 2018). A Design Thinking Cycle was The Manabo community has a status and history that places it in a
employed post-field visit, as an evaluation methodology to move the superior position in the hierarchy of weaver communities and culture
research from understanding to exploration and materialization (Cross in the Cordillera, due to the complex weaving patterns and fine

188 189
cotton yarns used. Paradoxically, it is now in the position of being the Figure 5.
community most at risk from the weaving tradition dying out and they Manabo
cite many reasons, but the inaccessibility of Philippine yarns which are Community
Weavers.
sold for export before they are even planted is making it too costly
Credit
for them to weave. There is activism within the Philippines seeking Amores 2019
to remedy the inaccessibility of Philippine Cotton and the UNESCO
heritage status of the rice terraces is going some way to support the
preservation of Philippine cotton growing (Glover & Stone 2018).

Manabo is a new village still under construction, mainly consisting of

breeze-block houses with foot weaving looms housed in a garage.
From what we were told, the village had moved to this new location
from their traditional area due to a change to growing tapioca rather
than rice.
A shift in the tone of the visit came when researcher Stephens
The Manabo women weavers we met were all united in their view as showed examples of her digital weaving work to the community on
to why weaving was declining in their community, via specifically, the her mobile phone. The group became mesmerised by the images
lack of interest in young women to become weavers. The decline in and the conversation opened up. The Manabo weavers, in a sense
Figure 4 Figure 6. Dr
Manabo Vil- Michelle Ste-
lage Garage phens mobile
which houses Phone. Credit
last remaining Amores 2019
community
looms. Credit
Amores 2019

decided to listen to us because they were interested in talking about

weaving take up means that the end of weaving in the community weaving rather than talking about the problems in their community.
will come when the older Master Weavers we met, die. Our project The exchange with the phone opened up a creative space where we
partner had arranged during our visit to collect a loom belonging to the were able to introduce our project and to demonstrate hand and digital
community to take back to the Museum Kordillera due to lack of space weave drafting methods. Explaining that they could write down their
in the garage space and because it was unlikely ever to be used again. designs and that they could be developed in many ways as a result.

There was a sense of despair that the young of the community were Drafting is the notational language required for the translation of
either not prepared nor interested in learning to weave. With this group woven fabric into a binary design code which will enable weaving to be
in particular, the potential of weaving as a good source of income could developed, patterns to be preserved and for the draft to be used as a
be developed and our project had been designed with this type of teaching tool.
community in mind. Our rationale as researchers was to is scrutinise
what we saw and understood to be true, and we have been mindful not
to over romanticise the problem, but to seek via our evidence if positive
outcomes for the preservation of the weaving tradition may emerge.

190 191
 Figure 7. structures, so is a design process. The binary language of drafting is
Manabo universal and this first writing of a draft was the first step away from the
Community oral tradition. For these women it was the first time they had written
Weavers look
their designs down.
at mobile
phone weav-
ing images. It is implied by the oral tradition that the draft process creates a boundary
Credit Amores object with which to mediate between the tradition and the present
2019) (Star & Griesemer 1989). The drafting process in this context became
a mediating practice and the workshop which took place in the small
garage space captured a sense of future potential which the Learning
Tool Kit will hopefully enable within contexts such as the Manabo.

The concerns of the weavers are the lack of young people prepared or
interested to take up weaving. There was a sense of despair that this
is the situation. With this group in particular, the potential of weaving
Figure 8. to be a good source of income needs to be communicated better to
Manabo the non-weaving community members and there was a sense that the
Community
Weavers learn Figure 9.
to draft their Manabo
weaving. Community
Credit Amores Weavers
2019 working
at outside
table. Credit
Amores 2019

“…draft notation uses graph paper as a framework. The space

between its evenly spaced verticals is understood to indicate the weaving might be a nuisance to other activities. The contrast between
warp threads, that between the horizontals, spaced similarly and the lack of space in the garage with the ‘packed-in’ looms with the
intersecting at right angles, the filling threads. The little squares freedom of space the impromptu workshop and draft process created
thus formed denote the intersection of warp and weft… of was startling. The workshop ended with the weavers, sat outside in the
course more than the thread construction has to be identified in fresh air at an outdoor table with the women continuing to draft their
the analysis of a cloth…when these facts have been established, patterns after the project team had left.
all the information required for the reproduction of a cloth has
been ascertained, for the procedure of weaving is merely a The Sabangan Weavers Association in Santiago Ilocos Sur
matter of inference” (Albers, 2017: 22). The Sabangan Weavers Association comprises three elderly women
weavers and one granddaughter; Talin 85, Ibing 75 and Petra 79
The weavers saw the potential to enable the expression of their ideas and Shara 16. Within this visit we observed a rare apprentice pairing
via the drafting process and each weaver became fully engaged in what between grandmother Talin and granddaughter Shara, who practices
we were showing them. The Master Weaver worked with quick marks sections of weaving on her grandmothers loom. We were also exposed
and the other weavers worked slowly and precisely. The drafting process to the affect climate change is having upon these communities directly
became an expression of their signatures, just as they are the writers and in the home of Talin which is very close to the South China Sea wall,
of their cloth. What the oral tradition holds on to is the un-common she had lost sections of her roof in the December 2018 typhoons.
nuances of textile language manifested in work which is crafted and
made rather than designed. Drafting is the written notation of woven
192 193
 Figure 9. Figure 11.
Manabo Com- Master weav-
munity Weav- er Mam Ta-
ers working at lin’s typhoon
outside table. damaged
Credit Amores home.
2019

Figure 10.
Master Weav-
er Mam Talin.

This community will hopefully benefit from our project in particular, via
the development of the Learning Tool Kit, which will support apprentice
learners to work with more independence via the introduction of
portable weaving technology, access to a weavers network and
weave learning hub. In the research reflections we have made since
we undertook the first field visit, we have looked closer at the choices To contrast with the despairing situation we were presented with,
such women face in choosing weaving as a livelihood. We have used there were also high levels of actualizing/wellbeing (Maslow 1943)
a range of perspectives and methodologies to understand how the demonstrated by the elderly weavers in that they work independently,
development of a language-based understanding of their identity they are long living, active and they are Masters in their craft. The manner
(Gadamer 2006) might better support the weaving women to maintain in which weaving has been a central part of their family’s communities
strength in their choices. We heard many stories of women who were and the oral tradition which has enabled the weaving to be passed on
master weavers who gave up and now walk the highways selling eggs. is remarkable. Concerns for the Sabangan women are their very low
Shara, the apprentice Sabangan weaver was in school but has since income and their exposure to environmental dangers such as typhoons
January 2019 dropped out to look after her family. and tsunamis, but wellbeing comes from their independence and

194 195
autonomy and from the act (or ritual) of weaving rather than the income The process of translating the text into an opposite version of the
they generate. truth, enables a version of the project which can be used to better
undertake a response to the research questions asked How can craft
Figure 12.
Apprentice Figure 13.
weaver. Talin’s dry
garden
appeared like
a paradise in
contrast to
her typhoon
ravaged
home.

Being a weaver is the identity taken by these women and they

demonstrate this via: generate economic opportunities and enhance livelihoods for women?
By opening up the picture of the context via a discourse analysis,
• Their independence conceptual spaces are created around which to think, research and
• Their work from home potentially to design interventions and tools which can support and
• Pride via photographs of work in the home enable the weavers to change their situation.
• Participation in education projects
• Family support structure and the connectiveness across Our visits to the communities enabled us to understand the context first
generations hand and exposed our biases, challenging us to seek a method to see
• Direct selling, costing measuring and business capability different perspectives. Due to our research and practitioner led figuring
• Peace at work – one weaver described her loom as ‘her office’
Concerns for the Sabangan women are their very low income. (The Sabangan women Figure 14.
The undertaking of the field visits such as the one to the Sabangan work independently and survive on what they earn from their weaving) Wellbeing comes Discourse
community raises a concern that sympathetic researcher lenses can from the act or ritual of weaving rather than the income generated. (Weaving is an active analysis
often be adopted when complex and challenging research experiences practice, it is physical, repetitive and time consuming). Being a weaver is the identity taken undertaken
by these women and they demonstrated this via: (Weaving is one of a range of work types as part of
are encountered. We experienced confusion as to how we were
available to these women, alternatives include egg selling, prostitution and factory work)
responding to these women and our responses were polarized between understand-
demonstrated via:
positive and negative. ing research
• Their independence; Their Dependence; process.
• Their work from home; Their home is their place of work;
Discourse Analysis and in particular discourse analysis which uses • Pride via photographs of work in the home. There are only pictures of their work;
a Foucauldian process of text reversal (Lee & Poynton 2000) can be • Participation in education projects; It is useful for education projects to use
used as a method to help reveal an alternative to the sympathetic bias examples such as these women as data;
which can arise from projects such as ours. The visit to meet the elderly • Family support structure and the connectiveness across generations; Ties that
Sabangan women living in extreme poverty could affect our bias and bind;
understanding. The results of a reversal analysis (see figure 14) using • Direct selling; No one to support the sale of work;
a section of text highlighted above creates a picture which reveals an Peace at work – one weaver described her loom as ‘her office’. Life is so challenging in
alternative perspective of the structures which are implicated in the terms of poverty that the sanctuary of work brings a sense of relief.
enabling of such a despairing position for the Cordillera weavers.

196 197
(Holland; Lachicotte; Skinner & Cain 1998), we were able to adapt Figure 16. A
and respond to the situations we were presented with. We started to Lego loom
identify more deeply with the women and began to understand the visualisation
and reflection
wider implications for our research.
on weaver
concerns.
A Learning Tool Kit Development Workshop held at the Credit
University of the Philippines in Baguio Amores Jan
The Learning Tool Kit Development Workshop in Baguio was attended 2019
by Thirty-Five participants from The Northern Cordillera villages,
academics and textile stakeholders. The methods used in preparing for
the workshop reflected a process designed to most effectively meet
the project aims and collect the data we required. A process for the
multi-lingual multi stakeholder workshop was sought which enabled
inclusive participation and a Lego© visualisation method (Lego© 2015;
Blair and Rillo 2016) was used. Using Lego© we asked simple questions
to generate meaningful qualitative data and the process replicated The oral tradition supports all of the Cordilleran communities by way of
somewhat how oral teaching and learning works by supporting the maintenance of their living culture. The practice of weaving has been
discourse to evolve and for the process to be captured via a shared an unstated support system for these communities and in particular the
group experience (Gauntlett 2011; Kelly 2017). women within these communities, for such a long time that the value
of weaving to sustain and maintain livelihoods, most likely reaches far
“…significant symbols – words for the most part but also beyond what is currently recognised.
gestures, drawings, musical sounds, mechanical devices…
anything that is disengaged from its mere actuality and used to Key reflections from weave Drafting workshop were:
impose meaning upon experience” (Geertz 1973 p45 in Crotty
1998 p53) I.That weaving at home with the family and community is an
important part of the weaving experience for the women. They
We posed three simple questions: value the peace their practices bring.
1. “Describe a place which is yours… II. The value of weaving as a source of income now that typhoons
2. Tell us something only you know about Cordillera Weaving are occurring across all seasons is vital. The typhoons make work
Tradition... in the rice fields less dependable and more dangerous and
3. What most concerns you about the preservation of Cordillera women can weave in all weathers so is seen as a positive aspect
Weaving Tradition?” for the maintenance of both community and livelihoods. Having
weaving resources which can support teaching and learning in
The community in the workshop revealed that they felt a pressure which the community, was seen as a positive idea.
is multi-layered where they are responsive to the range of voices from
their past, present and from their children looking towards the future. III. The autonomy of weaving as an identity, for the women was
Figure 15. The crucial, and while all the weavers we met were living below the
Learning Tool poverty line there were high actualizing outcomes for the women
Kit Workshop being able to work independently. NB: This is something which
at University our ongoing research is looking into in more depth.
of Philippines
in Baguio held
19th January.
Participants as part of the Learning Tool Kit Workshop, were also taught
to draft their weaving via a stage by stage demonstration which used
old Cordilleran fabrics from the CordiTex archive during which, again
we learned that the community weavers are completely adept at
understanding weave drafting even though it was a first-time learning
experience for all. Participants expressed their revelations in the closing
workshop plenary at being taught a new weave language. Drafting is

198 199
the Threshold Concept (Meyer and Land 2003, 2005) required to enable Figure 19.
digital weaving to take place, because it translates woven cloth into a Workshop
binary language. By stepping through a knowledge portal during the participants
visit the
workshop, a seed for change was sown.
CordiTex pro-
ject archive
The final part of the Learning Toolkit workshop was a tour offered by at Museum
the CordiTex team of their project archives at the Museum Kordillera. Kordillera
While the weavers were amused at coming face to face with the work of in Bagu-
their ancestors, there was a palpable sense of concern, or it could have io. Credit
been awe, when the weavers viewed the carefully preserved fabrics. Amores, Jan
The past and present collided at this moment and there was a huge 2019.
contrast between the circumstances of the weavers and the high-tech
air-controlled archive. The weavers returned, literally chilled, from the
archive environment and we can only reflect that the experience was Figure 20.
deeply affecting for the participants. Workshop
participants
visit the
CordiTex pro-
ject archive
at Museum
Figure 17. Kordillera
‘Mam’ Master in Bagu-
weaver speak- io. Credit
ing during Amores, Jan
the reflective 2019
plenary at the
Learning Tool
Kit Workshop.
Credit Amores
2019 Discussion
The story of our project is that there is a diminishing weaving tradition
within the Cordillera which is evidenced by the low interest among
young members of the communities to become weavers. Elderly
community weavers are and will be the last generation to pass on their
knowledge in an oral tradition. Weaving knowledge has maintained the
ethnolinguistic oral tradition where master weavers teach apprentices,
but the weaving tradition is now in a critical state as the elderly weavers
Figure 18 are dying.
Weavers visit
the Feasts
and Rituals Figure 21.
Exhibition at Workshop
Museum Kor- participants
dillera at UoP visit the
Baguio. Credit CordiTex pro-
Amores, Jan ject archive
2019 at Museum
Kordillera
in Bagu-
io. Credit
Amores, Jan
2019

200 201
The value of Cordillera weaving has been recognised by museums and pillars of the Cordillera Weaving Tradition are commendable. However,
by private collectors with cloths being documented, sold and collected if the position does not change then the outlook for the Cordilleran
globally. The CordiTex project aims to preserve Cordillera weave communities is depressing and for the women and their families
knowledge via the digital translation of the weave structures and by and children, it is frightening and predictable. For the remaining
purchasing a specialized TC2 Digital Loom to use to translate the lost communities who do not find or secure good work within their
patterns. The Museum Kordillera will dedicate an exhibition in 2019 communities, there is the fearful move, to life in a city with its inherent
to the Cordillera weaving tradition, however, this preservation process risk of exploitation. Centuries of tradition, culture and an autonomous
is disconnected from the communities and weavers from which this life that was a paradise, is in danger of disappearing. With this in mind
culture of textiles has arisen. we have developed a Learning Tool Kit Action Plan that we earnestly
hope can assist in sustaining the weaving culture of the Cordillera.
Weaving has enabled trade and income for the predominantly female
weaving communities within the Cordillera area of Northern Philippines Digitizing the Cordillera Weaving Tradition Project: 4 Action
for millennia. If weaving declines with the decline in culture (CordiTex Strand Learning Tool Kit/2019.
2018), a source of income and livelihood for women also declines. The
Creating a Sustainable Textile Future for Women: Digitising Cordillera Active Practice Actions:
Weaving Tradition project aimed to address this. The weavers met
via the project workshops and activities, expressed the paradise their
1. Weave learning can be made more efficient through the use of
work creates via the autonomy and sense of connection to their history,
portable learning technology (in the first instance via small sample
community and land their weaving provides. The weavers convinced us
looms, but in time new innovations could be developed). This action
to support them to find methods to bring young women into weaving
builds upon understanding and knowledge which exists within
practice via a new learning system (Drafting), supported education,
the communities (such as the portable backstrap loom) to enable
learning tools and apprenticeship.
independent, quick, low resource, weave learning to take place in a
variety of settings.
The reflections of the weavers at the UoP Learning Tool Kit workshop
and in the field and the small literature review undertaken so far,
2. Within the oral tradition, apprentices become masters and then
have enabled the identification of an emerging link between weaving
masters teach. The cycle is regenerated in each generation, but
practice and rice growing. The changes to rice growing as a main
this is a slow process, where apprentices do not teach until they
reliable income source for Northern Luzon Communities is changing
are masters. Small sample looms enable learning to develop in a
(Glover & Stone, 2018) and weaving creates an opportunity within the
constructed spiral rather than circular form. A practice-led model,
changing climate as an enduring occupation which may in the future
become more reliable than agricultural work. Climate change and the
impact of typhoons within the Philippines is having a negative impact Figure 22.
upon the rice growing eco-system and rice growing is under increased Learning Tool
Kit Action
scrutiny as a possible contributor to climate change (Gabbattiss 2018).
Strands;

The Indigenous History Curriculum within Philippine Schools (a K-12

level ages 3-12 years) has limited formal learning which aimed to
underpin a nationwide consciousness around the ethnolinguistic history
of the Philippines and in particular an understanding of ethnolinguistic
cultural traditional crafts. The inaccessibility of affordable yarns in
particular Philippine cotton which is mostly exported, has resulted in
higher baseline material costs for weavers. The lack of weaving support
networks, lack of routes to market for sale of weaving and lack of
teaching within Higher Education to support maintenance of Philippine
weaving traditions, all contribute to the problem identified.

The centrality of weaving in the lives of the women of the Cordillera

region must not be underestimated. Weaving and the weaving
communities have protected, clothed, and celebrated this society and
the endeavours of the Crafting Futures project to reinforce the central
202 203
 where learning leads to further learning development enables capital in the communities can grow, new seedbed pedagogy,
learners to become More Knowledgeable Others (Vgotsky 1978) so learning and innovation can emerge. Starting with the youngest
the process repeats, but in a more efficient and effective manner. children, weave learning will be a part of their education from a
young age.
Networked Practice Actions
2. The weaving knowledge in the Cordillera resides within the
communities. A bridge from Higher Education to the communities is
1. A Cordillera Weave Network is required to enable knowledge,
needed to develop weave education via global textile conversations,
resources and economic opportunities to be shared both within and
new curriculum development, joint validations and transnational
beyond their community.
initiatives and exchanges.
2. A professional practice development programme for groups or
individuals online or as workshops would support practice beyond
the traditional weaving system.

3. A co-operative hub or centre for weave education is needed. The

centre could provide communication, opportunity development
and enable routes for the sale of work. The centre could link beyond
the weave tradition to include farming, yarn and fibre development,
raw material supply and links to climate change based support
agencies.

4. Family-based networks will expand as children gain their own

voices and under-standings of their culture and practices. Children
will be encouraged to learn in the home with their family, within
their community and via the development of the K-12 curriculum.

Innovative Practice Actions

1. The development of design tools and technology which will

appeal to the young (via digital tools and portable loom technology),
will support weave based craft and design learning both in the
community and as a part of schools & HE curriculum.

2. Weave education would be central to the CordiTex project hub,

to enable weavers to participate in advanced weave development
(via TC2 Loom access) to develop innovations and the journey from
drafting, weaving and digital translation to be made.

3. Create a living Cordillera weave library for patterns and learning

samples such as those being woven for the CSTFW project.
Learning resources would be for weavers to use for free and to be
easily accessible.

Sustainable Practice Actions

1. Develop K-12 weave curriculum as a future facing education

paradigm to enable children to develop knowledge and skills
which build upon the heritage and resources that are within the
communities. By facilitating a system in which the knowledge-based

204 205
References Walmsley, W.; (2018) Deep hanging out in the arts: an anthropological approach to
capturing cultural value, International Journal of Cultural Policy, 24:2, 272-291, DOI:10.
1080/10286632.2016.1153081
Albers, A., Weber, N. F., & Cirauqui, M. (2017). On Weaving: New Expanded Edition.
Princeton University Press. Vygotsky, L.S; edited by Michael Cole [et al] (1978) Mind in society: The development
of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, Mass; London Harvard University Press.
Adorno, T. (1973) The Jargon of Authenticity. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Blair, S., & Rillo, M. (2016) Serious Work: How to facilitate meetings and workshops
using Lego® Serious Play® Method. Promeet.
Britt, H., & Shaw, A. (2014). Transitioning between Industry and Education: The Centre Acknowledgements
for Advanced Textiles (CAT) Case Studies in Digital Textile Printing. The author would like to thank the project partner Dr Michelle Stephens, the CordiTex
Buruma, A. (2007). The library as muse: using Liberty’s textile archive 1. Art Libraries team, in particular Professor Analyn Salvador-Amores and the Chancellor of the
Journal, 32(3), 32-35. University of Philippines, Baguio Dr Raymundo Rovillos. The project was initiated by
Professor Alice Kettle. The author thanks the participants in the field and the weavers
Cross, N.; (2011) Design thinking: understanding how designers think and work. Oxford, and stakeholders who attended the workshop in January 2019 and who kindly offered
Berg. their models, reflections and insights which have enriched this research and paper.
CordiTex (2018) Executive Summary. University of Philippines, Baguio City. The project was the result of a Crafts Council & British Council Crafting Futures Grant
and we thank Kendall Robbins from the British Council for her support throughout the
CordiTex (2018) Study Brochure. University of Philippines, Baguio City project. Thanks, is also given to Martyn Evans, Kristina Niedderer, Annie Shaw and Joe
Gauntlett, D. (2011). Making is connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY McCullagh at Manchester School of Art who have supported this research.
and knitting to YouTube and web 2.0. Cambridge: Polity.
Holland, D., Lachicotte Jr., W., Skinner, D., & Cain, C. (1998). Identity and agency in
cultural worlds, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Gabattiss, J.; (2018) Rice farming up to twice as bad for climate change as previously
thought, study reveals. Accessed: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/rice-
farming-climate-change-global-warming-india-nitrous-oxide-methane-a8531401.html
Gadamer, H.G., (2006) Truth and Method. Continuum, London.
Glover, D & Stone, G.D.; (2018) Heirloom rice in Ifugao: an ‘anti-commodity’ in the
process of commodification, The Journal of Peasant Studies, 45:4, 776 804, DOI:
10.1080/03066150.2017.1284062
Kelly, R. (2017). Ikebana: a collaborative design pedagogy. The Design Journal, 20
(sup1), S1093-S1105.
Lave, J.; Wenger, E.; (1991) Situated Learning. Legitimate peripheral participation,
Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press
Lee, A. & Poynton, C., (2000) Culture & Text. Rowman & Littlefield, London.
Lego® www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay/trademark-guidelines
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needs.html
Meyer, J.H.F. & Land, R., (2003) ‘Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (1):
Linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines. Improving Student
Learning – Ten Years On. C. Rust (Ed), OCSLD, Oxford.
Meyer, J.H.F. & Land, R., (2005) ‘Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2):
Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning’.
R. High Educ 49: 373. doi:10.1007/s10734-004-6779-5
NESTA Theory of Change method (accessed via https://www.nesta.org.uk/toolkit/
theory-change/)
Rosaldo, R. 1980. Ilongot headhunting 1883–1974. A study in society and history.
Stanford, CA, USA: Stanford University Press cited in Glover, D & Stone, G.D.; (2018)
Sanchez, A.; (1990) The Textile Industry in the Philippines and Thailand: A comparison.
Journal of Philippine Development. No 30. Vol XVII, No 1. 1990. Accessed: https://pdfs.
semanticscholar.org/ebf7/ef18af2782a55949e7da6d727b37ff5a77d8.pdf
Tolentino, JR. D.; (2018) Feasts of Merit: wealth, status and feasting in Luzon Cordillera.
Museum Kordilera, University of Philippines, Baguio City.

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 Design research
for educational
change:
Methodologies
for exploring the
future of learning
Michael Kerres and Barbara Getto
208 209
Abstract a plau-sible model existed explaining the causes and effects of a social
Education as a scholarly discipline – separate from Philosophy – was phenomenon it is not obvious how to draw a conclusion about the best
established as the society’s demand for an educated workforce of ways to implement change.
teachers became stronger in the 18th century. Whereas Biology,
Physics or Psychology relate to basic phenomena of life and nature, As a consequence of the “PISA-shock“, several public measures for
Education, like Eco-nomics and Law, is strongly associated with the research have been setup. A recent evaluation of the program on
increasingly complex institution of education: primary and secondary empirical educational research by the federal ministry of education
schools, vocational education, higher education etc.. The investment revealed the limited impact of this research to the public discussion
in research in the field of Education, therefore, very often is questioned and changes in the educational system. Therefore, starting in 2018 the
as to its contribution to the solving of problems in the practical field of federal ministry of education started a new framework for empirical
education. research in education with a distinct focus on change projects, design
based approaches and the analyses of success factors for change. The
Educational Science shares its roots with several disciplines: firstly learning lab of Uni-versity of Duisburg-Essen is responsible for the meta-
with philosophical inquiries and historical studies, the tradition of project in the field of digitalization in edu-cation, accompanying and
empirical research in Psychology and Sociology, but it also relates supporting the around 50 projects sponsored in this line of research.
to other disciplines, e.g. educational management and economics, Furthermore, the meta-project – based on a network of several
technological and architectural aspects related to the infrastructure university and national insti-tutes – is devoted to the joint development
of schools. All these disciplines have long his-tories of elaborating a of a methodology of design-based research.
diversity of theoretical approaches as well as research methodologies
and methods, standards for scholarly research and communication. Design research in education
Educational Science, then, is a situated at the intersection of all these A design approach to education is based on the insight that even
traditions. Over the time, the focus of attention has shifted between the the most thorough analysis of learning and education does not
various reference disciplines with their corresponding methodologies: deliver the necessary knowledge about how to develop learn-ing and
from philosophy and history, to psychology and sociology and other education in the field. This insight might be accepted by a larger part
reference disciplines. Although still covering a wide range, the preferred of the educational research community, but it still is the question if this
research methods and standards in educational re-search have changed knowledge for change is to be understood as an enterprise of a new type
but without developing a unique methodology of educational science. of scholarly research or as a problem of application in the practi-cal field
Today, the mainstream of educational research is devoted to – beyond research. Therefore, the establishment of a design approach
quantitative and qualitative ap-proaches analyzing individual learning, for educational research is still under heavy discussion, especially since
education institutions and underlaying social processes from an design research approaches are still in its infancy: not all development
interdisciplinary perspective mainly relating to philosophy, psychology projects that are somehow being implementing with partners in the
and sociology. These analyses provide models and theories to better field can be interpreted as design research. Furthermore, since design
understand how learning and education function and what are relevant research still is not widely established it is difficult to receive funding
dimensions to explain diversity and inequity. In the 1990s, large scale for these – still developing – approaches. Therefore, also it is often
assessments were started internationally that allow to monitor and criticized that we do not posses enough knowledge about change pro-
compare learning achievements in common subjects in secondary cess it is not widely acknowledged that this kind of question also has to
schools. For some participating states, the re-sults of the PISA and be addressed as a re-search question with a clear methodological focus.
other assessments – discussed by a wider public – led to frustration: In Therefore, it is of utmost importance to re-late to other disciplines that
these cases, the self-perception of a culture valuing education highly have a longer tradition in referring to concepts of design.
(and spending high amounts of money in education) did not match
the results of these tests. This experience moti-vated a wide discussion “Teaching” and “instruction” have been described with reference to
of measure to take to improve the quality of learning in schools. Nu- liberal arts, an activity that cannot be planned nor explained, emerging
merous suggestions were brought up by politicians, researchers as well from the encounter of person to person. This posi-tion, strongly held
as from the broader pub-lic and discussed in the media. Interestingly, in a traditional view of education as “Bildung”, has been opposed by
these suggestions – based on the same results – could be completely a tech-nological view, interpreting teaching as an activity that should
contradictory and all starting points for change seemed plausible: follow successful principles of teaching that have been derived from
school buildings, curricula, nutrition, teacher training – anything could empirical research (vgl. Reiser, 1987). In this case, tech-nology does
be argued for. These discussions also showed that the measurement of not refer to technical devices or (digital) media; it refers to the body
learning achievements, though illuminating, does not provide sufficient
information about possible mechanisms for change. Even more basic, if
210 211
of systematic knowledge of a domain (e.g. the technology of building process could impede with the success of a project (Goodyear, 1994).
bridges). In a traditional approach, a requirements analysis leads to a software
specifi-cation which then – in a next phase – is implemented. “Errors”
Both positions have been abandoned. From a perspective of systems in the design are not anticipated and might question the success of
theory, Luhman & Schorr (1982) have pointed out the deficit of a project, essentially, if detected to late. “Errors” are a disas-ter, are
technology in the professional activity of teachers: The success of indicators of bad planning. However, in a typical development project
teaching does not rely on the quality of the teacher’s interventions in the field of education, they can also be seen as insights that might
alone, it is a co-construction. When we refer to explaining instruction as open the direction to new qualities. This view, however, necessitates an
design then we acknowledge that it should be positioned somewhere organization of the design process that follows a model that has been
between an act of fine arts and a technology. With the first edition of discussed as “agile” in recent years. Surprisingly, this line of discussion
“principles of instructional design” in from Robert Gagné and Leslie heavily discussed in computer engineering is not discussed intensively,
Briggs the design perspective on instruction was established. Initially, although it seems attractive to address how to systematically integrate
the seminal work of Gagné and his research group at Florida State learning in a learning development project.
University, Tallahassee, was based on research and development in the
military – not in the school sector. Therefore, the group was confronted Kerres (2018) explains that the design process has to be adopted to the
with a completely dif-ferent set of conditions for teaching and learning, conditions of the design project. Routine projects with tight resources,
e.g. teaching was more related to “training”; large groups of learners for example, will need different designs that more exploratory innovation
– spread around the world – had to be addressed; standardization projects. He, therefore, phrases the term “design your design”:
had a high priority. With this background, Gagné reached out to instructional designers should not follow an instructional design model
using print media and video for in-struction in the early 1960s, setting they have learned. Pro-fessional designers should be able to construct
up arrangements that combined classroom teaching with textbook of a design model appropriate for a given prob-lem. The model from
materials, video instructions delivered via TV around the world to large Kerres does provide criteria when to follow a more sequential or a
groups of learners. Besides this initial context, the various editions of the more iterative model. Essentially, this approach questions the basic
instructional design-textbook, which have appeared since, always were assumption that instructional de-sign should follow “the one best” ID-
broadly addressing the various context of education, but they were not model. It follows empirical analysis of routines instructional designers
restricted to the perspective of (typically: secondary) school in other practice in their fields. The demonstrate that in most cases they do
ID-models. They did reflect, however, the transition of the theoretical not follow a spe-cific model (and worse: some / many even never have
discussion in instructional design from behaviorism to cognitive heard of any id-model, but supposedly are still successfully performing
approaches. However, their approach consistently kept the focus and their duties. Professionalism in the context of instructional design means
the starting point of all instructional design on the specification of creating a flexible approach – based on the state of the art and science
learning results and then developing the design backwards. of learning and teaching – and reflecting on the results of the routine
(which might lead to a reconsideration of these routines).
Several models of instructional design have been developed over the
years. Andrew & Goodson (1980) were the first to publish a comparison Approaches to design-based research in education
of different models. They found a set of similarities but criticized that the In the 1990s, several educational researchers were confronted with
models would not indicate their scope and the operating conditions. an increasing pressure from funding agencies, foundations and
They assumed that their design model would be applicable in all education authorities to deliver more concise and practical results
contexts, for all topics, ranges, target groups and institutional sector for the educational sector and to make a better contribution to the
(Lowyck & Elen, 1994). development of so-ciety at large. Design-based research (DBR) was
an answer of the scientific community, which gained a lot of approval
Dick & Carey (1985) published a model that organized instructional among the research community. Brown (1992) hat introduced the term
design following a rather generic sequence of steps with the acronym “design experiments” relating to Stokes (1997), who was referring to
of ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Evalua-tion). The textbook “use-inspired basic re-search” and Pasteur’s quadrant. The paper from
has been published in many editions since and is typical in viewing the the “The Design Based Research Collective” (2003) has been highly
de-sign process as a linear process with distinct stages. The underlying cited and the a special issue on DBR in the Journal of the Learning Sci-
concept of a “waterfall” – as discussed in software engineering – has ences, introduced by Barab & Squire (2004), with a paper from Collins,
been questioned in the realm of software engineering: With a waterfall, Joseph & Bielczyc (2004), received a lot of attention.
it follows a strict direction and if it has passed the fall it will not be able
to go back. In the development of software, it had turned out that the Basically, DBR defines the process of research as an iterative course of
application of a highly sequen-tial model for organizing the development continuous inquiry and optimization in a number of trials in differing
212 213
contexts. A DBR project should, therefore, rely on a set of consecutive researcher as an observer Figure 1.
trials where a certain conceptual model or instructional approach can Dimensions
be tested and improved. The analysis of a new concept for developing of research
evaluation research experimental trials in the field
reading comprehension, for example, could be tested in a series of
of education
consecutive experiments in parallel classes at several schools. This short pattern
case studies (allocation
description shows why DBR received such a high popularity in short ethnography might vary)
time, especially from researchers with a background in quantitative pilots
best practices
methodology: Proposing a con-secutive series of experiments for existing new
validating and improving a concept is not challenging a tradi-tional practices practices
view of empirical research. In general, research has always relied on the self-reflective implementation research
idea of a contin-uous stream of studies – from different research groups practitionar design-based research
– cumulating scholarly knowledge. Therefore, it might be questioned if
dialogical prototyping
the basic idea of DBR as an iterative process is adding a new approach
research
to this general perspective. Furthermore, in many cases it simply is action research
not possible to implement a research project as a series of studies,
especially with projects that are developing new programs or artifacts researcher as an agent
(e.g., for digital learning) and in conditions where parallel groups do not
education. It is important to note, that the analysis of given practices in
exist (which is often typical outside of schools).
the field do not automatically yield new directions and do not answer
the question how to develop new measures to innovate teaching and
On the other hand, we have a long tradition of approaches to social
learning in the various sectors of education. In recent years, textbooks
research that are rejecting the idea of learners or teachers being objects
have emerged that reflect on the discussion of these approaches and
of research. Learning and teaching in an educa-tional setting is a
provide guidance to researchers in the field of design based research
complex situation that cannot be reduced to scientific models consisting
(McKenney & Reeves, 2018; Akker, Gravemeijer, McKen-ney, & Nieveen,
of a set of isolated if-then statements. Instead they perceive research as
2006).
a complex social interaction between people in different roles. In this
tradition of research, several approaches have been developed that differ
Design research in the field of research on “Educational Technology”
in their conceptualization of the roles of the various players. In action
Research on Educational Technology has attracted a large
research academia is mainly concerned with building and supporting
interdisciplinary community of re-searchers bringing together scholars
the development of solu-tions for practical challenges (Bradbury, 2015;
from various backgrounds. In this context, the discussion of design-
Edwards-Groves & Kemmis, 2016a; McMillan & Schumacher, 2010;
based research does have an additional connotation since we are
Zuber-Skerritt, 2003). With “teachers as reflective practitioners” (Schön,
addressing the devel-opment and delivery of a technical artifact that
2017) and the “teachers as researchers” (Edwards-Groves & Kemmis,
exhibits certain characteristics on its surface and inside. The terminology
2016b) approaches, teach-ers are trained and supported to setup a
of design, in this context, seems to have a closer relation the attributes of
research study in their own field. Teacher’s experienc-es and reflections
these artifacts. However, from the educational perspective, our primary
are valued as constructions of their professional activity in the field.
concern are not these obvious attributes that can be “designed”,
These utterances inform us about the perception of a certain part of the
we are mainly interested in the structural el-ements a) of the design
educational field and at the same time they contribute to the creation
process in the various stages from planning to implementing in a
of the social reality they describe. Research helps to record these
social environment and b) of the design patterns, models, concepts
views and make them available to others as a source for professional
etc. inscribed into the artifacts. Meanwhile, there are some textbooks
development and critical discussion (Cross, 2007; van Akker & Nieveen,
related to design-based research in the field of educa-tional technology
2017).
(Spector, Merrill, Merrienboer, & Driscoll, 2007; Clark & Mayer, 2016;
Euler & Sloane, 2014; Tulodziecki, Grafe, & Herzig, 2013; Savin-Baden
To some extent, current research on teaching and learning essentially
& Tombs, 2017; Beetham & Sharpe, 2019)
is conceptualized as “basic research” in the field of education, without
addressing the underlying gap between edu-cational research and
At the University Duisburg-Essen’s Learning Lab, our focus is on learning
practice. But increasingly, researchers follow different paths to actively
innovations with digital technology. “Exploring the Future of Learning“
answer the basic challenge of knowledge transfer. These different
- the slogan describes the mission of our research group. With a staff of
approaches can be sketched around two dimensions shown in Figure
about 40 people, the lab is developing digital innovations for schools,
1: Researchers are more or less engaged in the field as observers or
higher education and adult education following a design-based
actors, and they can focus on current or new practices in the field of
214 215
approach to educational research based on a dialogue of research and projects. The meta-project supports transfer activities of the projects
practice. In a previous project, the lab has been involved with meta- and generates attention and visibility for the project work.
analytical approaches to synthetizing educational research on digital
learning (Zawacki-Richter, Kerres, Buntins, Bond, & Bedenlier, 2019). Educational practice presents itself differently structured in the
Currently, the lab has received a mandate for the 6-year meta-project different educational stages or sectors and different actors have to
„digitization in educa-tion“ supporting and accompanying the various be included. The meta-project focuses on educational organ-izations
research (around 60) projects that are funded by the federal ministry in different sectors: primary, secondary, vocational, higher and adult
of education and research in the new framework for empirical research education. The institutional frameworks, concepts, conditions for
in education. Based on an analysis of the effects of earlier funding success and implications of digital education differ considerably in the
measures, the federal ministry is aiming at strengthening the impact of individual sectors and the interfaces between formal, non-formal and
funded projects in educational research to answering cur-rent challenges informal learning change depending on the stage of life (even under
in the educational sector. The ministry has established various meta- the conditions of digitiza-tion). For this purpose, the consortium was
projects (e.g. in the field of cultural education, professionalization or formed for the meta-project, whose partners bring in special expertise´s
digitalization) to develop new strategies for the projects to improve to the various sectors and, consequently, to different stages of life.
exchange between research projects and to increase their outreach, At its core, the meta-project deals with the fundamental question of
to foster the dialogue between educational research, practice, how educational research can exploit the potential of digitization for
administration and politics, to improve the public communication and the various educational sectors and thus shape the future of “education
visibility of educational research and to, eventually, increase their impact in the digital world”. The traditional view of project work is based on
onto society. Furthermore, the meta-projects will also con-tribute to providing project results - after completion of a project - in a transfer
the methodological advancement of design-based approaches to phase “of practice”. The transfer problem in the context of pilot projects
educational re-search. They conduct research workshops and foster the oft he federal state commission was already discussed at the end of the
adoption of these approaches and will develop new methods to help 1980s and was one of the main reasons why funding for individual pilot
and guide the funded projects. projects was abandoned in favor of programme funding (Nickolaus,
Gönnenwein, & Petsch, 2010). Approaches to transfer as unidirectional
The concept of the meta-project and its relevance to develop communication (from research to practice) are too shortsighted and do
design-based approaches not meet the demands mentioned. Whereas the traditional views of
The meta-project on “digitization in education” is a joint effort of the scholarly knowledge dissemination perceive “transfer” as an activity
national Leibniz-Institutes of Educational Research (DIPF, Frankfurt), of taking place after research has been completed, the meta-project
Adult Education (DIE, Bonn) and of Knowledge Media (IWM, Tübingen) wants to foster a view to transfer as an ongoing activity interwoven
with the management at the Learning Lab of University Duisburg- in all phases of research beginning from the development of research
Essen. It con-tributes to putting the current projects of the research questions, the design of a research project, the implementation and
focus and further funding lines for “digi-talization” in the framework interpretation of results to the communi-cation in the field. Therefore,
program “Empirical Educational Research” into an overarching scien- the major task of this meta-research is directed to the organiza-tion of
tific and social framework, prepares developments in the research field communication between stakeholders in the field: identifying relevant
scientifically, identifies research gaps and promotes the networking of the stakeholders, developing strategies and measures to address them and
scientists with each other and the exchange with educational practice. intensify bidirectional communication in analog and digital settings,
It reflects in particular on the creation of design-oriented educational which contributes equally to theory building in the community of
research and its knowledge communication, which contributes equally researchers as well as to the communication of experiences on solutions
to the formation of theo-ry and knowledge within science as well as to in the fields of educa-tional practice.
problem solving in the fields of educational prac-tice and policy. It aims
to further develop the methodology of design-oriented educational re- Conclusions
search. “Transfer” is not understood as a follow-up activity at the end of The underlying question is: what does it mean to conceptualize
the project, but as an integral part of the interaction of actors, which is to educational research as a design endeavor? On the one hand, academia
be organized as a dialogue between re-search projects and educational has to insist on claiming for “freedom of research” – de-fining research
practice and policy. Results of the funded as well as other re-search as an important enterprise for its own sake and not primarily as a service
projects are processed and central research questions dealt with from to edu-cational institutions. On the other hand, educational research
a meta-perspective. The activities of the meta-project are designed in in many cases does have an inter-est in contributing to educational
a complementary way to the transfer activities that are anchored in the change and in delivering insights for theses agendas. There-fore, it
becomes of utmost importance to develop and reflect on dialogical

216 217
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 The ripple effects
of social design
Eva Knutz and Thomas Markussen
222 223
Abstract the game has the impact that was hypothesized and substantially
Policymakers and the public sector increasingly turn to social design accounted for in the research application.
to mitigate the urgent challenges of the welfare state. With public
sector collaboration and funding follow a requirement to measure and Does that mean that we did not change anything? Or that no value was
evaluate the change effect and the impact of social design practices. created during all the meetings and co-design workshops we held with
Typically this requirement is premised on evidence-based ideals fitting incarcerated fathers, their children, family therapists, prison officers and
well with neoliberal agendas and new public management. However, in managers? If value is perceived in a narrow evidence-based sense, then
this paper we argue that there is a need for developing an evaluation from that point of view the change failed to happen. But if we widen
culture to supplement this predominant model. The evidence-based our view to include the entire process from beginning to end, then we
model is primarily concerned with design outcomes, while neglecting are, in fact, able to detect various forms of change and value that this
how social value may manifest itself as what we call ripple effects from project delivered. In this paper we provide an overview of these ripple
the ‘fuzzy front end’ to the implementation and evaluation of a given effects that occurred through and beyond the project by drawing upon
design project. Using a social design case – a game-based intervention the large amount of data that was gathered during more than three
designed for family visits in maximum-security prisons – we identify a years of study.
range of ripple effects leading to notably three types of values: social
value for the benefit of the people we designed for and with; demand As social designers, we align with the characteristics given by
value, which refers to the value that an organization/client gains from Armstrong, Bailey, Julier, & Kimbell, 2014 (p. 15). This approach
implementing a design artifact or service, and research value, i.e. essentially consists of using participatory design activities to “make
improving the research study design and direction through insights. To change happen towards collective and social ends, rather than
account for the ripple effects of social design, we shall elaborate and predominantly commercial objectives.” Social ends can be defined
advance Sanders & Stappers’ (2008) influential design model. as “small but significant qualitative changes at a human scale that are
seen as beneficial for marginalized or vulnerable groups in society”
Introduction (Markussen, 2017, p. 169). This is precisely what makes the design
Social design has spread as a practice across various domains (crime intention in social design different from other similar approaches such
prevention, healthcare, education, etc.) and is increasingly moving as social innovation or social entrepreneurship – disciplines that aim at
towards long-term and more complex projects that require engagement making large-scale transformation happen either by repairing system
throughout the entire design process to ensure a sustainable outcome. errors or by exploiting unforeseen market opportunities.
We are currently engaged in such a long-term project within the criminal
justice system. Together with the Danish Prison and Probation Services In our work, we have proposed that the value of social design can be
– and various groups of prisoners, children, family therapists and prison properly understood as a matter of caring for disadvantaged people or
officers – we have co-designed a serious, yet playful social game for the groups (Knutz et. al, 2017). Furthermore, we have shown that a narrative
visiting facilities in maximum-security prisons (Knutz et al. 2017, 2019; perspective can increase knowledge of how social value can be a
Markussen & Knutz, forthcoming). matter of enabling families to share ‘family narratives’ and negotiate
and navigate identities (Knutz & Markussen, forthcoming). Yet, social
The purpose of the game is to make the prison visit enjoyable and value is still hard to grasp, and that is a problem for foundations,
meaningful for prisoners’ children (age 11-18) and enable family policymakers, non-profit organizations and researchers working with a
talk about difficult matters. Initiatives such as these are designed for public sector under pressure. If we cannot assess social value, then we
children to help them cope with parental incarceration; but it is also part cannot evaluate and communicate the impact of, for instance, social
of institutional rehabilitative schemes aimed at strengthening family initiatives that aim at improving the conditions for citizens who are
relations and support inmates in becoming better fathers and citizens traumatized, facing a life-threatening disease, poverty, loneliness or any
upon post release. In the autumn of 2018 the game was distributed to kind of loss that many of us will inevitably face in the course of our lives
all Danish prisons. It has been translated into English, and correctional (see also Mulgan, 2010, 2014; Preskill & Beer, 2012).
services in several countries (including the UK, US, Estonia, Australia,
and Sweden) have shown a keen interest in the game’s potential for Initially, in this paper, we will position ourselves briefly in relation to the
improving visiting facilities and the wellbeing of prisoners’ children. “social turn.” Secondly, we will apply Sanders & Stappers’ (2008) useful
model to a case project to provide insight into the participatory design
However, this success story is counterbalanced by the failure of research activities from the ‘fuzzy front end’ of our design process to the
documenting the evidence-based design outcome. It was simply not actual implementation of the project. Here we have singled out a limited
possible – using the original research study design – to measure whether number of participatory design research activities to give the reader an
understanding of value and change in the project. Thirdly, we introduce
224 225
what we consider to be the main contribution of this paper: our Ripple Co-design and participation as value
Effects Model. This model elaborates on Sanders & Stappers’ model A decade ago, Sanders & Stappers (2008) argued that the shift from
and includes a map of when and how a design research project activates user-centered design (user as subject) to co-design (user as partner)
change. It aims at capturing the value of change throughout a project would enable designers and non-designers to work more closely
as well as the difference between what a project aims at changing and together in the design process in order to support more sustainable
evaluating and all the unplanned changes that a project might activate. design outcomes and ways of living with design. Sanders & Stappers
We refer to these changes as ripple effects and account for the value and others concerned with Participatory Design (PD) and Co-design
they hold for the people we design for (and with): the organization that have convincingly described the importance of making activities and
implements the design and the research team. participatory methods (cultural probes, generative tools, design games,
experience prototypes etc.). These activities involve construction and
Do we have evidence of the change we claim we contribute? Not fully. transformation of meaning from the explorative ‘fuzzy front end’ and
Our documentation consists of both hard evidence (recordings and early design ideas to implementation and post design (see Figure 1).
transcribed interviews) as well as soft evidence (observations, design They have also usefully visualized how user-involvement – designing
ethnographic documentation and design game outcomes). For now, “for” and “with” the user – might change throughout a project,
we will leave it up to the reader to evaluate whether this is good – or depending on what participatory activities and formats are applied
good enough (cf. Thorpe and Gamman 2011). (Brandt et al., 2012; Sanders & Stappers, 2014).

The Cornerstones of Social Design: Social Change and But since PD has been applied to various research disciplines and
Participation contexts to reinforce user involvement, the concept of participation has
been in danger of losing its core values (Vines et al., 2013). For instance,
Social change and social value Figure 1.
Due to the pressure on the welfare state (caused by fiscal crises, Sanders &
migration, aging, a declining workforce, etc.) policy makers have Stappers’
urged the creative sector to act responsibly to societal problems Model (2008)
and vulnerable communities in society. The design community has
attempted to meet this requirement through approaches such as social
innovation, social entrepreneurship or social design. Each of these
approaches tries to meet social needs by fostering change based on
different value norms. Elsewhere, we have argued at length that social
value in social innovation refers to “what is good for society,” in broad
terms to benefit large populations. In social entrepreneurship, social
value is tightly linked with a concern also to perform financially; and
in social design, social value refers to “the fostering of a small, but
the original social engagement of the approach is sometimes conflated
decisive qualitative change in the form of redistributing identities and
with consumerist ideas of “democratic innovation” (Björgvinsson et
interpersonal relations” (Markussen, 2017, p. 169).
al., 2010). Critical voices from the PD community have therefore called
for refreshed perspectives on how design researchers conceptualize,
Yet, in discussing and evaluating what worked and what did not work
organize and maintain participation (Iversen & Dindler, 2014). According
in a project that aims at fostering social change, social value is still hard
to Vines et al. (2013), participation is never value-free. There is always
to account for and difficult to assess. Geoff Mulgan (2010) argues that
someone who initiates, directs and benefits from user participation
social value, in social innovation, should be approached as subjective,
in design and therefore the configuration of participation should be
malleable and variable rather than assuming that it is objective, fixed
critically examined. So how do we evaluate the value of participation?
and stable. In our case analysis we elaborate on this conception by
Vines and his colleagues (2015) suggest addressing the gap between the
showing how social value is highly influenced by participatory practices
claimed values and the actual practice of participation again by asking,
and seems to have the capacity for adaptive change. By scrutinizing the
who initiates, directs and benefits from participation. Further, Smith &
values of our social design project, we identify a range of unforeseen
Iversen (2018) introduce three dimensions of participatory engagement
changes that have affected the final outcome (the design itself), the
(scoping, developing and scaling) in order to account for value at
implementation of the design, the research evaluation study as well as
different stages. Yet, the problem remains to explain how participation
our interpersonal relations with participants and other stakeholders in
might have an impact on the evaluation and the implementation of the
the project.
design outcome.
226 227
Participation is often just used as a means for involving stakeholders During the process of designing the game, several meetings and PD
along the process, aligning the design concept with actual users’ needs activities were organized to create a sustainable foundation for both
to make a better and more sustainable design. But it is rarely evaluated development and evaluation. These activities can be grouped into
how PD processes might change the evaluation study design in terms three categories:
of hypothesis, methods and theoretical foundations. By applying
Sanders & Stappers’ Model to our project we will critically examine how Figure 2. The
board game
PD processes and co-design workshops changed our evaluation and
Captivated,
research study design along the way, from pre-design to design-after- 2018
design. In so doing, the gap between the claimed values and the values
gained through participation may become transparent.

Case project: Designing games for prisons

The case project we draw upon is the Social Games Against Crime
project (2015–2018). The overall aim of this project was to develop
and implement a game for the Prison and Probation Service’s visiting
program in order to help children maintain and build upon the
relationship with their incarcerated fathers. This aim is motivated by
studies in criminology arguing that the facilitation of contact between
incarcerated parents and their children may have a positive effect
both on parenting post release (Holt & Miller, 1972; Lösel et al., 2012;
Markson et al., 2015) and on the children’s development and ability to
cope with the consequences of parental incarceration (Arditti, 2003;
Hairston, 1998). Furthermore narrative studies indicate that by allowing
prisoners and their children to tell and share narratives, the bonds - PD activities with the organization (the Prison & Probation
between them can be strengthened to the benefit of the children’s well- Service; prison management and prison officers) to ensure
being (see e.g. Fivush, Bohanek, & Zaman, 2011; Saltzman, Pynoos, sustainable foundation for implementation.
Lester, Layne, & Beardslee, 2013). - PD activities with the end-users (fathers in prison; children
who have a father in prison and other family members) to
Our final design – a board game called Captivated – is now available build a game world that aligns with the challenges of these
in visiting rooms in all Danish prisons. The game has been designed families.
to help troubled families to share stories about their situation (e.g. the - PD activities with other specialists (family therapists;
fathers’ experience of prison life or the child’s stories of their everyday psychologist and researchers within criminology) to evaluate
lives), but also to re-construct and share memories of the past or wishes game content and to construct feasible criteria for evaluation.
for the future. The concept of ‘family narratives’ – as a shared space
for communicating stories and experiences – plays a central role in the Throughout the project, design game formats (Brandt & Messeter,
evaluation study and the research into how families interact with the 2004; Brandt, 2006; Eriksen et al., 2014) have been used as a method
game (see below). of inquiry to learn about the challenges of the different stakeholders,
in particular children and fathers for whom the game is designed. Each
Participatory activities within the project activity has resulted in knowledge about the people (families) and the
The game itself lends its mechanics from the board game Monopoly prison system we are designing for and has helped us in aligning the
and takes its players on a journey through a prison with certain places, game world with the players’ real world.
characters (groups of prisoners and staff) and situations that the players
already know – or will learn to relate to. The game consists of 20 Table 1 shows the fieldwork, co-design activities and encounters we
characters divided into five groups of prisoners and one group of prison had with the different stakeholders throughout the design process. In
officers. A player wins the game by collecting certain characters and by Figure 3 these activities are applied to Sanders & Stappers’ Model.
performing acts triggered by the question cards. The game has three
different types of cards: story cards (stories about the prison); actions
cards (that encourage physical interactions) and be-honest cards (that
invite deeper interpersonal communication between the players).

228 229
 Analysis: Identifying value and change
The aim of our analysis is to examine different aspects of change within
the project by focusing on three types of value creation:

Table 1: Ac-
• Social value, defined as a qualitative change in the re-distribution
tivities in the of identities or interpersonal relationships. This type of value might
project influence the participants that we co-design with (and for) in terms of
how they interact with each other (and us, as a research team) – and
how identities are explored and tried out among the participants.
• Research value, defined as a qualitative change in terms of making
a feasible research study design. This might influence theoretical
foundations, hypotheses or other methodological assumptions
and predetermined intentions. This might lead, for instance, to a
rejection of a pre-accepted methodological approach – or to the
formation of new research questions.
• Demand value, defined as a qualitative change in terms of making
a better product or service that fits the actual needs. This will have a
direct impact on the actual design (as product or service) – making
the final design more sustainable and aligned with the actual needs
of the people who are going to use it and the organizations that
want to implement it.

For the sake of clarity we have singled out a limited number of activities
that, in our view, contributed with unforeseen changes. By drawing
upon our empirical material we attempt to account for how social
value, research value and demand value are achieved through our
participatory research practice.

Co-exploring with children

The aim of this workshop was to understand the dilemmas and
challenges of children who have a father in prison (see activity 4,
table 1). The workshop took place over two days spent at a center for
family counseling. Three children (age 14–16) attended together with
two family therapists (see also table 1). For this workshop a design
game was constructed in which the participants were encouraged to
Figure 3. formulate a so-called dream card– a future wish concerning their prison
Activities visit or relationship with their father. Furthermore, the game included
applied to the formulation of three barrier cards which illustrated the obstacles
Sanders &
to the fulfillment of the dream. The aim of the game was to overcome
Stappers’
Model the obstacles by using different fictional and self-formulated “helpers.”

One of the participants, the 14-year-old Mira, had a problematic

relationship with her incarcerated father who, she felt, was dominating
and demanding. On her dream card she wrote that she wished to visit
her father less frequently. Her barrier cards revealed three obstacles
to not seeing the father: a) it was too difficult for her to tell him; b)
her father did not understand her personal life; and c) he would be
disappointed with her. So, her desire to visit her father less frequently
was hard for her to implement in practice (Figure 4).

230 231
 Figure 4. On her barrier cards she wrote that the father “is a playmate”; that he
Design game “does not take responsibility for his mistakes” and that it was much
results from easier to “blame Mum for everything that is bad.” Katrin (blue cards)
participant
“Mira”
expressed similar concerns in relation to her future wish. She wrote that
she wished that the father “would be honest“ and that he “would admit
that what he had done was stupid” (Figure 5).

Figure 5:
Design game
results from
the mothers
“Tanja” (red
cards) and
“Katrin” (blue
cards).

The workshop clearly showed that the mothers believed that their ex-
Originally, we assumed that the game should encourage children to husbands were irresponsible; that they were dishonest about the crime
visit their fathers more often. Our hypothesis was partly based upon they had committed and they felt their children suffered from that fact.
a report made by The Danish National Centre for Social Research that These results revealed a dilemma from the mothers’ perspective: that
pointed out a need for offering better-designed initiatives for children the fathers did not assume their parenting role. Nonetheless, it also
between the ages of 11 and 18 years (Oldrup et al., 2016, pp. 5–14). became clear that the mothers thought that their children should keep
However, through our design workshop with Mira and the other children visiting their father in prison.
we learned that children do not necessarily want to visit their fathers
more often. Instead, what is important is to improve the quality of the The workshop with the mothers changed our view of the actual
visits by making them more meaningful. Hence we revised the project’s purpose of our design. If the fathers were not capable of assuming
evaluation study by removing visit frequency as an indicator to be their parenting role, perhaps they were in need of a different kind of
measured. Secondly, Mira’s dream card offered a new perspective on game. This issue was discussed in the follow-up meetings with the
the children’s needs and what our design potentially could do for them, family therapists, who are also in charge of the parenting program
i.e. to make visits more meaningful by enabling the players to honestly of incarcerated fathers. Therefore, even though our original intention
express their emotions and needs. Based on this insight, we argue that was to design a single game to be played by father and child, an idea
this activity contributed with social value (enabling Mira to voice her began to form that we might consider creating a second game to be
wish to see her father less often); research value (revising our evaluation played by the fathers only. The second game could help the fathers to
indicators) and demand value (setting new guidelines for the game). look at things from the children’s and mothers’ perspective, increase
their empathetic understanding and thus motivate them to have more
Co-exploring with families meaningful conversations with their children during in-visits.
The aim of this workshop was to understand the dilemmas of the family
as a whole (see activity 5, table 1). The workshop took place at the Based on this, we argue that this activity contributed with social value
same location (center for family counseling) and also lasted two days. by enabling the mothers to express and share, with other mothers, their
Four mothers participated together with their children, aged 14–23. deep concerns about how their children experienced the effects of
In all four families the father of the children was in prison and all the imprisonment. Moreover, it contributed with demand value in terms of
mothers were divorced from their husbands. This meant that other expanding our design intention to include a second game.
adults (e.g. family members or friends) accompanied the children on
their prison visit. In the workshop, the same design game as in activity Co-designing with incarcerated fathers
4 was activated. The aim of this workshop was to gain knowledge of prisoners’ challenges
of parenting and their experiences of the family visits (see activity 6,
We will draw on the design game results from the two mothers “Tanja” table 1). These insights were meant to inform the game world and the
and “Katrin.” Tanja (see red cards below) wrote on her dream card that gameplay. The workshop took place in a prison with six imprisoned
she wished that her son would get a more realistic view of his dad.
232 233
fathers participating. All six men were serving long-term sentences and the children. One father came up with a suggestion – something he
could only see their children during in-visits (unless special permission wanted to do for his son’s next birthday – and he shared this idea with
was granted). We were not allowed to use video or take photos, only the group.
to take notes. For this session we worked with two preliminary game
concepts – a card game and a board game. We will use the card game A third story is about Monika and her dad Jimmy. Jimmy is divorced
activity to exemplify how value was created in this particular workshop. from Monika’s mother, so Monika must visit her father with the father’s
girlfriend. Jimmy is dating two women at the same time and they do
The goal of the card game was to collect four cards that together not know of each other’s existence. So, one week Monika must visit
formed a visual story of a visiting situation. Once a player collected a with one girlfriend and the next week with the other girlfriend. This
complete story, he had to recount what he thought was happening in is, of course, strange and uncomfortable for Monika. To this story
the story and reflect on that. the prisoners reacted very harshly stating that this way of parenting
was unacceptable. Nevertheless, the children’s narratives were very
Figure 6. The recognizable to them and the cartoon format served as an effective
card game conversation tool.
played with
fathers in
prison This workshop contributed with social value in several aspects. First,
the activity enabled the incarcerated fathers to express and share their
challenges of fathering behind bars. Secondly, the cards allowed the
fathers to counteract the children’s perspectives and come up with
alternate stories of how to navigate the parent-child relationship.
The stories were developed on the basis of the previous workshops Thirdly, this activity created a bond between the fathers and us (as
with prisoners’ children and thus reflected the real-world experiences a research team). Since we all shared our experiences of parenting
of these children. The purpose of the workshop was to have a dialogue with them through playing the game, we were no longer divided into
with the fathers about their challenges as incarcerated parents, to co- prisoners and researchers. This again influenced the pilot study (see
design game content and to learn how they viewed their children’s section below). Finally, this workshop added demand value in terms of
challenges. “thickening” stories of the father characters; expanding stories for the
game world and consolidating the need for fathers to have a game of
In this workshop we played several rounds with the six prisoners and we their own – a game that could help them share stories of fathering and
talked about the stories and the father characters that were portrayed help prisoners assume their parenting role.
in the game. For instance, one story in the game is about a boy called
Nick, who lives in a foster family far away from his hometown. In the Pilot testing the IPPA questionnaire
story Nick goes to church and talks to the pastor who is going to confirm With the last activity (activity 10, table 1) we will exemplify how
him (in Denmark this religious ceremony takes place at age 13–14). Nick research value added to changes in our evaluation. At this point we
chooses not to invite his dad for the ceremony, because his dad is a had developed the board game Captivated, which was to be played in
member of a criminal gang with tattoos up to his neck and Nick does prisons during visiting hours. A second game called Dad’s Round was
not want his friends to know this. Nick’s father gets very upset when he being co-designed in separate co-design workshops. This game was to
learns that he has not been invited to the confirmation. be activated in the parenting program of the prisons.

The story was discussed in the group, and the prisoners expressed In the process of evaluating Captivated we attempted to set baseline
responses similar to the father character in the game. For instance, by evaluating the existing bond between parent and child in terms
one prisoner (who was also heavily tattooed) said that he would be of attachment. For this purpose we chose to use a psychometric
disappointed if he was not allowed to attend his son’s confirmation and evaluation instrument, the so-called Inventory of Parental and Peer
that he would probably react the same way as Nick’s father. Attachment (IPPA) as an evaluation tool. This tool evaluates whether
children and adolescents feel attachment security in relation to their
A second story concerned a well-known problem for many fathers parents (see Armsden and Greenberg 1987). Our hypothesis was that
during imprisonment: giving presents to their children. In this story Rosa the game would help children to increase their feeling of attachment,
Clara’s dad gives her a present appropriate for a little girl. For her 15th for instance, by enabling them to express emotions and to be honest
birthday she wants a mobile phone or a ticket to a concert, but she gets with their fathers. At the same time a flipped version of the IPPA was
a Barbie doll. This story triggered other stories among the prisoners, developed to probe the attachment from the perspective of prisoner
stories about how to handle birthdays and other important days for fathers.
234 235
The IPPA questionnaire was pilot-tested by a small group of prisoners every aspect of the research process. Patrick reminded us that care is
and their children. The participants were both prisoners who were also about how we as researchers collaborate with participants. As a
familiar with the game through previous workshops, and prisoners who psychometric measuring instrument, the IPPA is a way of researching
were unfamiliar with the game. The test indicated that the prisoners the social aspects in cases where subjects are kept at a distance. Family
did not want to complete the questionnaire. One of the prisoners, ties are of an intimate nature, and delving into this area requires a cross-
“Patrick”, whom we knew from previous workshops, scratched out and pollination of research and caring practices. Even though it was planned
withdraw his consent form (see fig 7). Further, a prison officer told us according to our funding application, we realized that the IPPA did not
that the inmates she had talked with also thought of the questions in align with such a practice.
the IPPA as “strange.” We got permission to make a follow-up phone
interview with Patrick to ask him about the questionnaire. Patrick told Social value was achieved through other encounters. Another prisoner
us that some of the questions were too painful, but he also added that “Lars,” who participated in both the co-design process and the pilot
if we had asked him the same questions in a personal conversation, he test of the game, contacted us after the pilot test. He had been moved
might have been willing to answer them. to another prison and he asked if he could have his own game. Today,
he and his two children have a “private” version of the game that they
Based on our conversation with Patrick we removed the questions that play during visiting hours.
he identified as being intimidating and simplified the questionnaire. It
was then distributed to 550 prisoners in two Danish prisons. Within a Discussion
period of 2 months we received 3 completed questionnaires. In Figure 8 we have applied both design processes to Sanders &
This experience resulted in a complete redesign of our evaluation Stappers’ Model. The figure illustrates how the explorative processes led
study. We decided to take a qualitative ethnographic approach and to an extension of our design intention and activated a split co-design
interview prisoners and their families in person. We also replaced process towards the implementation of the two games – Captivated
attachment theory with theories of family narratives and we decided to to be played by families during visiting hours and Dad’s Round to be
use the game actively as a prompt for the interviews. Our aim was to played in parenting courses under the supervision of family therapists.
understand what kind of narratives and playful interactions the game
activated and how families shared stories. Figure 8.
Sanders &
Figure 7. The Stappers’
scratched out Model
IPPA ques- applied to
tionnaire from both design
the prisoner processes:
“Patric” Top: Game A,
“Captivated”
Below: Game
B, “Dad’s
Round”.

By turning Sanders & Stappers’ model 90 degrees and by adding

the changes we have outlined through the four activities, we are
able to visualize the changes that a project may activate through the
participatory involvement (see model, figure 9). These changes can
be conceptualized as ripples that might impact other interactions. The
model aims at capturing the difference between what a project aims
at changing and evaluating (the straight line) and all the ripple effects
(circles around the straight line) that may occur.
Our interaction with Patrick and other prisoners contributed with
research value in the sense of redirecting our research approach towards Note that the activities we have outlined are just glimpses into the
the participatory and social approach we started out with. It became many interactions that we conducted with participants throughout the
clear to us that social design, as a caring practice, had to be part of
236 237
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 Redesigning design
for culture change:
Theory in the
Anthropocene
Ann Light
242 243
Abstract rather than empirically tested. Nonetheless, it is timely to borrow from
Design is low on theory of transformation, which becomes problematic this legacy of analytic thinking since making change in culture has never
as the practices and outputs of design need to contribute to a culture been more important.
of planetary adaptation for sustainability. In fact, design itself needs to
be (re)designed to enact culture change. To make these shifts, design Democratising futures
research can learn from cultural theory that positions culture as evolving My branch of design practice could be described as constructing
and performative. Adopting these ideas helps to reveal the designed- possible futures in a collaborative way, drawing on a particular branch
therefore-designable nature of the world, which is a necessary of participatory design (Binder et al 2015). ‘Democratic participatory
prelude to mobilizing publics. The paper concludes with participatory design practices’ (Light 2015) is used here to mean practices that
collaborative thought experiments, influenced by cultural theory, that knowingly address cultural relations by collaboratively exploring,
offer directions for changing design. critiquing and designing tools, structures and systems, hoping,
collectively, to change how lives are lived and enhance them. We see
Introduction this kind of work in Ehn et al’s book on Making Futures (2014), research
The discipline of design, despite its basis in transformation, is still on how older people might want to shape future life, Democratising
developing its theories of change. Although this has progressed as Technology (Light et al 2009, 2011b) and Candy’s Things from the
design research becomes a distinct domain, there is a tendency within Future (http://situationlab.org/project/the-thing-from-the-future/).
design disciplines to consider fit-for-purpose in researching individual Wilde and Anderson (2013) address ‘a future fundamentally different
designs, rather than reflecting on that purpose and its social impact. from what we know’ with embodied-thinking-through-making. RMIT’s
Dilnot suggests that design is historically resistant to theory: ‘it finds Design+Ethnography+Futures asked what uncertainty means (Akama
its glory in [...its] unswerving application of design to practical ends, et al 2018). Across these investigatory projects is recognition of the
mediated by criticism, but (often) only in minor ways by self-reflection.’ politics to futures in the present, and ethics to one’s methodology
(2017). Kimbell, in rethinking design, argues for an approach that for impacting them, which are often omitted from mainstream design
‘moves away from a disembodied, ahistorical design thinking to a discourse. These examples are far from alone.
situated, contingent set of practices…, which recognizes the materiality
of designed things and the material and discursive practices through My particular concern is for more-than-just-human collective futures
which they come to matter.’ (2012, p129). and how people engage in considering them. Futurists and technology
companies, policy makers and politicians all formally address futures
When design research considers deliberate socio-material change through their actions (often without public mandate). But it is not part of
(the “social turn”), silence on how design matters becomes noticeably education or working life for most of us. For many people, the world is a
problematic. We must understand change across many social, economic given and they do not, as most designers do, see it as raw material for a
and political dimensions to enable us to develop and choose between new iteration. As predictions for the planet’s future darken, it becomes
alternatives for society. Changing cultures towards sustainable living an ethical and practical matter to promote discussion of futures to
is a case in point. This focuses effort on the knowledge needed for include everyone sharing the concern and collective responsibility,
making cultures as well as understandings of individual behaviour and even if they have little practice in considering alternatives. It is ethical
any materials we use to effect change in it. because we share the outcome. It is practical because, by learning
about alternatives and how to reach them, we become better able to
In this paper, I explore these points in considering how to democratize innovate, change and avert catastrophe.
futures as the need grows to ask what futures are possible with climate
emergency (e.g. Wallace-Wells, 2019). I argue that understanding Design’s dangerous developments
design as a democratic principle changes the conversation, as does My ambitions to reorient design stem from concern about its power.
the resulting obligation to equip people with a sense of the ‘designed, This work becomes more urgent as the magnitude of the industrialized
therefore designable’ (Light 2011a) nature of our world. If recognition world’s impact on life is revealed. The Global North is responsible for
of this era as the Anthropocene can do any good, it must move beyond most of the planet’s energy misuse. Yet, much design work continues
understanding that human activity impacts life on Earth, to offer some with little thought to where it will lead. Even people consumed with
collective insight into how this happens and what to do to tackle climate worry about unsustainable futures go to work and contribute to that
inertia. unsustainability. As Kimbell describes (2012), their agency is not a
match for the wider material and discursive practices of designing.
To ground this paper, I draw from cultural theory. Design favours Incremental changes in the fabric of an upgrade are hailed as a major
empirical testing. The commitments of cultural theory are discursive, breakthrough, but the upgrading goes on. Most designing takes place

244 245
in a market where an immediate competitive edge is more important Theory of change
than long-term impacts, blinkered to serve a segmented production line An obvious source of theory to support design’s social turn comes from
and a growth agenda that is looking increasingly absurd. Design may social science, particularly social psychology. This has not strengthened
help configure the future, but practices on the ground are frequently a more democratized approach. For instance, there has been growing
indifferent to this. interest, in policy circles, in behavioural insights and nudge psychology
(John 2018).
Papanek famously spoke against manufactured products that were
unsafe, showy, maladapted, or essentially useless (1971/1985) Nudge is the opposite of helping people understand the designed-
exemplifying the design researcher interested in changing the therefore-designable nature of the world. It points design towards a
discipline. More recently, discussion about how design should change top-down, all-knowing approach perpetrated on the masses. It is
has gained new foci. In 2005, Sterling commented that: ‘What we ‘bovine design’, reducing, rather than enhancing, our critical faculties
really ought to fear is not “Oblivion” but irretrievable decline.’ (2005, when we all need to be consciously reorienting the world towards new
p141). He advocated greater technological innovation as an antidote to realities (Light et al, 2017). And nudge policies fail to appreciate their
fatalistic handwringing (p13). Elsewhere, anthropologists and biologists own social and political dynamics, including the state’s own political-
entering design conversations argue that solutions can be the problem. economic strategy (Leggett 2014). Yet, it is easy for even enlightened
Advocating Staying with the Trouble (2016), a new generation of design policy to halt at this point.
design researchers is bringing the work of Haraway (2016), Barad (2007)
and other feminist thinkers into design research as a foundation for By contrast, descriptive domains, such anthropology, are increasingly
relations. Puig de la Bellacasa’s ethical treatise on care and soil has exploring design as a method of collaborative engagement for world-
gone viral (2017). These works point to the complexity of the systems making, and not just a field of study (e.g. Ingold 2013, Escobar 2018).
underpinning symbiosis and the need for new ways of being together. How does this support a more participative agenda?
In gentle fashion, they inform how to live together rather than how to
engineer the planet. Towards humanities?
Design research starts by understanding phenomena, not a theoretical
A social turn position (although theory may be sought in sense-making). The world-
With these tensions pointing to a role for design to redesign itself, making processes described by Ingold and Escobar come from a
design research has been proposing new relations with society. Fuad- humanistic tradition. This is not always seen as useful.
Luke observes the terms circulating: ‘social design’, ‘designing society’,
‘design for society, socially responsible design, socially responsive Nonetheless, the humanities explicitly articulate theories of change,
design, and design for social innovation’ (2015). Design as societal serving to put activity in context and eventually to change what
transformation appears in a number of movements, e.g. Sangiorgi discourses are ripe and how the world understands itself. A vision of
(2011) and Cottam (2018) on transformation design. Such movements ontological change – crudely, where we change what we are to change
are part of broader expansion of the designer’s role in society (Maze what we do – appears in different ways across different traditions, such
2014). All implicitly include culture change, some involving more as the political economy of enchantment (Bennett 2001). Adopting
systematic analysis, such as system-orientated design (Sevaldson, 2013) theories of change of these kinds, we move from the craft skills of
and transition design (Kossoff et al 2015). making change to designing education about change.

Significantly, some practices include working with publics to understand Humanities contribute to (interaction) design research, through ‘the
together how design can transform contexts and relations. With central role of critical interpretation in humanistic thought …toward
others, design knowledge and skills sit with trained designers. This the development, clarification, and justification of concepts’ and the
raises a distinction in how design is mobilized. While it has long been material of social change (e.g. feminism, Marxist studies) (Bardzell and
asserted that everyone designs (Cross 2001, Manzini 2015), how is this Bardzell 2015:17-8). Not only is this what mainstream design is missing,
understood? Can we mobilize design as a means to transform society, it considers what knowledge we are interested in making and, by
not only as a series of processes, but as a way of understanding society considering epistemology, speaks about the opportunities and gaps
as designable and, with this, offer increased sense of agency? Giving we observe.
access to design necessarily changes design.
Designing our development
Taking this on, we can find work that speaks to design, not in terms of
the next product, but its direction of travel.

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Birth of design? ‘A condition brought about at a certain time can be abolished
Philosophical literature supports a suggestion that design is integral at some other time. …it might seem that natural condition is
to how humans develop. In Stiegler’s (1998) expansion of Heidegger’s beyond the possibility of change. In truth, however, the nature
phenomenology, we find a claim that technics (‘the organisation of things is no more immutably given, once and for all, than is
of inorganic matter’) is a process of externalisation made possible historical reality.’ (de Beauvoir, 1972/1949).
through language, technique, and culture that allows us to capture
and share our existence—or the ‘pursuit of life by means other than We can regard ourselves as mutable, where identity is inscribed in
life’ (1998). Through the act of organizing, we are able to constitute society’s constant rehearsal of behaviours (Butler 1990). Performativity
the world, while these acts of organization fasten interpretations upon presents identity as enacted: ‘One is not simply a body, but, in some very
matter and thought. Although Stiegler does not focus on the creative key sense, one does one’s body.’ (1990:272). The design of the systems
experimentation needed to arrive at organization, ‘the organisation of round us inscribes us. There are other theories of how technology and
inorganic matter’ is inevitably a creative and collaborative process. identity are interrelated, how values are shaped by what we become
as well as what we choose (e.g. Verbeek 2016; Pinch et al 1985/1999;
Stiegler suggests that: ‘it is the tool, that is tehknē, that invents the MacKenzie and Wajcman 1999).
human, not the human who invents the technical. Or again: the human
invents himself in the technical by inventing the tool – by becoming For me, Butler’s insights help consider the way that interactions with
exteriorized techno-logically’ (1998:141). Although this is a form of technology inscribe, prescribe and proscribe what we can become
technological determinism, it raises questions about how designing (2011a), but they also move me, through this reflection, to consider a
comes to be and about whether this opportunity to organize is, in any more flexible version of the material world. Not only does performativity
way, equally distributed or democratic in our current world. If it is a focus on how society is formed, but a non-essentialist view of identity
fundamental part of our constitution, why is it not a right for all? If this releases us from contemplating patterns of societal behaviour as fixed
doing is so central to our being, what kind of designing (and making) is and immovable.
fit for a world with fewer resources?
Design can speed up these reconsiderations by targeting how agency
The distribution of this power and the results of this organization are is conceived and by embracing flexibility instead of aspiring to end-
demonstrably political. Bowker and Star (2000) poignantly describe states (Light 2011a). A sense of agency (or the ability to enact change)
how categorization systems form identities for groups through is related to this. And this is at the heart of my designed-therefore-
increasing bureaucratization and definitions like apartheid. Types of designable ambitions. Agency, our power to do, is core to identity in
design configure who we are and what we can become. We become change: how far (we believe) we choose our actions and are able to
committed to infrastructures – from canals, sewers and roads to internet enact change relates to who we think we are. Performativity may show
provision and 5G. how challenging it is for individuals to change what they are inscribed
to be, yet it is also clear about the social nature of identity and its
Data, with their hierarchies and identity definitions, meets information potential for change, how ‘to remain un-centred and open to new
technologies, with their binary coding and hard-wiring. This alters the influences’ (Light 2011a). Performativity is a liberating philosophy, then,
flexibility and balance of control in societies. If rigid systems converge, because it allows for things to be done differently: it is concerned with
we not only design ourselves, as Willis (2006) suggests, but we design enactment and how conditions affect enactment and produce ways
out the potential to redesign ourselves. of doing. ‘When we ask after the conditions of social change, we are
asking both about the preconditions for transformation and about how
Identities in flux encounters encourage us to think and feel and act, not just individually
It would be too deterministic to say that we are human because we but collectively.’ (Barnett and DeLuca 2019).
make. On the other hand, if we accept the ontological potential implicit
in culture change, we can see both designing and identity as fluid and The performative turn in cultural theory can be seen as the correlate
we can start to speculate on some interesting potential intersections. of the social turn in design, offering a more integrated approach to
Every interaction changes how things are. Everything is designable. understanding how we constitute our world. ‘Such a perspective has
Greater awareness of how things are designable enables us to be more been extended to show how not only gender, but the materiality of
reflective about how and what is designed. We can embrace a historical things […] or even the man/machine distinction […] are not given a
perspective: priori, but are ceaselessly produced in social performances in which
their reproduction is not routine or matter of fact’ (Licoppe 2010).

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Given these insights, there is no final arrival point, but context, an
absence of dogma and a mutability that allows new truths, perspectives and how the world could be joined up for greater information,
and engagements to emerge through a refusal to accept definition. understanding and feedback, people come together to discuss
Designs may be completed, but identity is always in flux. Adopting utopias, resistance and tools of change and make manuals for
this stance allows a more fluid response to technological changes, coordinating world resources (Light et al 2015).
methodological commitments and the possible domains to be touched • On some other world
by designing. It means the nature of our encounters together is not only Demonstrating the way that the world has come about by looking
ethically significant; it is constitutive of our relations. at an alternative present with different path dependencies and
outcomes, this shows how the world could have been different and
Exploring activist futures with this possibility in mind can modify how therefore still could be (Korsmeyer and Light 2019).
we stage our encounters to consider the designed nature of the • Worlds of/that matter
world. It is a reflexive act. Following this logic, we design something Working with the affective, this workshop explores how we come to
new on multiple levels when we set up democratic participatory care for the things we value and how we might include more that is
work in contexts for co-research and engagement. We do not just fragile in our care.
share practice and reveal the nature of our interactions, but make
new ones possible. These ways of being might never occur in other New worlds for new cultures
circumstances, so there may be no possible other way to perceive the The challenge for participants in the on some other world workshop is
potential revealed (Light 2015). In other words, these practices form the to co-create an alternative present based on stimuli given as briefs at
basis of a new constitutive anthropology (ibid). They are a creative form the start of the session. After introducing the need for new practices
of engagement, enacting cultural research through making situations and the lack of need for accurate history, the Counter-Factual Worlds
for sharing, learning and changing. And they are ‘constitutive’ in the full Generator (Figure 1) pumps out five globes, randomly assigned to small
sense of bringing into being. Democratic participatory design fosters groups. Inside this globe is a description of a world that is not ours but
new social arrangements, providing the means for new ways of being bears a relation to ours. One crucial aspect is different. Each group is
together to be born, reflected upon, interpreted, understood and then invited to work through a process involving:
supported. Performativity provides theory to show how and why these
changes come into being through particular forms of design, while also 1. Worlding: discuss this world, how it works and what the present
providing a method for these enactments. It allows us to do more than would be like if this world were ours;
go through motions, but to change ourselves and our futures through 2. Chronicling: record the key features of this world in a story for
coming together and exploring. sharing, then tell this to the other groups;
3. Creating: make a thing/system/service that reflects (the values of)
Some examples this world, with the materials provided (glue, scissors, pens, etc);
This essay has stayed at a theoretical level, discussing theory of change.
This section briefly details a single kind of practice that has resulted from Figure 1. the
considering performativity as a theory of change and the designed- Counter-fac-
therefore-designable nature of the world with members of the public. Its tual Worlds
Generator,
design is influenced by these philosophical considerations and shaped
with globes
by a desire to change culture towards democratized fellow-journeying (photo credit:
in increasingly uncertain futures. This is guided by theory that reveals Deborah
the non-essential, enacted and ever-evolving nature of our relations. Mason)

Three worlds for transformation

I have three workshops in circulation framed as process tools and
designed to help people come together and understand themselves
as agents in collaborative change. I will discuss one in more detail to
show its operation, but I introduce them first as a way of highlighting
three dimensions:

• World machines
Revealing the power of the digital to connect, sense and aggregate

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 4. Analyzing: reflect on this world and its outcomes (artifacts and/or design to be participative, inclusive and focused on new futures that do
ways-of-being) to consider: not start from our blinkered world of squandered resources and endless
upgrades. If we have, in design research, a sense of cultural dynamics
• how values affect the design; and the political will to democratize design, we can apply performative
• how this relates to our world(s); theory to make sense of this – both people’s desire to lead creative
• what the process of imagining another world has revealed. and fulfilling lives and the options to morph into new arrangements
that such enthusiasm gives us. It points towards creative practices that
The workshop ends with sharing and contrasting of outcomes and a designers can enable and people can engage in, which enable new
whole-group discussion of learning across cultural and socio-material selves to be created.
dimensions.
If we wholeheartedly adopt the creed that we become what we do,
Inside the globes, a short provocation spurs the participants to then the encounters in these workshops, and others like them, concern
speculate on another world (e.g. Box 1). There is no other brief, but a possibilities that are not to be observed however long we watch people
Box 1: sample
chance to create. going about their business during extended fieldwork. They are not to
of a counter-
factual world be observed in inviting participants to help us co-design products. The
The Brazilian Rubber Monopoly persists… provocation special characteristic here is that we are collaboratively assembling the
In 1876, Henry Wickham, on a mission from the Royal Botanical components of how to be together. When we engage in democratic
Gardens, brought seeds of the rubber tree from Brazil to the participatory design practices, we are co-designing ways of being, as
UK. At the time, Brazil held a monopoly on rubber, making well as staging encounters to learn about ways of being. It is a form of
the rubber barons very rich. Both the British government and research through design where the product for iteration is a process.
the American car manufacturer Henry Ford could see that the We literally make our futures by the practice of performing them
high cost of rubber was a barrier to the expansion of the motor and to design for this opportunity offers a profoundly important and
vehicle industry – and anything else that required pneumatic meaningful future for design, despite its dangers.
tyres as well as a number of other manufacturing and industrial
processes. Ford set up his own colony in Brazil in an attempt to Conclusions
produce cheap rubber. The British moved the rubber plantations It is, in the end, unimportant how ideas come to inform design and
to Asia where the Empire could set up rubber trees in a way from where they are drawn; the pragmatics of our situation merely
that made rubber harvesting efficient and economical. By the require that change comes, both in what is designed and what design
1910s, the monopoly was broken and rubber was available more is understood to be. I have argued that performative theories of change
cheaply from British Empire sources. support the instantiation of new ways of being and save designing from
its damaging legacy and a loss of relevance as natural resources become
This counter-factual world imagines that the monopoly had not increasingly difficult and/or dangerous to use. I have given a simple
been broken and Brazil had kept control of the whole rubber example of a new kind of practice, at once generative and modest in
market. Rubber remains expensive. how it brings people together. I have shown how this relates to the
critical activity of encouraging a sense of agency by acknowledging the
designed-therefore-designable nature of the world.
A new role for design
Over the last years, this scenario has been used to think through how At present, such reflections do not sit adequately in design, for it
materials, transport, political geography, colonialism, and commerce is still seen as operating in ‘a close-present: the present of a recent
affect what happens in our world. It has pointed to alternative futures yesterday, limited now and almost tomorrow’ (Anusas and Harkness
and, with the other workshops in the series, given a sense of what an 2014) and this cannot be the basis of tackling the Anthropocene.
alternative world might offer. It has been incorporated into further Perhaps, in borrowing some theory, we can return a renewed sense of
engagement processes to contribute to a shift in thinking. By itself, such timeliness and importance for disciplines beyond our own. Certainly,
speculation is merely like a game, but in combination with other tools it we can engage in collaborative ‘what if’ speculation that gives those
has the potential to lead to transformative creative practice (Light et al without the comfort of professional future-making the opportunity of
2018, Light et al 2019). redesigning design for a turbulent period when material consumption

But it is not presented here as a method or a discussion of speculation.

It is offered to show the kind of tool that can be created if we redesign

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and traditional characteristics of design no longer serve. Light, A. and Korsmeyer, H. (2019) Learning to Anticipate Worlds through Participatory
Speculative Design, Anticipation Conference 19
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 Metaphors and
imaginaries in
design research for
change
Dan Lockton, Michelle Chou, Aadya Krishnaprasad,
Deepika Dixit, Stefania La Vattiata, Jisoo Shon,
Matt Geiger and Tammar Zea-Wolfson
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Abstract However, the interaction between behaviour and how people think and
A component of design research for change that has been underexplored make meaning has been at risk of being simplified away in the rush
by designers focused primarily on changing behaviour, is the potential towards a deterministic ‘behavioural lookup table’ model for design
to use design methods to investigate how people think. In particular,
the metaphors, mental imagery, and other forms of imaginaries which (Watson et al, 2015, discussed in Lockton and Ranner, 2017). Focusing
influence how people act and make sense of the world, individually, and solely on behaviour models people in a way which simply does not
as a society, are topics which design research is well-placed to explore. match the complexity and interconnectedness of real-life practices.
This paper illustrates three projects addressing these areas (relating to People’s actions, now and in the future, are deeply enmeshed with
energy use, life and career, and generating new metaphors), and argues
that by seeking to ‘understand people’s understanding better’, design social and cultural contexts, power structures, and other people’s
research can contribute useful forms of enquiry for informing other actions, and more nuanced than any singular vision can ever capture,
academic disciplines dealing with large-scale challenges such as health, which highlights the inadequacy of strongly reductive approaches,
environment, politics, and social issues. appealing as these models might sometimes be. People, societies
Figure 1. A and their actions are diverse, even in the face of attempts to design
metaphorical this away, or treat it as reduced. Along these lines, Brynjarsdóttir et
‘project land- al. (2012) characterise much design for behaviour change (specifically
scape’ built around sustainability) as ‘a modernist enterprise’ (p947), focusing both
and annotat- on individuals at the expense of broader social considerations, and on
ed by a group narrowing the broad scope of sustainability into ‘the more manageable
of undergrad-
problem of ‘resource management’’ (p948).
uate design
students to
represent Beyond these critiques, though, is an area where design research can
a collective contribute further to change: investigating and engaging with how we
mental model think. Just as design influences our behaviour, the designed systems
of a group and environments we inhabit affect, and are affected by, how we think
project they and understand and make sense of the world, individually and together.
had worked How we think about the world affects what we do. The imaginaries we
Introduction: Understanding how people think, instead of just on, with its
have (Jasanoff and Kim, 2015; Speed et al, 2019)—the stories we tell
trying to change behaviour ups, downs,
and emotions ourselves and each other, the mental models, language, framings and
All design influences our behaviour, from the layout of our cities, to metaphors we use, the associations and mental imagery that come to
(Ricketts and
the choices of data required by a form, to the aesthetic choices made mind when we think about concepts—make a difference to the way we
Lockton,
in food packaging, to the interface design of the software which you 2019). approach the issues that affect us, from interacting with technology in
may be using to read this paper. We are living our everyday lives within everyday life right up to global challenges such as climate change and
multiple intersecting designed systems, at many scales, and the design the rise of extreme populism. “How do we understand?” is becoming
of those systems has an influence on how we act, and how we can act. increasingly important as we become enmeshed in complex systems of
In recent years, the field of design for behaviour change (and allied nature, technology and society, from ecosystems to AI to big data to
areas such as persuasive technology) has emerged as a key component our own health. Design working on behaviour change has so far largely
of a broader ‘design for change’ agenda (Niedderer et al, 2016), with an ignored this dimension, and yet it potentially offers a deeper and
explicit focus on trying to change people’s behaviour intentionally, for richer understanding of the human condition within the socio-technical
example around health, environmental impact, safety, and other social ecologies of our lives—although we must not forget that the ‘we’ in so
issues (in addition to many with a commercial benefit agenda). Design much of this kind of work is rooted in western, privileged positions and
researchers have been at the forefront of translating and transposing notions of everyday life (Schultz et al, 2018; Abdulla et al, 2019). But this
knowledge from other academic disciplines such as social and cognitive is an opportunity for design research to contribute to scientific, social
psychology and behavioural economics into practically actionable forms scientific, and humanities enquiry more widely as part of just transitions
for designers and other practitioners involved in a variety of domains to more sustainable societies (White, 2019; Boehnert et al, 2018).
(e.g. Lilley & Wilson, 2017; Daae & Boks, 2014; Selvefors, 2017; Lockton
et al, 2013a). The approach has, in modified form, made its way into Design research, including techniques and methods developed by
government policy, discussed as ‘neuroliberalism’ by Whitehead et al designers for use in developing new products and services, can offer new
(2017), and its methods been adopted and adapted by NGOs and think perspectives on exploring these imaginaries and their consequences
tanks; there are industry conferences and even design consultancies for human behaviour, complementing social and cognitive sciences
specialising in the field. The ‘behavioural design’ research programme with an experiential layer. Design methods can also help us go beyond
has had impact. characterising what we have already, and actively develop and propose
258 259
new ways to understand, and new ways to live (Lockton and Candy, series of events with adults and young people, given media including
2018), supporting people’s imagining and helping them conceive of pens, crayons, inks and pastels, we arrived at a collection of 180
new perspectives for behaviour and practices in the future. drawings (Bowden et al, 2015) that present a diverse and multifaceted
picture of people’s ideas, mental imagery, mental models, experiences
This paper briefly introduces three projects which explore considering and notions of what energy ‘looks’ like. As a way into making this often
metaphors and imaginaries more widely almost as a ‘material’ for
design research, a rich source of insight and a site of opportunity for Figure 2
and 3. Two
design researchers to enact change with societal and environmental
examples
benefit in different domains. We use the term ‘metaphor’ in a broad, from ‘Draw-
imprecise way, to refer to a variety of ways in which one thing can be ing Energy’
understood in terms of another. (Bowden
et al, 2015)
Energy Imaginaries: What does energy look like? created by
The SusLabNWE project was a European collaboration around studying members of
the public.
and influencing more sustainable behaviour in domestic contexts,
through Living Lab methodology (Keyson et al, 2016), including both
dedicated Living Lab houses, and a selection of participants given
a range of sensors and experience sampling equipment for their
own homes. Much of the work focused on investigating energy use
behaviour, which is a major component of design for sustainable
behaviour research. As design researchers engaged in ethnographic
research with householders (Lockton et al, 2013b), we quickly found
that the design of the energy monitors and feedback systems that
were intended to influence people’s behaviour were not necessarily
designed with reference to people’s mental models (Johnson-Laird,
1983; Gentner & Stevens, 1983) of energy—notions which were diverse
and with associations much broader than heat or electricity.

One of the main themes emerging was the general invisibility of energy
in modern life, and the consequences of this for behaviour and everyday
practices. Householders’ mental models of energy itself, and energy-
using systems such as heating, together with the relative importance
of different energy-using systems in the home, were partly determined
by what was most salient—such as lighting—rather than ‘hidden’ uses
such as heating and cooling. By people’s own admission, much of the
energy ‘wasted’ at home through particular behaviours, such as leaving
heating on when going out, or leaving lights on elsewhere in the
house, was partly due to its invisibility from the perspective of where
they were at the time. People questioned how they could change how
they use energy when they can’t easily see or feel it, or get a sense
of the changing rate at which it is being used. We found confusion
with the different characteristics of energy use by different appliances intangible and amorphous subject visible and engageable-with, the
(e.g. the ‘spike’ of a kettle compared with the continuous power drawn broad and sometimes contrasting range of personal definitions and
by lighting), and units, for example between kilowatts as a measure of conceptualisations of energy (Figure 2 and 3) illustrate participants’
power and kilowatt-hours as a measure of energy. aesthetic perceptions and judgement of energy via metaphors,
categorisations, characterisations and associations, leading to possible
One simple way to explore this further was to ask people ‘What does design implications for new forms of energy feedback or display
energy look like?’, applying what might be used as a creative icebreaker (Bowden et al, 2015). (One direction we have taken, informed by some
exercise in design workshops as a research method in itself. Through a of the metaphors which emerged, is energy sonification (Lockton et al
2014, 2019a), which is outside the scope of this paper but has potential
260 261
for ambient comprehension of energy use with multiple appliances, or in groups. Landscapes are a common type of metaphor in speech,
including pattern recognition and state changes). particularly for talking about relations between parts of a whole, or
mapping the structure of one concept onto another. In organizations,
Mental Landscapes: Modelling imaginaries of career paths and we might talk about moving into new territory or the stakeholder
group projects landscape, having a vantage point, mainstream and backwater,
The idea of using ‘design’ methods to explore the mental imagery and channelling our efforts, the lay of the land, descending into chaos,
metaphors which people have around abstract-but-important concepts oceans of possibilities—even blue sky thinking. We talk about food
seemed applicable to many other areas beyond energy—eliciting deserts and career paths, networks and decision trees, world-wide
metaphors, tacit or explicit, could be part of a self-reflection process webs and websites, sometimes directly comparing a new concept to an
for research participants themselves, or for researchers seeking to gain existing thing in a landscape, and sometimes using the idea in a more
qualitative insights around people’s understandings. Systems theorist abstract way. On a more fundamental level, we might even realize the
Peter Senge (1993) has called for teams within organizations to work spatial metaphors inherent in perspective, field, area, stance, position,
on “surfacing, testing, and improving [their] mental pictures of how the looking ahead, and, indeed, fundamental level. In developing the form
world works” to arrive at shared mental models; this approach could of the kit, we have taken inspiration from, or paralleled, approaches
also be useful for people individually. However, there is no right way to including Liz Sanders’s MakeTools (Sanders and Stappers, 2013), Thudt
externalize thoughts. As David Jonassen and Young Hoan Cho (2008) et al.’s (2018) data physicalization for self-reflection, and other work on
put it, we need “visual prostheses” to share our mental imagery with embodied sensemaking, modeling in systemic design, and collective
each other. imagery weaves (Jaasma et al, 2017; Aguirre Ulloa & Paulsen, 2017;
Chueng-Nainby et al, 2016).
Figure 4.
The Mental In the ‘life landscapes’ workshop, master’s students in groups of five to
Landscapes
seven, have been given 30 minutes to visualise the questions “What
modelling
process. do the past and future look like as a landscape?” and “Where are we
going?” using the kit. The focus for most groups has been their own
perceptions of their journeys before, during—and imagined journey
after—graduating, but the scope has been open for groups to interpret
the questions in different ways. The collaborative challenge here was to
create a shared vision from what started as a disparate set of individual
experiences (Figure 3). Figure 5 shows one group explaining their
landscape, centred around a set of tributaries (different backgrounds)
coming together with the students on a raft together (their degrees),
heading—potentially via a whirlpool—for a variety of possibilities
ahead, from rocky shallows, to deserts with cacti, to hills representing
different kinds of careers.
Figure 5.
A group
explains their
In Mental Landscapes (Ricketts and Lockton, 2019) we used developed ‘life land-
a set of visual prostheses specifically to explore how students imagined scape’.
and thought about their own lives—career paths, but also more widely
their own pasts and possible futures, all based around a variety of
landscape metaphors. We also used the same kit to investigate groups’
conceptions of projects they had worked on together. The Mental
Landscapes kit comprises laser-cut card parts embodying a particular
set of metaphors based on stylised landscapes and features within
landscapes, such as hills, roads, fields, and weather. We have explored
the kit’s use through workshops where participants assemble and
arrange a variety of elements to make abstracted model landscapes
that on some level represent or translate their thinking, individually

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Looking at how groups imagined projects they had worked on together, that shown in Figure 6, where not just the other events (e.g., the career
undergraduates worked in groups of three to five for 30 minutes, re- fair) in people’s calendars, but also the meaning of them to people,
forming groups they had previously worked in together on a recent along with each other’s perspectives on communication, different
project. They were asked to use the elements to create landscapes visions for the project, and so on, were visible and engageable-with.
representing whatever aspects they found important to emphasize: Beyond interface design, there is also something interesting in using
topics, challenges, project stages, roles, interpersonal relationships, and these kinds of methods to shed light on the unexamined metaphors
so on. Some projects started with “rocky” beginnings, represented by and mental models that are present in our collective (or not) societal
cones or hills. Others started with trees, rivers, and stars, representing imaginaries of abstract concepts such as technology, life, career,
periods of ideation, or general feelings of optimism. When projects family, and work—and issues such as climate change, our relationship
encountered difficulties later on, many groups represented these periods with nature, resources, artificial intelligence, mental and physical
with lightning, rain, and hills (e.g. Figure 6). Several groups came up health, national identities and international migration, social equity,
with names to represent specific parts of their project experiences, such government, new forms of economy, and quality of life. As such, our
as a “plateau of exhaustion” before the project came to an end, or even aim in developing the kit further will be for it to be useful at multiple
in one case a “hell.” In Figure 1, for example, the group illustrated how levels, from individual reflection to community-based participatory
at the beginning of their project, they were in a “marsh of uncertainty.” design workshops—giving a community the opportunity to reflect
Negative feedback was represented by a “sinking whirlpool” and rain on and learn about its own thinking—and expanding beyond solely
clouds. The grey, dry “desert of inspiration” represents not having a landscape metaphors.
lot of ideas, but the blue circles represent the team enjoying working
Figure 7.
together. Eventually they found an “oasis of teamwork,” which led to “a
A group of
paradise of creation” and eventually completing the project. interaction
designers at
Using design methods in this kind of way can make a contribution to the UX Lis-
what might traditionally have been text- or interview-based forms of bon industry
inquiry. Exploring which elements of mental models are shared between conference
group members—and which are not—and the discussion around these use the New
issues once surfaced, can give useful insights for researchers seeking to Metaphors
cards to
understand understanding. For example, different metaphors used by
rethink the
participants could inspire a new form of interface design for life planning framing of
or project-management tools. Imagine collaborative project-planning issues.
Figure 6.
software—or even an augmented reality or tangible interface—enabling
Here, as
team members to shape and annotate elements in a landscape such as explained by
the group, in-
itially extreme
weather rep-
resents a com- New Metaphors: Using the power of creativity to generate new
munication framings for big issues
breakdown; Another direction for exploring metaphors within design for change
a rising sun is around intentionally seeking, and creating, new metaphors. In
represents the
interaction design, new metaphors may commonly be considered
group starting
to understand
where a new product or technology offers new affordances which
what was require some ‘anchoring’ (itself a metaphor) to a familiar concept (Cila,
going on. The 2013; Jung et al 2017). But there is a much bigger potential.
mountain and
swirl of peo- Many challenges facing humanity today and in the future are complex,
ple represent involving relationships, systemic intricacies, and timescales which
the pressure are difficult to understand and represent in simple terms. As such,
and opportu-
humans simplify; and those simplifications can have consequences
nity of a major
career fair at
which impede attempts to tackle problems. For example, the multiple
that time in feedback loops, scale and duration, uncertainty and non-linearity of
the project. climate change may be reduced by popular media discourse to ‘global
264 265
warming’, a framing whose ‘validity’ (along with trust in science itself) is and that a method for doing so could be a useful part of the designer’s
held open to question. toolbox. The method is very simple: participants browse sets of image
and text cards which they combine in creative ways to suggest possible
Often, complex issues are rendered understandable through the use metaphors (optionally going through a characteristic-mapping process),
of metaphors and analogies, and indeed it has been argued that these and then they think further about how a concept might be developed
are central to human reasoning, understanding, and creativity (Boden, based around the new metaphors they have generated. This process of
1992; Hofstadter, 2001) as well as the linguistic aspects of cognition bisociation—as described by Arthur Koestler (1964), “the perceiving of
itself (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980). There are many phenomena where a situation or idea… in two self-consistent but habitually incompatible
new metaphors could potentially enable new forms of understanding, frames of reference”—or simple juxtaposition of ideas as a provocation
sharing or changing mental models, or experiencing otherwise invisible in the style of Edward de Bono (1971) is a common feature of inspiration
processes in more interesting ways. card workshops (Biskjaer et al, 2017) and is fast-paced, intended to
be a creative trigger method to generate multiple ideas quickly and
One simple reason for metaphors’ prevalence is that by mapping then enable subsequent evaluation and development. The workshop
features of an existing or familiar situation onto a new or unknown participants may come with their own specific domain knowledge or a
one, we are enabled to grasp it more quickly. Nevertheless, metaphors problem or issue for which they seek new metaphors, or they may use
are not the thing itself—they are always an abstraction, a model the cards to address topics of which they have little knowledge, but
of the situation. They can be a map to a territory, but should not be which can nevertheless provide a provocation for thinking differently.
mistaken for the territory. Artists and poets may be experts in creating Some of the cards are shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10.
new metaphors, but as well as within design practice, the intentional
Figure 8. How
construction of metaphors to enable new ways of thinking has been
could burnt
proposed by people in many fields, ranging from anthropology (e.g. toast be a
Margaret Mead and Mary Catherine Bateson) to politics (e.g. George metaphor
Lakoff). In economics, studies have noted how the metaphor of ‘the for climate
national economy as a household budget’, or even ‘a container/bucket/ change?
pot’ commonly employed by media and politicians, is a structural Could
error in terms of many key features of the systems, such as fixation on cracks in the
‘balancing the books’ or people in need being ‘a drain on the system’. paving be
a metaphor
This leads to specific policy decisions being made that arguably cause
for unwritten
harm. How would political discourse on the economy be different if rules, or a net
a different metaphor were used? We can imagine ideas such as the a metaphor
economy is a garden or the economy is a loaf od bread being baked; for anxiety?
the New Economy Organisers’ Network, New Economics Foundation
and partners (2018) tested new metaphors such as the economy is a
computer that can be programmed through surveys with the British
public. From global issues to local ones (e.g. engagement with local
government), right down to the personal level (e.g. mental health), there
is an opportunity for new metaphors to be generated, and adopted and There are two types of cards: ‘Thing 1’ cards, solely textual, feature the
adapted from other cultures, traditions, and contexts, and their effects names of an assorted selection of phenomena and abstract concepts
on people’s understanding of issues investigated. As Schön (1979) which may be difficult to visualise, but which might be possible to
argued for the examination of generative metaphor in problem-setting do through using a metaphor. They are drawn from the authors’ own
in social policy, exploring the metaphors in use can condition the ways noticings, and from concepts which have been suggested by students,
that problems are approached, and generating different metaphors can previous workshop participants, and topics in previous projects.
enable new perspectives. These ranged from invisible system relationships (e.g. power relations
between people or even wifi signals) to intangible emotions, feelings
We have created a card deck and workshop format (Figure 7), New or personality properties (e.g. confidence or a headache). The Thing
Metaphors (Lockton et al 2019b) which aims to inspire creative 1 cards are ‘optional’ for the workshop process, in the sense that
approaches to designing novel interfaces, products, services, participants may already have problems or issues for which they seek
communication campaigns, ways of explaining ideas, and more widely, new metaphors. Some of the workshops we have run have explicitly
reframing of societal issues around technology and other issues of asked participants to come with domain-specific issues themselves.
global importance, providing an expanded ‘conceptual vocabulary’,
266 267
 Figure 9. A Figure 10.
selection A selection
of Thing 1 of Thing 2
cards—some cards—phe-
phenomena nomena in
and abstract the world
concepts which could
which may potentially be
be difficult to an interesting
visualise, but metaphor for
which might some of the
be possible Thing 1 cards
to do through or other
using a meta- concepts.
phor.

Thing 2 cards show a photograph and the name of a phenomenon in characteristics of the phenomena being considered, but other groups
the world which could potentially be an interesting metaphor for some had leapt straight to a concept.
of the Thing 1s—an arbitrarily chosen mixture of natural and artificial
phenomena (and sometimes combinations of the two). The examples One direction for further in-depth research here could be an analysis of
were partly drawn from sensory or synaesthesia-inspired ideas (Lee et how the backgrounds and experience of the participants (which we did
al, 2019), such as sweetness, and partly from everyday phenomena not explicitly assess) related to the kinds of ideas generated, or whether
that seemed interesting as potential ‘design’ material—particularly particular combinations or attributes of Thing 1 and Thing 2 could apply
drawing on work around qualitative interface design (Lockton et al, to certain domains better than others. This work could lead to a much
2017), indexical visualisation (Offenhuber and Telhan, 2015) and data more structured, guided form of ideation process.
physicalisation (Jansen et al, 2015)—from the hum of a fridgew to the
arrangement of your desktop. There are at least two directions this research could go in applying
this work within design for change. One is to use the New Metaphors
A set of worksheets helps guide participants through mapping method and cards (suitably expanded or reorganised in content) to
characteristics between Thing 2 and Thing 1 (or other concepts). With generate and iterate more targeted design concepts for new interfaces,
a more focused procedure, there is potential for incorporation of a products, services, communication campaigns, ways of explaining an
‘metaphor search stage’ into design processes; alternatively, there is idea, or other developments for particular situations and domains, for
still potentially value in treating this as a kind of fun creative thinking example new metaphors for interface design around mental health.
exercise in itself, to help open up new ways of thinking, even if the We are interested in the potential for new metaphors to influence and
concepts generated are not developed further. Participants’ comments support decision-making, behaviour change and new practices through
from New Metaphors workshops run at a range of user experience enabling new forms of understanding, as an aid to help people explore
design industry conferences in France, Portugal, and the US (and their own and each other’s thinking, and specifically to help people
student workshops in Chile and the US) included insights around how understand their relationships and agency with the systems around
the process had worked in practice—some groups had set themselves them. Practically, we are taking this forward with student projects where
the challenge to work with whatever juxtaposition was chosen (even the goal is the design, and the New Metaphors method is simply part
semi-randomly), while others had worked through many different of the process of getting there.
combinations to find ones that ‘worked’ in terms of structural similarity,
or even in being a ‘problem’ that interested the group. The mapping Another direction is to apply the idea of generating new metaphors
worksheets have been useful to some groups in working through the to bigger situations beyond design: to engage with reframing social,

268 269
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 Creative
interventions in
the juvenile justice
system of India: A
systemic inquiry
Aishwarya S. Narvekar, Aishwarya Rane, Kamal and
Pankaj Yadav
274 275
Abstract Project introduction
Reformation of children who have come in conflict with law happens Nelson Mandela once said, “When a man is denied the right to live the
through a traditional Judiciary system. This fairly neglected system life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” Children
deals with children of today, who will be contributing members of the have impressionable minds and the perspective towards society may be
society tomorrow. This is why reformation for the person who comes in shaped during the formative years. At such an impressionable age, it is
the purview of the system is more essential than the action that brings very easy to take rash decisions and commit actions that are considered
him/her there. Keeping design at the centre of our research process unfavourable in society.
we tried to study this system with a human centred approach trying
to understand what drives the process of reformation inside for the Juvenile by definition is a child who, having not attained prescribed
children. Design, as a process, and drawing, as a tool, helped us break age, cannot be held solely liable for his criminal act. This means that
barriers in communication and expression with the children who have when a person of young age commits a crime, it must be assumed that
been in a closed institution during the important years of their learning there are many other factors which caused him to commit the action
lives. An important part of the study was to co-create for the system that he is being held responsible for. Thus, if a child commits a crime, it
along with different individuals in the system. This approach helped reveals a larger tear in the fabric of society.
to gain valuable insight into the system and also prevent actions and
approaches that are unfavourable in this highly sensitive area. This study Close to 20,000 juveniles are reported to be committing crime in India
will attempt to define the method found to interact and co-create with itself, out of which, 7.2% are reported for repeated crimes. This number
individuals in a secure and confidential system. The study also explores fluctuates yearly, due to the large number of unreported cases or cases
the possibility to use gamification as an approach to problem solving. that are not processed, so that the juvenile is not treated as a criminal
The exploration of reformation strategies has led to this conclusion for the rest of his/he life and gets another chance to be a responsible
and it is found that it promotes voluntary participation on behalf of the member of the society.
inmates.
The study began with the purpose to find the most effective method
Introduction of reformation for juvenile delinquents in India and later evolved into
Reformation of children who come in conflict with the law has been an understanding of the role of design and designers in the process of
happening through the Juvenile Justice System in India. This system reform and rehabilitation. The attempt is to take the human centred
which deals specifically with children remains neglected in the larger practice of design, and apply it to a large scale social system.
system of Judiciary. The children who come under the purview of this
system get a chance to come out as contributing members of the India, a developing country, has only recently begun to understand the
society in the future. importance of design in the corporate world and thus, the practice has
not yet been translated to the social sector. The findings of this study
Therefore, reformation is essential than the action that brings him/her will also help determine the role of design in furthering the social cause.
there. Keeping design at the center of our research process we tried to
study this system with a human centered approach trying to understand
what drives the process of reformation inside for the children. Design, The existing justice system for juveniles
as a process, and drawing, as a tool, helped us break barriers in The current Juvenile Justice System is governed by the Juvenile Justice
communication and expression with the children who have been in a Act, recently amended in 2015 (Figure 1). It handles juveniles alleged
closed institution during the important years of their lives. An important of crime and children in need of care and protection. When a child
part of the study was to co-create for the system. This approach helped
Figure 1. The
to gain valuable insight into the system and also prevent actions and current Juve-
approaches that are unfavourable in this highly sensitive area. nile Justice
System
This study will attempt to define the method found to interact and co-
create with individuals in a secure and confidential system. The study
also explores the possibility to use gamification as an approach to
problem solving. The exploration of reformation strategies has led to
this conclusion and it is found that it promotes voluntary participation
on behalf of the inmates.

276 277
is alleged of a crime, he/she must be dealt with by a special part of examples of which are the Delhi prisons reform activities like Vipassana
the police force known as the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU). A by Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and Sabarmati Jail Interventions by
non-uniformed police officer not in possession of any weapons and the Prison Project.
trained to deal with juveniles should be present if a child is brought
into custody. Following the recording of the case and through report by Kiran Bedi, during her posting at Delhi Prisons as Inspector General,
a Probation Officer, the child is presented before the Juvenile Justice introduced several reforms to Tihar jail. These include meditation
Board (JJB), which is a committee comprising of the Judicial Magistrate for the inmates, registered vocational courses, legal cells and even
and two social workers. The board reviews the case and comes to a a de-addiction centre. This gained her acclaim and promoted the
judgement which is in the best interest of the child and the society; this understanding of reformative activities in India, but the practice has yet
may be in the form of a fine, probation period /social service or a term not translated to the juvenile system.
of stay in a registered observation home.
The Prison project was an initiative driven by the National Institute of
The new amendment to the act states that any juvenile, guilty of Design, India and Design Against Crime Research Centre, UK. The aim
a heinous crime will be given a sentence equivalent to an adult of the project was to improve the lives of inmates through creative
committing the same crime. He will serve his sentence in two parts; in interventions. The project introduced creative thinking to prison inmates,
an observation home till he attains the age of 18 and beyond that in an to exercise their minds and contribute to society. It was successful in
adult prison. turning Sabarmati prison into a creative hub, and improve the lives of
the inmates through individual, innovative projects. The success of this
The JJ Act defines a set of sixteen principles which have to be followed approach inspired the approach of a gamified restorative approach.
when dealing with juveniles. These principles make sure that the child Gamification shows great promise in ensuring behavioural change,
is dealt a fair and just trial. especially in children. While children may not respond to explicit
instructions, a gamified experience allows for greater involvement and
Children’s homes intrinsic learning. (10)
An observation home is a facility which houses incarcerated juvenile
delinquents. These homes provide temporary stay for juveniles under Methodology
trial or stay for juveniles who have been given a term of stay by the Since the topic of study of this paper was highly sensitive and involved
Juvenile Justice Board. The term of stay of a juvenile under trial children, the methods commonly applied in Design Research which
must not exceed two months, and the term of stay of a convicted focus on understanding the user through shadowing, interviews,
juvenile must not exceed three years. The observation homes provide documentation, etc. couldn’t be applied here. The research aimed to
food, shelter, education and occasionally vocational training to the get a deep understanding of how the system functions and insights
juveniles, differing in quality from home to home. Special homes house into how reformation happens inside the observation homes. As Design
children who have committed a serious act of crime and have been Researchers, we maintained focus on the people involved in the system
convicted. A place of safety houses the children who have committed and how the juveniles thrive in the process they go through Interviews
an act of heinous crime and have been convicted. Place of safety could with Stakeholders. The first phase involves meeting with stakeholders
be an individual institution or it could also be a section inside the at different levels in the system and understanding their involvement,
Special Homes. For the purpose of this study, observation homes and interaction with children and influence over the reforms taking place.
special homes are given a greater importance due to the environment Multiple individuals from various fields were interviewed so as to gain
and attempts to reform and educate the multiple perspectives and judge personal biases amongst individuals of
convicted juveniles. different standings.

The act specifies the correct way to deal with juveniles as being a Fly on the wall observation
‘child-friendly’ method, where the juvenile does not feel threatened or With thorough understanding of how the system functions by the law,
coerced by the actions of any member of the system. Child-friendly the next phase was to look at interaction of stakeholders with juveniles
environments are also specified in the act. on these levels in practice. This phase built a better understanding of
how juvenile courts function, and the journey juvenile goes through
Reformation in India once inside the observation home.
Observation homes in India attempt to reform juveniles through
education, vocational training and regular sessions with counsellors.
Some successful methods of reform are seen in the adult prisons,

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To understand the behaviour of juveniles, a study was conducted into Probation officers
the observation homes, by visiting several homes. The study had to A probation officer conducts an intensive investigation of the case of
be conducted keeping in mind the sensitivity of the topic and the the juvenile. He re-evaluates the police report and conducts a detailed
information gathered. No documentation was conducted inside the investigation to come up with a Social Investigation Report, which is a
homes, complying with security standards and anonymity of all the crucial factor based for the JJB hearing. Probation officers
inmates. All photos and sketches were taken, ensuring no humans in have the task of looking at the family background of the juvenile, which
the frame and with permission of the concerned authorities. Conversing is essential to figure out whether the child was under the influence of
with the juvenile also proved to be a limitation, as they were passively the family or someone in the locality. This often leads to identification
encouraged only to speak highly of the system. Only a few openly of other factors influencing the decisions of the child.
conversed in the presence of the guards. Permission to converse in the
absence of guards, teachers or counsellors was not granted. NGOs
Even though the JJS is a well-guarded system, there are some Children’s
Participatory research Homes which are working closely with NGOs to bring a more child-
Since, direct interviews with juveniles regarding their perspective on centred approach to the reformation process. The current system faces
reforms were not permitted due to safety concerns and restrictions, some challenges with staff availability, resources available,
interaction with them was through curated gamified sessions. These individual attention for a thorough reformation, behaviour and attitude
sessions were conducted in 4 different Observation Homes across 2 towards the juveniles, etc. The NGOs and organizations working with
states in India. These sessions aimed to understand their response to make sure some of these challenges are addressed and focus on the
the reformation process, behaviour and aspirations. socio-emotional development of the child inside. They also act as
feedback agents for the directed system and emphasize for a child-
Primary research - The stakeholders oriented reform over the system oriented one.
The primary research started out in phases, familiarising with the
stakeholders in the system and interacting with the juvenile children. Research through design
These stakeholders helped identify some problems being faced at each Visits were made to 4 institutions in India, to understand the environment
level & how those could affect the process of reformation intended for and overall atmosphere that the convicted juveniles are kept in.
the juveniles.
• Observation Home, Khanpur, Ahmedabad, Gujrat
Police • Place of Safety, Mehsana, Gujarat
Ms. Panna Momaya, an IPS officer and the Head of Women and Child • David Sassoon Industrial School, Matunga, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Safety Department, helped to identify the working of the system and • Umerkhadi Children’s Home, Dongri, Mumbai, Maharashtra
the measures taken by the officials to protect the children who come
under the purview of the system. The officials who are trained to deal The visits to the campus gave important insights into the infrastructure
with juveniles are supposed to take special measures to protect the of the space, but not the childrens’ perspective. Directly approaching
identity of the child and follow a strict protocol with respect to their the juveniles proved to be a challenge as asking questions, interviewing
behaviour, language and handling of them so as not to damage the them and taking notes made them conscious of their situation and their
person psychologically in the process. words and actions were restricted.

JJB Participatory approach

Interaction with the Judicial Magistrate, who presides over the local A new approach needed to be developed to approach the children in
Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) helped to understand some legal aspects a way where they would be comfortable. Gamifying the whole process
of the proceedings and the parameters which decide the length of stay helped to keep the children engaged in the process as well as express
of the person in an Observation Home and the process of themselves well beyond hesitation and language barriers. To go forward
Reformation he’ll go through during that time period. As the juveniles a set of games and activities was devised, inspired from ice breakers
are still minors, maximum preference is given to keep them with their and kindergarten activities (Figure 2).
family/guardians but in case of serious, heinous or multiple repeat
offences they are liable to go through a reformation process in the
Observation Homes.

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The activities were as such, in this particular order: The activities were conducted in three of the Observation Homes,
Mehsana, Matunga and Dongri. All the boys who were interacted
with were Children in Conflict with the Law within the age group of
Task 1 Arranging yourselves by Age: It was done to start a
14-21 years with 1-2 cases of above 21 in Mehsana, Place of Safety.
conversation among the children and for us understand the
Only in Dongri we had a chance to interact with girls who were mostly
age group.
Children in Need of Care and Protection with 3 cases of convicted
Task 2 Draw your partners portrait: To connect to other children juveniles. Through the activities, we were able to come up with some
and for us to gauge their skills and interest. observations. Please note that any and all identities and personal
information divulged has been omitted for security reasons.
Task 3 Draw your Hobby: To make them think about themselves
and for us to grasp their personality and background. Case Study 1: Mehsana Observation Home and Place of Safety
Task 4 Group according to similar hobbies: To see internal Mehsana Observation home for boys has both observation home and a
dynamics and see what common pattern emerges. Place of safety. It has about 50 children in conflict with law (CCL) within
the age group of 16-21. The Place of safety is for children convicted for
Task 5 List 5 things in common within the group formed: To see heinous crimes. The children convicted for these crimes are supposed
how well they know each other and initiate consensus to be kept separate and given special attention for reform.
building.
Task 6 Two truth and a lie: To make them think consciously about • Children showed enthusiasm for all the activities
themselves • Some children were hesitant and refused to participate in each
group.
Task 7 New skill I want to learn: To build aspiration and see possible • Interest in sports, music and dance was seen commonly across
intervention groups.
• The groups were amicable as a whole.
Task 8 New thing I learned in observation home: To see inmate-
• There was a willingness to learn new skills to beat boredom and
staff relation and peer to peer relation.
preferred over classes which students didn’t attend largely.
Task 9 One thing liked about the place: Adjustment in place and
outlook towards the system During the visit, mention of a student at Mehsana came up as he was a
talented artist and the Home and officials worked to promote his talent.
Task 10 What to do next: Interest level in activities. This provided us with a solid example of how redirection of energy and
talents could help in the child flourishing even in the hardest conditions.

Case Study 2: David Sassoon Industrial School

Figure 2. The David Sassoon Industrial School is a certified Special Home. It is
Children’s a formal education and a vocational training centre with a focus on
sketches character development of children there and reformation of juvenile
delinquents. The sanctioned vacancy of the home is 400 boys ( 200
Children in Conflict with Law and 200 Children in Need of Care and
Protection) between the age group of 12 to 18 years of age.

• Children were slightly hesitant to draw initially but as they were

grouped, there was a stronger collective sense of initiative to
finish first and better.
• Quick, prompt response to tasks given was seen.
• Interest in sports like cricket, volleyball and dancing was common
across the group.
• Children were more enthusiastic and outspoken.

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Case Study 3: Dongri children’s home things everyone had in common inside and created a common ground
The home at Dongri is children’s home and observation home; meaning for breaking the ice with each other.
that it houses both children in conflict with law and in need of care
and protection. One of the biggest observation homes in Asia, the The period of isolation from society gives them time to reflect on the
Umerkhadi home currently houses about 230 children in need of care actions but the lack of facilities, resources for aiding the further process
and protection; 150 boys and 80 girls; and about 60 children in conflict of reformation puts them in a very vulnerable spot inside.
in law; about 3 - 4 of which are girls.
• There was a lack of communication among peers as well as staff
In Dongri, we conducted separate sessions with the boys and girls as and the children
the sections were divided. • There was a lack of system in place which could keep teenagers
engaged and motivated during the period they were inside
Girl’s Section • There is a need for positive reinforcement
• Girls drew more detailed sketches rich with patterns and
information Limitations
• The girls were open and eager to learn any activity that we could Lack of documentation in any form of the interactions inside the premise
teach them of Observation Homes was necessary to protect the identity of children.
• The girls showed most enthusiasm in jewelry and zari making. The Juvenile Justice system in India is not a well-researched theme in
• The girls while performing the tasks pushed to do it on their own the design community.
terms over the instructions given. There were traces of groupism Convincing the guards and officials in the system of the possibility
in the overall conduct of design interventions proved to be a difficult task due to a lack of
precedents of projects.
Boy’s Section
• The boys often ended up copying the given tasks from each Application - Restorative justice
other Restorative Justice is focused on rehabilitation of offenders through
• There was evident groupism, there were juveniles who were reconciliation with the victim or community. This approach of bringing
dominating other kids justice brings to table the damage caused because of the act of crime,
• The language barrier was exploited by the students and made the accountability of the action for the offender and way forward for
fun of each other better reform. The approach focuses on reformation of the person
• The juveniles were keen on learning “cool” things, like bike riding to restore them as a contributing member of the society. Restorative
and tattoo art justice is also applicable to offenders who have already been convicted.
It seeks to understand the circumstances around the person and triggers
Reflection and analysis that lead to the act of crime and thus applying that in the reformation
Though there were different observations noted for each place that we and eventual re-integration of the person in the society.
visited, this study helped us see some common trends across places
with respect to the behaviour of children, their interest, interaction with One of the most effective ways of addressing restorative justice is
peers inside and the kind of things that troubled them. through restorative circles. A restorative circle brings together the
three parties to a conflict – those who have acted, those directly
One of the most evident things that came across was that the children impacted and the wider community – within an intentional systemic
inside were more inclined to learn life skills than education in formal context, to dialogue as equals. The restorative circles practised here
sense. The children who stayed inside these observation homes were in the observation home opens discussion among the kids. Due to the
from varied age-groups, regions and languages. For most children, complicated and varied social structure of our society, a lot of children
earning a living was higher in priority that getting a formal education. who are inside the observation homes have been normalised to things,
Sitting in a class and not connecting to the content made it difficult for actions and thinking which isn’t considered okay by the larger society.
them to pursue it with interest. There is a difference in understanding of right and wrong. Restorative
circles aims to open up this discussion and make them see things from
Since they spent most of their time in a closed campus, many showed different perspectives, bringing to the table the full picture. It aims to
great interest in some sort of physical activity. To keep the children safe instill a sense of empathy, socio-emotional learning among the children
inside they are not allowed access to almost anything that could be and work on how to control, express emotions.
harmful. Learning dance, exercising and sports were among the few

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Gamifying Restorative Circle Figure 4.
A very important part of restorative justice is active participation by ResQ
the juveniles who are part of the process. Unwilling participation of
the individuals involved was observed during the visits to the juvenile
homes. Repeated questions from guards and teachers saw signs of
disinterest such as; talking back, hesitation to answering questions,
sarcastic or demeaning comebacks and unwillingness to answer. This
derails counselling sessions and fails to provide preferable results in
change in behaviour of the children.

Another challenge that was seen to bring the concept of restorative

circles to observation homes was a lack of trained facilitator to
conduct one. The facilitator needs to be well versed in the method of
conducting a restorative circle and also be able to handle any difficult
situations that may arise while the circle is in session. It certainly may be
difficult to train people to conduct circles, to learn the kind of empathy
required to handle troubled children and listen to their problems
without judgement. What is much harder is to convince people to put
in the time and effort required to conduct a restorative circle. Since the
effects of a restorative circle are not immediately seen, officials do not The game, with slight modifications was tested in the Khanpur
see the benefits of the process. Thus the conclusion was reached that observation home at Ahmedabad (Figure 4). Further test plays were
the juveniles needed to be the initiators and conductors of the circle conducted on students of NID, who were not otherwise part of the
themselves. project.

One of the most compelling methods is ‘gamification’. Gamification ResQ

is the method of applying aspects of games; like competition, point ResQ attempts to provide counsellors, inexperienced in the method
scoring and rules of play; to non-related tasks. This is done so as to of conducting a restorative circle, a way to conduct a restorative circle,
improve productivity, or in online marketing as a strategy to ensure and children to be able to sustain the practice on their own without the
participation. It uses the pretext of achievement and rewards to need of a facilitator.
encourage the participant.
As in a detention restorative circle, each game is based on a certain
Figure 3. topic and the aim of the game is to discuss the topic, the severity of
Gamification
the issue and methods to resolve it. In the game, the board holds the
prototypes
counters of the players and dictates depending on the color of the
piece on which the counter lands what card the child gets. It helps
maintain the narrative from activities to reflection and not vice versa.

The game consists of a board with path made of 3 colors referring to

An attempt to use gamification to ensure preferable results in a prison the color cards – blue, orange, red and boxes noted for cards to be
setting is seen in a project by the students of Central St Martins, UK placed
(Figure 3). The game is loosely based on Monopoly and provides a
safe space for prison inmates to interact with their children who they • Cards: Blue are the activity cards, orange are the question cards
have not interacted with during their stay in prison. The game helps and red are the resolution cards. Also there are theme cards to
the children to let down their walls and interact with their estranged start off the game
and imprisoned parents. Successful tests of the game in the London • Counters representing the player
Prison show how the element of enjoyment and gratification can help • Talking stick
the participants to be genuine in their gameplay. • Points: 2 for participation, 1 for answering your turn

286 287
On the board, first half of the circle ring had mostly activity card colours see a better future for them ahead
in the tiles, the middle part had question card colours and the last • Understanding social evils: Understanding cause and effect of
part had resolution card colours. The child has to pick up the colour social vices and how to possibly tackle them. Giving a clear
of card of the colour of the tile on which he had landed and complete definition of right and wrong
the task associated with it or answer the question associated with it. • Relationship building: Building a conducive environment to
On completion, there will be an evaluation done by all the players, understand each other
if everyone agrees that it was a good attempt, he would get a token • Building consensus: Voicing their opinions and build a consensus
worth 1 point. on each topic they encounter in the game
• Positive thoughts: Nudging the children towards positive thinking
Participation is encouraged in the game to bring new perspectives where they are able to see a better future for themselves
to the table. If he offers to do the task on somebody else’s card or • Restorative thinking: Nudges to make them able to reflect more
with somebody else, he would get participation token of 2 points. on their own behaviour
Participation coins ensure attention and participation from other • Empathy: Giving them a chance to explore multiple points of
interested players. To make sure everyone gets a chance to talk, a view
talking stick is introduced. Anyone who holds the stick talks and those • A laugh: Last but not least, the game doesn’t compromise on
who wish to contribute ask for the talking stick. At the end the child with having light-hearted activities at each turn to keep it enjoyable
the most amounts of points would win. and dynamic

Conclusions The outcome of this project is a board game, currently given to put in
When the game was introduced to the juvenile home, it garnered a practice at the Dongri observation home and the Khanpur observation
mixed response. Even though the game mechanics were resolved, it home. Regular feedback from the officials and teachers at the homes
took some time to get the gameplay established. Just like any other will determine the further improvements and steps to be taken to
game a sense of competition took over soon, and the biggest challenge improve the success of the game.
was to make the children curate the content of the conversations.

Once the game was in motion active participation was seen in all the
tasks involving physical activities. All the questions made children to
open up about a certain topic that’s when the main improvement was
seen. Especially for children who had recently joined the juvenile home,
it not only made them open about what they felt, but also helped create
a bond with the other children as they could relate to the emotions.
During these conversations the children showed regret over their
actions and the consequences of their parents were facing.

The officials also showed interest in being part of the game, and
promote conversation. While this was an emotional and thoughtful
journey for the children playing, it gave the officials insights to change
or improve the action plan for the child’s reformation. The balance of
the fun playful activities and serious nudges was much appreciated by
the officials and the children.

The game is a design practice which provides:

• Possibility of a safe space: Where children can express themselves

without the fear of being judged or noted
• Story telling: Encouragement of sharing personal experiences
and providing them with a platform to express
• Conversation: Encouragement to add on others view and stories
• Look ahead: Rationally looking at their past and being able to

288 289
References

(1) Ministry of Law and Justice, India. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015. New Delhi: The Gazette of India Extraordinary (2016).
(2) Agarwal, Deepshikha. (2018). JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN INDIA- LATEST TRENDS
AND ENTAILING AMENDMENTS IN JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT. PEOPLE: International
Journal of Social Sciences. 3. 1365-1383. 10.20319/pijss.2018.33.13651383.
(3) Inchley, J., & Currie, D. (2013). Growing up unequal: gender and socioeconomic
differences in young people’s health and well-being. Health Behaviour in School-aged
Children (HBSC) study: international report from the, 2014, 2-3.
(4) Narain, D. (1964). Growing up in India. Family process, 3(1), 127-154.
(5) Kumari, V. (2004). The juvenile justice system in India: From welfare to rights. New
Delhi: Oxford University Press.
(6) Makeright—Bags of Connection: Teaching Design Thinking and Making in Prison
to Help Build Empathic and Resilient Communities, She Ji: The Journal of Design,
Economics, and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2018, Pages 91-110, ISSN 2405-8726,
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405872617300199)
(7) Knutz, Eva & Markussen, Thomas & Desmet, Pieter & Visch, Valentijn. (2012).
Designing narrative games for a serious context.
(8) The Power of the Human Heart: Transforming Asia’s Biggest Prison https://fpmt.org/
mandala/archives/older/mandala-issues-for-1999/may/the-power-of-the-human-heart-
transforming-asias-biggest-prison/
(9) Ministry of Home Affairs, India. Crime in India Statistics, 2016. National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB)
(10) Dick Schoech, Javier F. Boyas, Beverly M. Black & Nada Elias-Lambert (2013)
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Tablet Based Prevention Game for Youths, Journal of Technology in Human Services,
31:3, 197-217, DOI: 10.1080/15228835.2013.812512

Acknowledgements
Many people supported us in bringing the project to this level.
We would like to specially thank Ms Panna Momaya, Mr Indrajit, Ms
Hemalee Leuva and Justice Satish Vora for taking out the time from their
busy schedules and guiding us in our information collection. We would
also like to thank Mr Bansode, the Deputy Chief Officer at Mumbai, and
Mr Mehul, the Superintendent at Khanpur, for giving us permission to
visit the Observation homes and allowing us to conduct our study. Ms
Sachi Maniar, for her support in learning about the NGO perspective.
Mr Sameer Shukla, Ms Lorraine Gamman and Mr Adam Thorpe for their
valuable insights on the academic and social viability of the project.
And lastly, Mr Praveen Nahar and Mr Sahil Thappa, for guiding us
throughout this journey.

290 291
 Material design
innovation: Fish
leather, a new
environmentally-
friendly material
Elisa Palomino and Gustavo Adrian Defeo
292 293
Abstract knowledge exchange that will develop the capacity for research and
This paper explores the material design innovation process during practice in these fields.
a cross-disciplinary project working with fish leather. The Fishskinlab
project aims to generate a deeper understanding of fish leather as This design research is about innovation, design, and sustainability
an alternative to conventional leather to encourage more sustainable paving the way for the future of fashion by using unique leftover
fashion practices. The objective is to create aesthetically relevant fish materials such as fish skins while illustrating shifts in material values and
leather products that illuminate sustainability thinking as a driver for resources.
innovation. The project looks at the strategies implemented by practice
in the field of material design innovation fed by new technologies, The paper is divided into seven parts. The first part covers an introduction
addressing changes in interactions between humans and with our to the project and main objectives. The second part examines the
environments. historical context of fish leather. The thrid part covers the environmental
context. The fourth part describes the methodology used. The fifth part
The research draws on findings gathered through a partnership develops the design research through practice: the Fishskinlab research
between the researcher, the Icelandic tannery Atlantic Leather and the case study. The sixth part explores the digital printing methods used
Italian analytical laboratory Ars Tinctoria connecting fashion designers, and chemical tests done. The final part describes the findings and
scientists and leather technicians from the UK, Italy, and Iceland to conclusions.
advance material innovation by using new technology (water-based ink Figure 1. At-
digital printing methods) on fish leather. This led to the development of lantic leather
a collection of digitally printed fish leather bags. fish skin tan-
nery. Picture
The skins were sourced at Atlantic leather, the researcher developed the by Nathalie
prints and followed the technical process while the digital printing was Malric (2018)
produced and tested at the Italian analytical laboratory Ars Tinctoria.
This paper presents the journey of the mapping process, illustrating the
key stages of the research, which led to the discovery of new material
properties and finishes applying digital printing processes to a food
industry by-product material such fish leather.

The methods and practices of the project included dynamic interaction

between the researchers facilitated through the cooperative framework
of the project. The feedback of the work presented during Brussels
Industry days and Milano Design week offered the researcher an
information flow that influenced the development of the final prototypes
and the ultimate presentation of process and outcomes.
The findings identify that new materials, processes, and techniques are
often the result of the successful union of fashion and technology to Historical context
help drive the industry towards a more sustainable future. The use of fish skin for clothing is an ancient tradition in Arctic societies
along rivers and coasts and there is evidence of fish skin leather
Introduction production in Scandinavia, Alaska, Japan, northeast China and Siberia.
The project explores existing traditional knowledge of fish skin processes Before synthetic fibres were invented, people clothed themselves
and applies the analysis of this learning using state-of-the-art practices with natural materials available in the surroundings where they lived,
and developing new technologies while addressing specific challenges including fish skin (Jiao, 2012).
of the use of fish leather for the fashion industry. The research maps
best practice and knowledge transfer of water-based ink digital printing People in the Arctic coastal regions sourced their materials from animals
technologies for fish leather. that were necessary for their survival, such as salmon and they used
their skins for clothing and accessories (Hatt, 1969).
The research has brought together sustainable methods from fashion
design, material science, and analytical chemistry to foster international The shortage of raw materials and omnipresence of modernity have
challenged the preservation of the fish skin craft (Lin, 2007). Better
access to the modern world meant that Arctic people were able to
294 295
access textiles like cotton and silk to create their clothing, leaving fewer was executed, how the staff was treated, the factory’s surroundings and
people to develop the traditional fish skin craft. Overfishing and water how the small community around the factory is benefiting from it.
pollution have caused fish stocks to drop and many Arctic aboriginals
have turned to farming to make a living, abandoning their fish skin skills Environmental context
(Lin, 2007). The fashion industry is currently going through a significant change
in its approach towards sustainability and luxury brands need to think
The use of fish skin by aboriginal Arctic people has recently been about the natural resources they rely on and come up with innovation on
assimilated as an innovative sustainable material for fashion due to their alternative sustainable materials and processes. Fashion needs to invest
low environmental impact. in technologies able to reduce environmental impact to enhance the
materials and create products that respect the environment (Pavione,
The Atlantic Leather tannery, located on the north coast of Iceland, E. et al.2016)
has been one of the main agents in the renaissance of the fish skin
craft. Processing fish leather since 1994, based on the ancient Icelandic FishSkinLab research concentrates on promoting a new category of raw
tradition of making shoes from the skins of wolfish (Figure 2). The material for fashion: fish leather. Fish skins are sourced from the food
tannery has brought this historic eco-luxury material back into fashion, industry, using what is now considered waste, applying the principle of
simultaneously reviving ancestral tanning techniques and providing jobs circular economy, combining research and innovation to enhance the
for the local community (Figure 1). Their fish leather is a by-product of well-being of the earth and its people through the entire life cycle of
the fishing industry, exploiting fish not bred specifically for their skin, that the product.
would otherwise be discarded. All the fish skin used by Atlantic Leather
is sourced from sustainably-managed farms in the Nordic countries Global production of fish has steadily increased over the last decade and
(Figure 3). Special attention is given to the new technologies used on more than 50% of the total fish capture remaining material results in 32
their fish skin production and to address challenges such as energy, million tonnes of waste. (Arvanito, Kassaveti, 2008). While to date, the
environment and climate change. The entire process of producing fish European Environment Protection agency allows seafood processors to
skin at Atlantic Leather relies on the power of nature using geothermal dispose of fish skins in marine waters, this is expected to change as the
water and is non-impactful on the environment. The manufacturing of decomposing organic waste can suck up available oxygen from marine
fish skin leather works with three aspects of sustainability: the economic species and introduces disease to the local ecosystem. (EPA, 2012).
benefit of creating value from waste; the social benefit of reconciling
Figure 3.
sustainability with fashionably exotic fish skin; and the environmental Salmon fish
benefit of producing skins without damaging endangering animals. skins through
Atlantic leather is the winner of the “Tannery of the Year Europe the tanning
Territory 2016” award, taking in consideration how the tanning process process.
Picture by
Nathalie Mal-
Figure 2. ric (2018)
Icelandic
traditional
shoes made
of wolffish skin
(right). Picture
by Nathalie
Malric (2018)

The processing of fish leather avoids throwing the fish skins into the
ocean and can significantly reduce marine pollution and sustainably
protect marine ecosystems in order to achieve healthy and productive
oceans. Consequently, the promotion of fish leather could be of great
environmental benefit as well as profit for the coastal economy.
296 297
The use of alternative materials such fish leather has the potential Figure 4.
not only to serve to our material needs but also reduce resource Fishskinlab
consumption of other over exploited materials such conventional project: Wis-
teria digital
leather and it could lead to more locally sensitive production, more
printed fish
regional sourced materials and more local jobs (Fletcher, 2014). skin clutch
By growing, sourcing and processing raw materials close to home by Elisa Pal-
shortens transport routes, lowers carbon footprint and increases omino. Photo
transparency across the supply chain. By using local industry waste by Giacomo
such as fish skin, nearshoring material production can provide exciting Iezzi (2019)
opportunities for the community whilst minimising environmental
impact, both locally and globally (Banathy, 1996).

Fish leather being recoverd as waste, requires limited resources from

the sourcing of the raw material leaving a lower carbon footprint than
the one associated with raising cattle. Fish leather requires no extra
land, water, fertilisers or pesticides to be produced and it has a lower
environmental impact than conventional leather (Jacobs, 2018).

In luxury fashion, innovation, new materials and traceability are critical.

The research looked into demonstrating the contemporary relevance
Many luxury brands are actively researching into new materials to make
of fish leather as a new sustainable material identifying fish skin’s
sure the next product is better than the previous one. Luxury fashion
positive ecological impact and its potential for application in fashion.
brands in the future will be forced to view sustainability as a business
The methods included prefiguring avenues and sketching strategies for
imperative; sustainability, in fact, represents innovation and generates
developing new printing techniques for fish leather within the fashion
competitiveness in the global luxury marketplace (Pavione, E. et
luxury industry.
al.2016). Any luxury brand which understand these issues and uses fish
leather will be regarded at the forefront of the developing innovative
The methodology of this research identifies risk-taking and co-
market.
experimentation of materials as essential strategies as the key stages of
the research process: Mapping new terrain of sustainable materials, fish
According to Williams, new conversations about the materials that we
leather material investigation, public feedback and critical evaluation.
choose, the products that we make, and the ways in which we work as
This paper presents a journey of the process, illustrating the key stages
designers can be responsive and make a positive contribution to the
of the research.
world around us as the premise of all good design. (Williams, 2013)
This research draws on the field of Design for Sustainability with
Observational and participatory methods were utilised to obtain data.
scholars such as Stuart Walker drawing attention to design as a process
This involved talking to the general public during the presentation
of re-consideration of the present as part of the creation of shared
of the project at Brussels Industry days and Milano Design week.
futures (Walker,2016). Walker has suggested that when people begin to
Feedback from the general public during the design fairs supported
appreciate the level of skill and the massive investment of time involved
the progression of the project applying design thinking to the journey.
in making a piece, it is valued more highly. High fashion conundrum
The key findings from the general feedback verified that the public
valuing handmade products versus low end disposable fashion are also
would be likely to buy fish leather items as an alternative material
part of the fish leather discussion. The highly qualified skills necessary
for fashion.The information influenced the development of the final
to produce fish leather makes it a unique luxury material for fashion.
fish leather prototypes and the ultimate presentation of process and
outcomes.
Methodology
A preliminary round of research was conducted to understand the
Design research through practice: Fishskinlab research case
status of the field in terms of research coverage and gaps, and towards
a better definition of the research objectives and their scope. The
study
Leather remains a vital material for most luxury fashion houses, even
analysis covered studies on historical and contemporary use of fish skin,
more so when it is an exotic skin. Thanks to the use of new technologies,
sustainability aspects and alternative digital printing methods.
the luxury industry offers a vast array of appearances and finishes among
conventional leather, while both the use and creative development of

298 299
fish leather has been largely neglected. The aim of this design research and sustainability. Both exhibitions provided an excellent opportunity
is to pilot and develop non-polluting technologies for fish leather to engage with a diverse audience representing a variety of industrial
finishes to advance the development of future manufactured fish sectors from all over Europe. A key element of the participation on
leather products. The results can bring a fresh look at how fish leather the Brussels Industry days was to facilitate a venue that could inspire
development with new technologies can underpin and reshape luxury consumers and EU policy makers to engage with materials through
fashion accessories. closed-loop thinking, to share their ideas with the designer and to
obtain additional professional feedback. The aim of the participation
This research draws on the researcher Elisa Palomino’s experience was to push the boundaries of material design practice to identify how
working in the fashion luxury industry back in 2002, designing for John it can be used as a tool for citizen engagement, for both: the designer,
Galliano fish leather garments and accessories sourced at Atlantic and the public who wished to engage with the product to identify
leather. The researcher has experience running network projects linked opportunities to improve both its environmental and social impacts.
with fish skin (e.g. EU Horizon 2020-MSCA-RISE Marie Sklodowska
Curie: Fish Skin a Sustainable Raw Material; and she is the recipient of The feedback outlined the successful elements of the project, the value
the UK-US Fulbright Scholar Award: ‘Arctic Fishskin clothing traditions’ of sustainability and use of waste materials and highlighted the qualities
at the Smithsonian Institute) that a waste approach can bring to accessories design.

In 2018, the author collaborated with Atlantic Leather in the The element that emerged was the close link created between the
development of ‘Fishskinlab’, a Worth Partnership Project, funded sustainable approach and innovation. The public was surprised of how
by the European Commission, EASME, under (COSME 2014-2020) something that is considered waste in many countries is given a much
with access to financial funding, market exposure and mentoring to higher value through the action of design. Seduced by its beauty, the
produce a collection of bags made of fish leather developing new public was aware of the material being the skin of a fish and inspired
embellishments and eco-friendly digital printing which has informed about the value of everyday materials. The high visual standards of
this practice-based research. the final product fits with luxury fashion and becomes a benchmark for
redefining the beauty of sustainability. (Figure 5) The project is a fine
Phase 1 example of an innovative way of linking the preservation of traditional
With her knowledge on textile and leather printing the main aim for knowledge and culture and the development of relevant fashion items
the researcher was to see how fish leather would be transformed under taking in consideration the sustainable limits of the planet’s natural
digital printing, compared with the relatively well-known process of resources.
textile and leather digital printing. The first round of tests, as seen in
Figure 7, resulted in findings that the water-based inks did not adhere Fish leather digital printing
easily to the fish leather when the designs had full coverage. The researcher is an expert in the field of textile design, familiar with
digital and analogue printing methods but there are no previous
Phase 2 attempts known to the researcher to print fish leather. There are different
The first review of the digital printed tests identified the need to methods that could be used: silk screen printing and digital print.
expand the selection of designs to include designs with less coverage Textile digital printing emerged in the 1990s as a prototyping tool and
(Figure 8) that could withstand the even coverage and produce new a vehicle for printing small batches of fabric for niche-market products
results. As the author became more specific in her design choices and (Provost, 1994). Inkjet printing involves the propelling of tiny droplets
experiment with a number of design combinations the final results were of dye or pigment onto a fabric electrostatically. The selected dyes
very successful. or pigments are dosed on demand and avoid print paste residues at
the end of each run and if pigmented inks are used (rather than those
Phase 3 based on dyes) no solvent which associated volatile organic compound
Prototypes of small bags were created with the print samples to emissions is required to dissolve the colourant. (Fletcher, 2013) Recent
exemplify the materiality of fish leather for luxury fashion accessories. decades have seen the growing popularity of preparing water-based
ink-jet inks for textile printing.
Phase 4
The author decided that, in order to gain feedback on the project, it Water-based ink-jet inks for digital textile printing were used on fish
would be advantageous to build in a participatory knowledge exchange. leather for this project. Fish leather printing can be difficult since ink
In 2019 the Fishskinlab project took part in Milano Design week and generally does not bond well to a non-uniform, organic, complex
EU Industry Days in Brussels (Figure 6) under the theme of industry substrate. The non-uniformity and surface roughness of the fish scales

300 301
 Figure 6. The physical and rheological properties of the inks were measured for
Fishskinlab the evaluation of ink stability and suitability for ink-jet printing. The
project: Pa- tests were found to be suitable. The prints were subjected to light and
goda digital
rub fastness tests and colour measurements. Colour consistency and
printed fish
skin clutch by fastness results, especially after fixation, are comparable with those
Elisa Palomi- on conventional leather, which paves the way for the production of
no. Banner for environmentally friendly water-based ink-jet inks for the digital printing
the Brussels of fish leather.
EU Industry
days. Photo Figure 7.
by Giacomo Non uniform
Iezzi (2019) penetration
of ink on
the Pagoda
digital print
sample.

was one of the main obstacles during the process. (See Figure 7). The
significant variation on a single fish skin as well as between skins of a
batch was also a challenge. Techniques for printing on fish leather may
suppress at least one usual property of fish leather, e.g. appearance,
feel and/or absorption. Printing onto the surface of fish leather could
be disadvantageous if the ink is weakly bonded and it could be easily
removed during normal wear and tear, or if the print cracks when flexed.
(Pantelis, 2013)
Figure
During the test phase, the printing of fish leather included the 8. Good
application of an ink base coat directly onto the surface of the fish penetration
leather. The experiments show that a selected combination of pressure of ink on
and temperature is required. Success was achieved when the transfer of the Wisteria
ink into the fish leather occurred across the leather sample with good digital print
penetration (See Figure 8). In unsuccessful tests, the transfer of ink into sample.
the leather had a non-uniform penetration (See Figure 7). The digital
printing was produced and tested at the Italian analytical laboratory
Ars Tinctoria.

They are specialised in colour, light and organic analytical research.

Based in Santa Croce sull’Arno, heart of the Italian Leather production
cluster, the laboratory is equipped with the latest generation
instruments and is active in several fields, including synthesis, analytical
research and the study of molecular structures of dyes, the search for
hazardous substances, and measurement and standardization of colour
and light. Gustavo Adrián Defeo, its CEO is an industrial chemist, active
in the leather field since 1985 with multinational chemistry groups with
expertise in dyes kinetics, psychophysics, colour perception, light and
colour measurement, industrial waste recycling, ecology and analytical
methods for the leather sector.

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Fastness properties of wisteria digital printing Figure 10.
Fastness properties were analysed following updated ISO standards. Colour
fastness to
Figure 9. perspiration
Migration into
polymeric Figure 11.
materials Xenon arc
fading lamp
test

ISO 15701:2015 (IULTCS/IUF 442) Leather - Colour fastness to migration Results shown the absence of any substance of concern, such as
into polymeric material (for this test migration was tested on standard Aromatic amines derived from Azo dyestuffs, Hexavalent Chrome (Cr
PVC layers: This test helps to understand if there will be potential VI), Reach Annex XIV and Annex XVII listed Phthalates, Alkyl phenol
colour migration into plastic materials, and eventual stain of polymeric and Alkyl phenol ethoxylates, Free formaldehyde and Chlorophenols.
finishings applied, by contact with neighbouring materials.
Results obtained which can be observed on Figure 9 were excellent Conclusions
(rate 4,5 /5 on grey scale, where the value 5 represents the highest This paper portrays the journey of a collaborative research project
standard). Such a result allows combining the print obtained with any between the authors Elisa Palomino, designer, educator and researcher
other neighbouring material without risk of stains. at BA Fashion Print at Central Saint Martins and Gustavo Adrian
Defeo, industrial chemist CEO at Ars Tinctoria. The project started as
ISO 11641:2012 (IULTCS/IUF 426) Leather - Colour fastness to an open-ended research investigation combining design with science
perspiration (on multifibre): This test was developed to understand and technology exploring fish leather material testing in the hope to
eventual colour fading or migration into different textile fibres with develop new finishes and techniques.
artificial acidic perspiration (Figure 10). A multifibre fabric composed,
from the top, of Acetate, Cotton, Polyester, Acrylic and Wool was used Material research has rapidly expanded into a more interdisciplinary
in this test. practice and designers need to broaden the disciplines in which the
methods and concepts of sustainable materials are taken as a vehicle
A part of a light stain on Acetate (rated 4/5), all fibre types showed for new collaborative ways of making. This paper suggests methods and
excellent performance. Also in this case staining was rated against grey processes to invite more sustainable material research and investigates
scale where perfect values are represented by rate 5. how knowledge about materials can be integrated and communicated
within the framework of research.
The final test was ISO 105-B02:2013 Textiles - Tests for colour fastness
- Part B02: Colour fastness to artificial light: Xenon arc fading lamp Current research is now looking into the development of low
test: This test emulates weathering of a colour sample by exposition to environmental impact processes to offer new sustainable production
natural solar light. In this case samples’ colour fading is rated against a methods for the fashion industry. More than ever before the task of
blue scale on fabrics representing the values 1 to 8, where rate 8 is the design is to articulate the right directions in material development to
highest standard. The light fastness obtained (Figure 11) is > 6, which is move towards more sustainable choices.
an excellent result considering the naturality of the finishing.
Understanding materials, production processes, viability, and desirability
Chemical tests are key to the fashion industry. New materials and techniques are often
Wisteria printing on Salmon leather was analysed to verify the eventual the result of the successful union of fashion and technology to help
presence of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) after European drive the industry real change in terms of sustainability.
REACh protocols.

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The Fishskinlab project was designed to experiment with new from the transferring of the bio-digital printing results and technology.
techniques, generate a deeper understanding of the fish leather Practice-based academics from fashion higher education and fashion
processes and open up further opportunities for research with other designers will benefit from the new possibilities for visual and physical
disciplines. attributes for fish leather for the purpose of creating a rich library of
effects relevant for the fashion industry.
This project wants to bring more attention to urgent international
matters such as sustainability in the leather industry by using nature- From a research perspective, this project has enabled the work of the
given resources and upcycling leftovers from the food industry. The researcher as Fashion Print pathway leader at UAL, to inform future
paper reflects ethical values linked to research on sustainability and design for sustainability practices in industry and education.
renewable sources, destined to become the driving force for the future
of high-quality fashion.

The paper outlines an investigation between design and chemistry and

the space in between them.

The potential use of water-based ink jet printing for the production of
environmentally friendly fish leather prints was investigated. The results
were excellent, and this paves the way to challenge more manufactories
to sustainable and innovative visions in existing production processes.
We were able to measure challenges and possibilities of a design
framework based on sustainability values.

The project has enhanced the creativity and innovation in the UK

and Italy’s leather sector, building stronger connections between the
researchers and creating opportunities for future exchange. The fashion
creative industries are critical to industrial and commercial success in the
UK and Italy. This Anglo-Italo-Icelandic network has blended the skills
of Italian leather technology and their passion to create high-quality
products with Icelandic sustainable technology and British cutting-edge
sustainable design.

The project will have an economic impact by putting fish skin leather on
a new level of excellence capable of conquering new markets globally.
By bringing the field of fashion design from Arts and Humanities in
contact with Science and Technology, this project has the potential
to bring benefits to a wide range of subject areas. It will encourage
the joint development of scholarship and collaboration across these
disciplines, and it will support the cross-referencing of methods to
advance scientific and artistic knowledge of fish leather as a more
sustainable alternative to conventional leather.

The outcomes of this project will enable an informed discourse on

sustainable thinking for creative practitioners, fashion designers, fashion
students, leather manufacturers of luxury goods and retailers across a
broad contemporary landscape.

The research developed in this project will benefit scientists coming

from a polymer and chemical backgrounds from the research know-
how in transforming fish skin, a biological residue, into fish leather – a
workable raw material. Chemical scientist at the tanneries will benefit
306 307
References Acknowledgements
Professor Dilys Williams, Director Centre for Sustainable Fashion
Arvanito, I. Kassaveti. A. (2008) Fish industry waste: treatments, environmental impacts, at London College of Fashion and Simon Thorogood, Senior
current and potential uses. International Journal of Food Science and Technology 43, Research Fellow Digital Anthropology Lab at London College of
726–745.
Fashion, provided overall guidance for this research. The research
Atlantic Leather. Available at http://www.atlanticleather.is/thestory/ (Accessed 21 has been funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
September 2018 )
LDoc London Doctoral Design Centre Award, the EU Horizon
Banathy, H.B. (1996). Designing Social Systems in a Changing World. New York: Plenum 2020-MSCA-RISE-2018. Research and Innovation Staff Exchange
Press.
Marie Sklodowska Curie GRANT NUMBER 823943: FishSkin:
Ehrman, E. (2018) Fashioned from Nature. London: V&A publishers. Developing Fish Skin as a Sustainable Raw Material for the Fashion
EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. (2012) Ocean Disposal of Fish Wastes. The Industry and the Worth Partnership Project: Fish leather in the Luxury
2012 guidelines. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/oceandisposal-
Industry, funded by European Commission, EASME, under (COSME
fish-wastes (Accessed 16 Octobre 2018)
2014-2020). The authors would like to express their gratitude to the
Fletcher, K. (2013) Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, Design Journeys. Routledge
Icelandic tannery Atlantic Leather.
Hatt, G. (1969) Arctic skin clothing in Eurasia and America an ethnographic study.
University of Wisconsin Press
Jacobs, B. (2018) The future of leather is plant-based. HowNow Magazine Available
at: https://www.hownowmagazine.com/innovation/2018/6/22/the-future-of-leather-is-
plantbased (Accessed 04th November 2018)
Jiao, F (2012) Keeping the Legend of the Fish Skin Tribe Alive. Available at: http://www.
chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/se/txt/2012-02/02/content_423289.htm (Accessed 04th
November 2018)
Kering 2025 Strategy Crafting Tomorrow’s Luxury. Available at: http://www.kering.com/
en/sustainability/2025-strategy (Accessed 04th April 2019).
Lin, Q (2007) Look who’s tipping the scales in favour of skinny suits. Available at: http://
www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2007-07/10/content_5422759.htm. (Accessed 04th
November 2018)
Pavione, E. Pezzetti, R. Dall’Alva, M. (2016) Emerging Competitive Strategies in the
Global Luxury Industryin the Perspective of Sustainable Development: the Case of
Kering Group. University of Insubria
Pantelis, Y. (2013) Leather Printing. Application.
Provost, J, (1994) Inkjet Printing on Textiles. Surface Coatings International.
Walker, S. (2006) Sustainable By Design. London: Earthscan
Williams, D. (2018) Fashion, Sustainability and Luxury: an interplay through design.
Palgrave Macmillan.
Williams, D (2013) The Making of a Social Object: Collaboration between Nike and
Centre for Sustainable Fashion. In: Sustainable Fashion: New Approaches. Aalto
University, Helsinki, Finland, pp. 164-173. ISBN 978-952-5572-5

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 Wearing your
recovery: 3.0
Laura Salisbury, Chris McGinley and Rama Gheerawo
310 311
Abstract the use of objects as ‘platforms for care’. Methods of visualising the
People frequently use clothing to highlight, erase, identify and even post stroke body span from the use of garments to embody experience
‘correct’ parts of their bodies, using clothing as a means of slimming, and behaviour, to the use of body scanning (Figure 1) in order to
sculpting or shaping. What are the implications of this phenomena meticulously analyse the differential behaviours between the affected
when our bodies do not function as they might have previously done? and unaffected limb, and that of the garment. By envisaging textiles
This paper asks how garments can build on their inherent qualities that as a route to achieve a ‘second skin’ that works in parallel with us, the
impact behaviour, mood and function of the body, to question and internal body becomes extended beyond inherited forms and moves
position the role clothing might play on some of the major issues with into that of another non-typical form, thus disrupting the course of
upper limb stroke rehabilitation to date; specifically motor training of recovery.
the upper limb.
Garments are both functional and expressive objects which hold the
When stroke disrupts the ability to use our finer motor control within our ability to move with and be in direct contact with the human body
hands, activities of daily life (ADLs) that enable us to live our lives and throughout prolonged periods of the day and night. When considered
frequently participate in become affected. Clinicians are acknowledging in relation to needs for motor training, which Wade identifies as
the importance of self-administered care saying ‘it’s not what happens needing to increase in intensity by 240% (2017) in order to meet
when we are there, but what happens when we are not there [that is guidelines set out by the Royal College of Physicians (2016), garments
crucial]’ (Kings 2017). Yet patients are having trouble self-administering provide incredible opportunities to support developments in stroke
rehabilitation, often having to prioritize training over other aspects of rehabilitation. On one level, an opportunity arises if we think in terms
their life which can affect mood. It is the position of the authors that of frequency and consistency of performing physiotherapy, opening up
quality of life should not be reduced in order to get ‘better’, especially alternative methods to do this, such as with guidance (via the textile)
when recovery can take many months or even years. within public contexts. Yet further qualities of the garment, including its
tactility are considered within this paper, which become useful when we
Introduction consider how learning, behavior and thus re-wiring, or ‘recovery’ occurs
Using a materials approach in research through design as a particular post stroke. The multi-sensory role of the textile in these contexts are
way of thinking (Frayling 2015) and by thinking through the making considered, along with the implications of the garment occupying this
process (Ingold 2017), ‘Wearing Your Recovery’ presents a response space.
to work conducted concrescently and directly with stroke survivors and
‘care-givers’ to offer a post-critique of the implications and opportunities This research questions how design can extend support to deliver the
of using textiles as platforms for care. needs identified in stroke literature and clinical guidelines, and further
consider the extended emotional needs, through the considered
Figure 1. implications of use of types of tools and approaches within the highly
‘Under De-
diverse lifestyles of individuals who have suffered a stroke. A number
velopment’:
Visualising of insights gained from phase 1 of the ongoing research are included,
the body post developing a conversation as to whether rehabilitation is a pursuit for all
stroke: Body or whether there comes a time when individuals choose to no
Scans; RCA. longer participate. Why is this? And what could the re-positioning and
re-thinking of methods of rehabilitation do to become more inclusive
to a diverse audience, through understanding emotional needs and
purposes in life. To unpack this, garments were used as design tools
within workshops conducted over a one-year period (Figure 2).

Within the following paper garments are used both as a tool for
understanding experience, identity, behaviours and emotions of
stroke survivors, support workers and clinicians as a research method.
Additionally this use is extended and identified as a tool for re-thinking
rehabilitation. As such, three concepts are presented to detail early
explorations within the research.
Samples in this paper unpack the moments of ‘thinking through making’
and examine the difference between the role of the ‘care-provider’ and

312 313
 Figure 2. The so begin to live lives that are not in line with their personality, behaviour
garment as a and identity. The time taken to participate in rehabilitation detracts from
research tool rebuilding one’s life which is perhaps best summed up in the following
(Headway,
quote:
2018; 2019).

“I do have a life outside of rehabilitation you know, life does

exist outside of rehabilitation.”
Patient quote in 6 week follow-up appointment - Observation
study: 3 week Upper Limb Programme, Queen Square, London
25/01/2018
Figure 3. A
Visualisation
of Synergies
and Spas-
ticity in the
Upper Limb:
UCL Partners
(Krakauer,
2018).

The stroke context

Post stroke, approximately 87% of survivors experience upper limb
paresis (Parker, Wade, Langton Hewer, 1986 in Conforto et al. 2018).
This ‘loss’ becomes worsened by non-use. Learned ‘non-use’ occurs
due to the brain’s association as a ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ organ (Doidge
2016, p.86). Within the context of stroke, neuroplastician, Edward
Taub discovered that patients ‘learn’ not to use their affected arm
thus relying on their functioning arm instead, compensating for what
they had lost by finding ways around tasks. As a result of this learned
‘non-use’ muscles begin to weaken. Some individuals experience the
emergence of synergies and spasticity (Figure 3). Jackson and Walsh
suggest the dual nature of hemiplegia is a combination of the loss of It is further suggested that current approaches to rehabilitation often
voluntary movement due to damage to the cortex, and an intrusion emphasise the success of task function over the quality of movement
of positive phenomena that we call spasticity and synergy. Synergies that is achieved (Krakauer, 2018). A study conducted by Murata et al.
are generated from the co-activation of muscles despite an attempt (2008) establishes the importance in distinguishing between quality of
at single point movement, making it difficult to move the limb in the movement and success of the task in therapy. It is known that if quality
desired way. To improve this, one must use the limb, and so a greater movements are emphasised with a large amount of practice, there are
focus is placed upon the active self. However, observational studies dramatically time dependent improvements (Krakauer, 2018). Some of
mapping patient isolation in hospitals following a stroke conducted in the major barriers that can prevent this are lack of resources, an increase
2005 (De Wit et al.) and again in May 2017 (Chouliara et al.), found in the demand for assistance from highly trained specialists (Belforte
that patients spend around a third of their day sleeping and lying with et al. 2007), fatigue and lack of motivation by stroke survivors which
no activity. This highlights a desperate need to re-think methods to may result in the use of compensatory techniques or complete non-
support rehabilitation at an early stage, especially when we consider use of the limb. The development of games and VR (e.g. Neuroball
findings from Biernaskie, Chernenko and Corbett (2004) and Zeiler et al. and GripAble) incorporating rehabilitation have attempted to address
(2016) who have identified a postischemic sensitive period, showing a motivational decline in the participation of training, as well as some
correlation between increased levels of recovery and earlier re-training. providing guidance via a virtual therapist. Yet such approaches are not
universal and have a limited attraction to a specific demographic of
This need to persistently train with constant exercise is unfamiliar to people. Haptic robots combined with gaming in SMARTS II (Krakauer,
many who have not exercised to such levels of intensity pre-stroke and 2018) are seen to be breaking ground for training quality movements in
314 315
the future of stroke rehabilitation. All of these concepts retain the static procedure.’ (O’Leary (2019). Hence a group of neurons will be used
and the situated nature of therapy, which is often held in the confines of for different purposes at different times, but just how might a textile
a therapy room. This provokes the question-, what methods can we use respond to such behaviour and help support learning to move once
as an extension of this, to impact the everyday routines of life, beyond again?
private settings, whilst considering the impact of consistent training?
As behaviour post-stroke directly affects the course of recovery, it was
Approach essential to understand the varying levels of experiences of individuals
It is argued that designers now have a responsibility to ensure that such that shape their behaviours. This was captured within a three-phase
products and services ‘fit into everyday life’ (Fitzpatrick in Moller and approach; firstly, by using garments as tools for the exchange and
Kettley, 2017), when it comes to stroke rehabilitation, the importance of embodiment of experience (Figure 2); secondly, a digital analysis and
this cannot be overstated. The need for ‘participation’ and promotion documentation of the post stroke body using body scanning (Figure 1);
of self-efficacy for using devices or even simply being involved in self- and finally, supplementing this with raw film to capture movement and
administered training could not be stronger (Ward, 2018). By using the responses to textile prototypes ‘in the moment’ (a still from a film can
intuitive nature of garments, in their ability to work with movements be seen in figure 4).
and behaviour of the wearer in a manner that works alongside everyday Figure 4.
activities, encouraging or supporting the use of the limb. Knowledge
exchange
Hence one begins to question the potential of utilising a garment as a through the
‘platform for care’ by investigating the extent of material agency over act of wear-
human ability as the garment enables the routine nature of rehabilitation ing (Head-
way, 2019).
to be embedded into the routines of the everyday.

The rise of smart materials and their extension of intelligence from

passive states acting as sensors to their environment, to active states
in being able to respond back to the environment and additionally
being able to ‘learn’ and adapt to context and circumstance (Zhang
2001 in Langenhove et al. 2007), provides opportunity to re-evaluate
function and form of our bodies. Within garments we may observe
continual states of reaction and dialogue between the self and the
garment. Whether behaviour is resisted, through irritation of seams,
surface texture and similar, or embraced, there exists a feedback loop The use of toiles (Figure 4) aimed to provoke and question the
throughout the time of wear. The entanglement of self and garment implications and opportunities of wearing textiles that alter or disrupt
through the constant participation of contact shows intimate influence the movement of our bodies. Or alternatively, of supporting or aiding
of a material with the body. Throughout time, and through continued movement. Bodily reactions and responses were captured via raw
use, our garments become ‘records of lived experience’ (Sampson film footage. The ‘feeling of what happens’ becomes captured in the
2018); carried with us through different contexts, situations, time, space moment (Damasio 2000).
and place. They have the ability to comfort, protect, conceal and, or
present ourselves. “This is just calling me at the minute. I don’t know why... I like
how it moves. There’s so many ways this thing moves. It’s like a
Learning is a critical element in the process of rehabilitation. O’Leary spring isn’t it? Knowing what it does, brings a tear to my eye. I
explains how, as learning occurs, the amount of neurons involved in don’t know why I’m crying but I am. Probably because [pause] it
achieving the activity increases. New branches between neurons are can help me.”
created and thus the area of the brain increases in mass (Johansen- Anonymous participant (“A”), Headway East London, 2019.
Berg, 2019). Learning is not necessarily a simple repetitive process, but
one that becomes constantly adapted and refined through enhanced Deleuze discusses the composition of forces that make up the body
experience. Throughout the day, each mental act use ‘slightly different which renders it capable of forming dialogue with other bodies,
combinations of neurons communicate with one another. Thus, as those which are both human and non-human (Buchanan, 1997). The
a person goes through the day, their brain is forming, informing, embodied experience within the process of wearing clothes is inherently
and reforming new neuronal networks as part of its basic operating ‘fleshy’ (Ruggerone 2017) and a felt experience, taking on notions of the
philosophical sub-discipline of Aesthetics. Aesthetics, not restricted in
316 317
the more common sense of the word, to the visible alone, but relative Findings
to the other senses including the tactile, the felt. For the bodies are, The use of the body within active and passive states in rehabilitation
as Ruggerone suggests, ‘clusters of connections between a variety are often thought of in isolation to the garments that exist on the body.
of material and immaterial elements: molecules, neurons, cells but Except in cases where they are used as tools to practice dressing in
also ideas, signs, cultural symbols etc.’ all of which constantly impact occupational therapy, or as compression suits/socks or gloves (Figure 6)
the ‘affective potential’ of the body, and so through encounters, the to provide musculoskeletal support, control oedema or increase sensory
body ‘becomes’.The act of ‘becoming’ can be experienced through and proprioceptive feedback. These are synonymously difficult to use,
the dialogue with our clothes or with objects that we wear. ‘Person A’ due to their difficulty to dress in, and can often be uncomfortable. Saebo
wears a shoulder support that enables their body to become fulfilled and others offer finger extension rehabilitation gloves which aim to
to a greater capacity. The act of wearing it, over time, becomes second improve precision grip yet look most un-human. This may be appealing
nature as ‘Person A’ describes the feeling of it becoming unnoticeable to some, yet the clear visibility of wires, battery packs and ‘hardwear’
and lost to thought. That is, until someone draws attention towards it that also exist in FES devices, can draw attention to the existence of
through conversation. disability and present the body as being different to others, causing the
Figure 5. From attraction of the gaze and questions, as ‘Person A’ described earlier.
fMRI to Body Furthermore, the use of the glove as the type of wearable, is one that
Scanning; has a distinct existence within particular social and seasonal contexts.
The body as a Take this out of context and this additionally adds to public speculation
research tool: of one’s identity and ability. Not least, to mention the striking ‘fleshy’
RCA. colour of the glove, which seeks to conceal itself with the ‘natural make
up’ of the skin of this particular individual, yet by doing so, becomes
ever more ‘unnatural’. Perhaps there is a balance to be gained between
the ‘hyperreal’ and the ‘hyper unreal’, as seen in Pullin’s ‘Hands of X’
(Pullin, 2019). We see as a result, the element of choice is generated
for the wearer to weigh up the advantages of wearing on their recovery
versus the emotional stigma that may be involved.
Figure 6.
Oedema
glove (given
to ‘Person
C’: stroke
survivor)
Physical disability, just like cognitive disability (if one were to separate
the two), can be hidden. ‘Person A’ chooses to conceal the shoulder
support and even, not wear it at all in order to resist people questioning
why they are wearing it. The ability to distinguish a wearable aid to
our clothing can affect mood, through the recollection of disability, and
affect the choice to wear it or not. Such embodied encounters ‘make up
the material texture of our daily practices’ (Ruggerone, 2017); practices
which are continuous. Through movement we ‘become’, and therefore This particular line of enquiry examines the role that a garment could
a stifling or lack of movement stifles or restricts our ‘becoming’; play, by incorporating function into familiar forms, using yarn behaviour
restricting the potential to live life. In order to visualise movement and to accommodate this and in doing so evaluating the relationship
function required, in line with the physical placement on the body and between the nature of garments to be able to restrict movement as well
the visualisation of this, body scanning was used (Figure 5). The act of as enhance, extend or even navigate movements. The functionality is
looking and of making, was not limited to the maker onto the user, but contained within the yarn and the type of weave, knit and colour can all
enabled the user to look and make onto their own body, thus providing be changed according to personal preference, within the parameters of
an opportunity for further self-reflection; bringing the notion of ‘going particular types of textile structure which is seen to affect the efficiency
for a scan’ to a whole new context. of function of the garment.

318 319
The research therefore questions how can garments change the way we CIMT is a method which works by restricting the use of the unaffected
move in real time and the way we respond to particular types of stimuli? limb in order to force the affected limb to be used. The ‘good’ arm
In this way, the study asks how can we work with the natural behaviours becomes ‘cast’ into a splint, in order to prevent its use, and thus force
of the individual and aim to support, guide or even influence routine the individual to use their affected arm instead and found that this
actions that may not be obtainable through current states of ability. technique can work even many years post-stroke. Brain scans showed
Is it possible to relieve the pressure of keeping up with rehabilitation that during this treatment, neurons adjacent to the injury began to
training and thus change the quality of life during this period of time, take over from the damaged or dead neurons thus redirecting the
which for some remains with them for the rest of their lives. behaviour around other existing architecture in the brain. Methods of
achieving restraint are seen in forms that often restrict the individual
Within the following samples, a garment’s participation of embodied from performing this method beyond the confines of a private room; a
experience is extended, beyond the emotional connection we may have mitt, for example, is used to anchor the arm down to the table in a study
with our clothes, our capacity to integrate with objects that surround conducted by Kwakkel, Veerbeek, Van Wegen and Wolf (2015). As such,
us becomes one of supporting and guiding the movements we intend the body not only becomes associated with the tool for rehabilitation
to perform. Understanding garments which ‘negotiate internal and but surrounding objects within the room as well; the table in this case.
external realities’ (Winnicott 1953; 1971; 1989) via the physical change Where this may have been used purely to achieve the task of restraining
in shape and form to the more subtle provocations elicited through the the unaffected limb, the series of experiments below consider the
emittance of stimuli. integration of this on a moving body, into public spaces.

CIMT Samples shown here began to investigate the interpretation of this

The first experiment explores the integration of a known and perhaps theory by using yarn which holds the capacity to shrink (Figure 7 and 8)
controversial rehabilitation technique, Constraint-induced movement Figure 9.
therapy (CIMT), within a familiar form that is ‘used’ everyday. Where Stills display-
complex individual cases are seen throughout the rehabilitation ing the em-
process, which may not only be affected by their medical condition and bodiment of
other associated conditions, but other variables including geographical the concept
location of residence, family and lifestyle status, techniques that may into a jacket:
A concept
seem controversial and ineffective to one person may be life changing
film, RCA
for another. It is for this reason that a range of approaches have been (Salisbury &
included in this study. Raczynska,
2018)
Figure 7. The
Above: the
process of
process of
shrinking:
contraction
contraction of
occurring;
form: Eurecat,
Below: the
Barcelona.
jacket.

Figure 8.
Post Shrink:
Eurecat, Bar-
celona.

320 321
and therefore restrain and restrict movement in the limb by reducing the how might the shape of a garment provoke particular movements? In
sleeve’s circumference. Within the concept film (Figure 9) this method particular, how might the change in behaviour, when transitioned from a
is displayed at a full scale through its incorporation into a sleeve of a flexible, free-flowing form to a more rigid, less flexible form, provoke or
jacket. The jacket’s visual composition was created purposely for the disrupt a particular movement, by drawing attention towards the ‘error’
film to exaggerate the change in behaviour of the textile, as well as made by the individual. Would that enable them to recognize and
giving a nod towards the flamboyant personality of ‘Person C’ and their ‘correct’ or attempt to correct such movement? How does this affect
pre-stroke career. The textile tightens its ‘hold’ on the body, effectively the experience of the garment and thus the mood of the individual?
‘inflicting’ a behaviour upon the body - rather than working with it, it Figure
works against it. The tightening can cause some discomfort (‘Person C’, 11. Early
2019) but this can be controlled; either at source, through the controlled Examination
emittance and distribution of heat (seen later in ‘Isolating Stimulus’); or of Material
by altering the textile composition. Figure 10 displays three alternative Composi-
compositions: by adding elastane or spacer yarns like wool means that tion for its
the tactility is softened, the rigidity becomes dispersed through the Deformation
using Heat:
textile. Whilst the wool ‘softens’ the surface, the use of elastane can
Polypro-
generate a degree of stretch, reducing the overall rigidity of the textile pylene and
and allowing for some ‘ease’. Where the ease can affect the degree of Nylon Mono-
restriction imposed by the textile on the body, this can be controlled filament:
enough to facilitate comfort by not completely restricting the movement Eurecat,
in the arm whilst retaining hold of the limb in a particular position. The Barcelona.
main purpose of CIMT is to prevent the use of the ‘unaffected’ limb
and encourage the use of the ‘affected’ limb. This does not necessarily
mean that movement in the ‘unaffected’ limb has to be totally reduced,
but reduced enough so that it is not used.
Figure 10.
Left to right:
with elastane, Figure 12.
with polypro- Freeing the
pylene, pure limb via
Pemotex: alterations
Eurecat, Bar- in garment
celona. construction:
Eurecat,
Barcelona.

The use of nylon monofilament was initially used as a ‘support’ or

‘skeleton’, utilising its properties and ability to also be manipulated
by heat to ‘support’ the deformation of form (Figure 11 and 12).
However, the adaptation of its inherently linear form, to a coiled form
instead, may manipulate this further, enhancing its ability to expand
and contract (Haines et al. 2016; Haines et al. 2014). Baughman’s work
presents opportunities where the process of construction can provide
Navigating movement strength to a material, changing its behaviour, and therefore ability to
Where CIMT may force the affected limb to be used, this does not support the human body. When this is applied to this line of enquiry,
necessarily mean that compensatory strategies are not used. In this we may see the establishment of ‘soft robotic garments’ or ‘soft skins’
series of samples, we ask how we might use the garment to navigate (Figure 13). The use of heat within this study aimed to explore the
movement away from compensation, towards ‘quality’ movements. So potential of working with the thermal torsio effect (Haines et al. 2016)
- where an increase in temperature causes the reversible untwisting of
322 323
 Figure 13. Figure 14.
Leverage of Visualising
form: Tests to movement:
understand Eurecat,
the structural Barcelona.
requirements
of the ribbon
the fiber due to the fiber having greater radial thermal expansion than to affect the
axial thermal expansion properties. Thus the study is interested in the base textile:
use of heat to manipulate form and function of ‘smart polymers’ such Eurecat, Bar-
as nylon monofilaments amongst others (Baughman, 1996; Shahinpoor celona.
et al. 1998; Pelrine et al. 2000; Shahinpoor & Kim, 2001; Brochu & Pei,
2010).

In other studies the combined use of smart fabrics and pneumatic

actuators may have seen the rise of pneumatic artificial muscles which
are deemed to provide an alternative and even reduce cost and strain
on the lack of resource associated with 1:1 In-clinic physiotherapy
(Belforte et al. 2007). Their ease of installation as well as lower
maintenance requirements and ability to operate ‘without the need for success in achieving a task; which is often the focus of rehabilitation;
electrical signals [thus] eliminating electromagnetic interference that to the affective feeling and the emotional impact of ‘becoming’ as
may be experienced’ (Belforte et al. 2007) is certainly an advantage. Yet a result of participating. The impact of free movement, rather than
in comparison to emerging work with thermal torsio effect, pneumatic being restricted on how one moves. The restriction on the quality of
actuators are more complex and challenging to integrate into smaller- movement can impact the ‘capacity that a body has to form specific
diameter fibers (Haines et al. 2016). relations’ (Buchanan 1997, 80) with others. As discussed previously
in section 2, it becomes important to consider the appearance of the
Isolating and controlling the stimulus textile its visibility to the mind of the wearer, and that of the public.
Where we may want to control the degree of deformation and Where is this textile worn? The scope of the paper isn’t enough to cover
reformation of material form, we may choose to apply the textile in this in detail but this cannot be ignored.
particular areas of the garment. This may be done by methods of
panelling (Figure 14) or alternatively by isolating behaviours within the Within the series of experiments investigating the impact of structural
textile itself. This choice can have implications on the visual aesthetic changes on the ability to navigate movement of the body, the
of the garment. Choosing to control the changes in behaviour of the implications of function within the textile can be seen to affect the
textile means that one must consider how this might be achieved. Here surrounding shape and therefore silhouette of the garment (Figure
we explore a number of experiments which strive to incorporate yarns 14), deformation (Figure 15) as well as the structure of the textile itself
which are able to conduct heat and electricity into the textile, thus (Figure 16) but may also be rendered invisible by its integration into
using electrical stimuli to ‘deliver’ heat to areas where the conductive the familiar structure of the textile (Figure 17). The visualisation of
yarn is placed. In addition, our clothing can both restrict or encourage movement in a garment which isn’t a result of the forces of the human
engagement in activities as well as limiting or expanding the ability body (creases, fall, folds etc.) but as a result of the responsive forces
to form relationships with others. Just as the function of the textile is of the textile itself (Figures 18, 19, 20) can be considered unusual and
important in the process of care, so is the aesthetic connection with unfamiliar to the experience and observation of wearing clothes. This
the individual; enabling connections to be built, life to be lived and a may therefore highlight an added difference between the body of the
quality of life to be improved. stroke survivor and those who have not suffered a stroke who therefore
do not need to wear clothes that support function.
“Brain injury changes you - you have to relearn yourself all over
again. And I really didn’t want to be a new person at 42.” The integration of function into familiar form (Figure 17) seems to
Annonymous Participant: Stroke Survivor Headway,13/07/2018 provide an option which becomes more inclusive in enable stroke
survivors to participate with others, in social and public scenarios,
The transformative nature of movement through embodied encounters through the process of recovery; supporting the body in performing
extends needs beyond the ability of being able to raise an arm, of voluntary movements whilst maintaining a familiar aesthetic. This brings

324 325
 Figure 15. Figure
Deformation 18. The
as a result of development
movement: of move-
Eurecat, Bar- ment: Part
celona. 1: Eurecat,
Barcelona.

Figure
19. The
development
of move-
ment: Part
2: Eurecat,
Barcelona.
into discussion the association of body and culture, where one is seen
Figure 16. to ‘fit in’. Does the visualisation of the body restrict social connections?
Structural Support worker ‘Person E’ recalls discussions with a stroke survivor
changes: about wearing ‘tracksuit trousers’ for an interview. Suit trousers were
Eurecat, Bar- particularly difficult to dress into and so restricted ability to both dress
celona. in and afterwards, function in, limiting the capacity for the individual
to attend the interview. Yet whilst tracksuit trousers enabled this, their
aesthetic can be deemed inappropriate to this setting, indicating a
lack of effort, care and even ability. There is often a desire where “the
personality is at one with itself and the world” (Darmon and Frade 2012,
204) yet there exists “plurality of roles and social spheres” (Ruggerone,
2017) and so the existence of ones self and ones identity changes
accordingly, meaning that where tracksuit trousers would be accepted
in a meeting of friends, they may not be at an interview. Garments in the
wrong context can generate feelings of embarrassment, awkwardness
and unease, translating into the communication and function of our
bodies. As clothing may be seen as a platform to serve people in the
processes of self-intervention required in various contexts (Finkelstein,
Figure 17. 2007), it may be briefly understood that the visualisation of function can
Integrating feedback to impact function itself. Where this occurs generally in the
movement:
Eurecat, Figure 20.
Barcelona. The devel-
(Salisbury, opment of
2018). movement:
Part 3: Eure-
cat, Barce-
lona.

326 327
 Figure 21. for the integration of techniques into textiles is considered in the
Embroidering manner of providing support to the upper limb in order to enhance
movement: voluntary movement so that training or movement becomes easier to
RCA.
access. This is done specifically by working to alleviate ‘high forces’
present that restricts the ability to perform voluntary movements; the
increased weight of the limb as a result of non-use. Contrary to earlier
investigation ‘Navigating Movement’, this final study doesn’t seek to
suggest particular movements, but rather aims to facilitate the ease of
being able to perform voluntary movements by removing a barrier that
is seen to reduce the ability in doing so.
culture of clothes, this may be exaggerated when an added function is
attributed to the garment that is associated with disability. Studies conducted by Krakauer et al. (2018) display the effectiveness of
alleviating the ‘high forces’; in this case SMARTS II uses haptic robots
Either by integrating it into the pattern of the weave (Figure 17) or to do so. We may begin to question how the integration of this method
by using embroidery techniques (Figure 21) the functionality became into textiles might enable this to be carried with the body. Therefore,
integrated and intertwined with the visibility of the resulting functionality. the textile allows for the expression of the body’s own behaviour to
It is important to know that the density of the weave would impact the facilitate movement alongside daily life. Training therefore occurs within
aesthetic and application to regularly used clothing -requiring a more ADLs.
tightly packed pattern to discourage it from being easily pulled. But
for the purposes of this research, this was loosened to enable easier Fitzpatrick (2011) in Moller and Kettley (2017) acknowledges a shift
identification of behavioural attributes and demonstrate the function of care from clinical settings into “patients’ hands and homes”. This
more visible to the naked eye (Figure 16). The sample shown in figure 20 expanding space for design is altering the patient: clinician relationship
has the potential to be both its own textile, with continued development and the transition of the context within which care is situated in,
of colour, insulation (see Figure 22 and 23) and changing the feel of the especially for complex, ongoing cases like rehabilitation. Roles
conductive yarns , or used as a layer between textiles, and so is not and responsibilities are becoming questioned, including within this
‘directly’ felt or seen. Whilst the use of embroidery techniques mean research where the behaviour of the individual, in both conscious and
that the qualities of the textile in Figure 20 could be translated directly subconscious states influence and become influenced by the garment
onto the surface of a more ‘familiar’, pre-existing textile. on a greater internal level. The body becomes extended beyond its
Figure 22.
form but also in a way where its own form is passed through a ‘non
Insulating to human’ material form within such a close proximity to the body. The
reduce heat use of the changing shape of the textile is therefore seen to support the
transfer to the limb, by shortening and thus pulling across the top of the shoulder, and
body: Eurecat, lengthening beneath, acting as an artificial muscle via electrothermal
Barcelona. methods. Within the film (Figure 24), a hairdryer is used as a visual
symbol documenting the presence of heat on the textile.

It should be suggested that the use of heat stimulus requires care

to be taken when applying this next to the body, but also isolated
from other heat stimuli in the surrounding contexts to the body, thus
limiting the effects to the stimulus within the textile. Interference would
Figure 23.
Haptic support Comparative undoubtedly disrupt the process of ‘care’. As such, an insulator was
‘The figuration of motion is anticipated by the perception and ability study showing tested (Figure 22 and 23) and embedded within the garment to induce
to perceive and portray motion’ (Zinsmeister, 2016). If one considers the effects of haptic support. Not only would this restrict the intrusion of external
themselves to be unable to perform a movement, then this can, without exposed con- stimuli, but contain the internal stimulus within the textile, thus not
conscious motivation for pursuit, prevent the motion from happening. ductive yarn passing on the effects of increased heat to the body which may result in
and the heat discomfort. Figure 22 displays the successful application of an insulator
Voluntary movements that enable routine activities of daily living (ADLs)
emitted from around the internal yarn formation. In direct comparison where this
can become restrictive in the quality of everyday life. Enabling voluntary the source:
movements to occur more easily, but not doing the movement for isn’t controlled, Figure 23 shows the presence of heat emitting from
Eurecat, Bar-
someone, may facilitate the process of recovery. Further consideration celona. the source to the surrounding environment. Where temperatures range
from 41℃ to just over 100℃ in the uncontrolled sample (Figure 23),
328 329
 Figure 24. Al- including ‘Participant A’ suggesting that identity and social inclusion
leviating high is of greater importance than was anticipated. And so to finish, raw
forces through conversation is detailed below, documenting a sample of the feedback
intelligent
gained from the early lines of enquiry showing discussions held with
textiles: A
concept film, ‘Participant A’:
RCA.
Support Worker:
‘Would you wear this?’

Participant A:
‘My shoulder [is injured]. I have a sling. I bought it online. You
can either slide it on or open it with the velcro, but the velcro is
a pain in the neck. So I’ve [prepared the velcro and] got it how
I want it. Then I put it on and pull it so it brings this shoulder
[upwards]’

‘Acupuncture helps but I wear this to bring it in. And I wear it but
I don’t like wearing it here [support group] because people go
“ooh what’s that you got” and I’m like ugh [do I have to answer
those questions].’

‘I have a double one [sling which holds both shoulders] because

it helps to bring it in [which I wear] under the clothes, but the
other one [single sling] I wear over the clothes’

Used to help participate in other lesson. Used to be able to access other

activities.

Support Worker:
‘So if you could put on a t-shirt (made of this textile) that did that
temperatures remained at environmental temperature between 29℃ function of pulling the arm up…’
to 32℃ in the insulated sample (Figure 22).
Participant A:
Conclusions ‘...yeah I actually wear that [the sling] to do that but it’s not great
The pursuit of this work is to change the quality of life of those affected but it does it’s job.’
by stroke, in particular those who have suffered a stroke and struggle
with the pressures to pursue recovery. Where this paper presents an on- Support Worker:
going body of work, and details accounts of the very first experiments, “What if that could look ‘normal’ or ‘fashionable’?”
feedback from each stage of the research has been pursued. What
became apparent was the need to avoid thinking that a garment would Participant A:
only appeal to a particular demographic. One of the most surprising “That’s tears what you’re saying right now. It’s like I really want
parts of the study was in the interest of wider ranges of demographics to cry”

Support Worker:
“So it’s that important to you?”

Participant A:
“Yeah because inside I’m hurt, I’m hurt inside places that nobody
knows. I don’t want to show it. It’s not that I’m frightened of it,

330 331
 it’s just that constant “ooh” [sympathy]. I’ve had four years of it, I Brochu, P. Pei, Q. (2010) Advances in dielectric elastomers for actuators and artificial
don’t want it anymore. I’m in that thought that I’m not right and muscles. Macromol Rapid Commun 31 (1): 10-36.
I don’t want to think about that’ Buchanan, I. (1997) “The problem of the body in Deleuze and Guattari, or, what can a
body do?” Body & Society 3 (3): 73-91.
The support worker discusses the visual colour and questions whether Chouliara, N. Crosby, B. Fisher, R. Walker, M. (2017) Understanding the delivery of
hospital-based stroke rehabilitation; the REVIHR study. NHS.
it should be worn underneath clothing.
Conforto, A. Dos Anjos, S. Bernardo, W. Silva, A. Conti, J. Machado, A. Cohen, L. (2018)
Repetitive peripheral sensory stimulation and upper limb performance in stroke: A
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Darmon, I. Frade, C. (2012) “Beneath and beyond the fragments: The charms of
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Participant A: N. Connel, L. Dajeager, E. De Weerdt, W. Jenni, W. Lesaffre, E. Leys, M. Louckx, F.
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 The Fair Energy
Mark in the making:
Framing a citizen-
led campaign
by participatory
design
Laura Santamaria
336 337
Abstract Beyond project making, as researchers working within a broad-based
There is a growing understanding that design can positively contribute civil society organisation, we identified the opportunity to consider on
towards highly complex social, economic and environmental problems how power is managed in expert and diffuse design in participatory
we face today. One key area is citizen empowerment to change built-in processes, and elaborate conceptual constructs that help us reflect and
systemic inequalities and exploitative practices. This paper presents a improve strategic design practice in the contexts of design for social
design intervention that explored citizen empowerment in the context change.
of The Fair Energy Mark campaign, a citizen-led action aimed to
raise practice standards and address power imbalances in the energy Research background
supply sector. The project-based investigation explored the tensions In 2017, Citizens UK set a challenge for postgraduate students at
emerging between expert–diffuse design in the process of elaboration Loughborough University London to develop innovations to address
of campaign branding and communication strategy. The researchers fuel poverty, environmental and economic injustices in the energy
experimented with new tools that enabled an open participatory market. Working within a Design Thinking process, students generated
process of campaign framing, but also facilitated fluid knowledge a set of ‘Fair Energy Standards’ which served as the basis to develop
exchange between participants through experiential learning. The the Fair Energy Mark. During the following 12 months, a steering
investigation contributes some conceptual constructs to discuss committee of founding partners was formed with various stakeholders
strategic design management practice in the socio-political sphere. who met monthly to further develop the kitemark, engaging the with
Furthermore, the research identified that a closer integration of design local authorities and energy experts. In 2019, consensus was reached
and communicative action theories, and participatory design and about the contents of the mark. At this point, the researchers, as
community organising methodologies present promising opportunities design experts, were asked to lead the development of the campaign
to amplify the impact of design research for social change. branding and communications’ strategy. The task was to shape the
Keywords: design for social change; citizen empowerment; expert & contents of the mark and develop strategies for its deployment and
diffuse design; strategic communications implementation. This presented an opportunity for design research for
change intervention.
Introduction
In times of energy resource scarcity and ecological extinction,
accessibility to affordable energy becomes an increased concern for Figure 1. Fair
citizens globally. While environmental and climate justice movements Energy Mark
organize and mobilize for radical changes by pressuring industries and development
political leaders, the conceptual tools and frameworks of energy justice timeline
and fuel poverty generated by academic scholarship seems slow to
attend to. Meanwhile, of the 14 million people living in poverty in the
UK, 8.5 million are food insecure and 2.5 million live in fuel poverty
(Barnard et al., 2018). Despite the perception of the UK leading the fuel
poverty agenda, politicians would have the public believe that reforming
the energy market is outside the realms of possibility (Middlemiss,
2017). This disempowering situation reveals not only the importance of
supporting initiatives to reduce poverty, but the potential for design to
amplify impact by creating innovative vehicles to even power dynamics
engrained in the energy sector through leveraging various interests.
The Fair Energy Mark campaign: Making fuel poverty a design
With design research taking responsibilities and standing up for energy
futures (Fuller & McCauley, 2016; Jenkins, Sovacool, & McCauley,
for change issue
Campaigns are an undeniably effective vehicle for paradigm change.
2018), we stress the importance of engaging at all levels – i.e. not only
Conceptualised as a form of activism grounded in communicative action
via sociotechnical innovation and policy groups, but more importantly
theory (Habermas, 1984), they aim to disseminate knowledge and ways
with civil society organisations, activist networks and citizen-advocacy
of understanding that empower people to take individual actions that,
groups (Delina & Janetos, 2018; Jenkins et al., 2018; Shove, 2018) who
collectively, generate benefit for society as a whole. Historically, Citizens
work tirelessly towards addressing injustices and empower the most
UK has initiated very successful nationwide campaigns such as the
vulnerable and underrepresented peoples and issues.
Living Wage which resulted in pay rises for over 150,000 workers and
their families. Equally, the FEM campaign represents an opportunity for
338 339
design research for change whereby the framing – or reframing – of refers to ongoing designing in which the designed projects/products
complex issues around energy becomes key to influence practices in are designed in such a way so that they can be redesigned, and serve
the energy market at individual, local and national level. to build capacity and learning that positively impacts the agency of
the stakeholders involved – i.e. ‘knowledge is power’. Conceptualising
The concept of framing is an important topic at the centre of power and PD as empowerment (Ehn, 2008) has located PD within the wider
influence (Goffman, 1986) because it focuses attention on certain events community as it approached societal issues as ongoing infrastructures
and then places them within a field of meaning and relevance . Framing (Björgvinsson, Ehn, & Hillgren, 2010; P. A. Hillgren, Seravalli, & Emilson,
theory suggests that how something is presented to the audience (called 2011; Le Dantec & DiSalvo, 2013).
‘the frame’) influences the choices people make about how to process
that information, and therefore creates biases that influence beliefs and This means that beyond delivering specific project outcomes, expert
behaviour (Kahneman & Tversky, 1984). Frames are essentially ‘schema designers seeking infrastructuring interventions aim to grow the design
of interpretation’ of values negotiated politically between actors over and change capabilities within individuals, organisations, communities
unfolding issues (Goffman, 1986). Typically, values that are legitimised or multiple stakeholders. This is translated in forms of training initiatives
through framing strategies are manifestly bound up with the cultures such as participatory and co-creation workshops, and/or collaborative
and agenda-setting practices of elite actors (Scheufele, 2000). pilot projects. Formalising design processes and methodologies to be
transferable is part of this strategy (Sangiorgi, 2015).
In design, framing is understood as a meaning- and sense-making
process, intrinsic and inseparable to the design activity (Dorst, 2015). Strategic action: Citizens UK and community organising
As design represents and legitimises meanings and values (Kolko, The work done by Citizen’s UK has been conceptualised as a ‘broad-
2011; Krippendorff, 2006) – influencing tastes, beliefs, prejudices that based community organising’ in the UK, a political methodology
can change people’s views and behaviours – design is political by ontologically rooted in civil society and epistemologically based on the
definition. However, unlike in media or strategic action where framing concept of power’ (Bunyan, 2018).
is used explicitly to influence and advance agendas, design influence
is implicitly bound up within expertise and there is a lack of knowledge “For Citizens UK the word power is really central to our fuel
on how political and ideological dimensions are managed in the social of change. Some people feel very uneasy with that, but we
sphere, due to limited integration of theories of social change within recognise that power is essential if you want to make real change.
design research (Willis, 2012). ‘Design is always a silent but hard-working And we unpack power by talking about organised people and
part of our history. Design is one of the most powerful routes through organised money.” – Community organiser (Citizens UK)
which our beliefs and views of the world flow’ (Zingale & Domingues,
2015, p.9). In this, learning from others can advance a more legitimate The strategic vision for change employed by Citizens UK is based on a
and transparent practice. view of society that is “comprised of three distinct sectors: 1) the state,
the governments and the regulatory boards, 2) the market, companies,
Strategic design in the social sphere corporations, and 3) civil society” (Citizens UK). From a community
In order to obtain the change they seek, citizen movements and organising perspective, this means that civil society holds the state and
organisations can often be driven by strategic action agendas – i.e. the market accountable of the practices and values they represent. At
action oriented toward success, pursued regardless of the interests the core of their methodology lies creating permanent alliances between
of others (Jacobson, 2003). In contrast, strategic design seeks to use different civil society group to address worthwhile and winnable issues.
‘design principles and practices to guide strategy development and While such issues might not achieve radical change in the community,
implementation toward innovative outcomes that benefit people and the ultimate goal for Citizens UK is capacity building for participation in
organisations alike’ (Calabretta, Gemser, & Karpen, 2016). public life. This is done through relational meeting/one-to-one sessions
and listening campaigns that seek to identify and train citizens to be
Common across strategic design practice for social change are co- leaders who mobilise their communities to take action on issues they
production and collaborative principles, where a wide network of care about.
stakeholders are considered as co-creators of public value. Co-creation
is strongly connected to notions of “participatory design”, “co-design”, Citizens UK logic of non-partisan organising strategy with capacity
“design attitude” and “design thinking” (Bason, 2010, p.7). Within building for leadership as an objective sets Citizens UK apart from the
Participatory Design (PD) design operates as a participatory process for sporadic nature of social movements, and is parallel to strategic design
“design-for-use” and “design-for-future-use” that is “infrastructuring” principles of empowerment through infrastructuring and building
(Le Dantec & DiSalvo, 2013). Infrastructuring, as developed within PD,

340 341
powerful alliances that create value for all (Hillgren, Seravalli, & Eriksen, design expertise in communication strategy is a valuable resource that
2016). Table 1 summarises the similarities in both approaches. equips us to deploy, professionally, the mechanisms that work best to
influence public perception and action towards the desired change.
Community Organising Strategic Social Design Table 1. This gives rise to our research question(s):
Empowerment Capacity building through relational Infrastructuring through participatory Comparison
through knowledge sessions, listening projects of principles
How is power negotiated in the diffuse–expert design relationship?
Training for leadership Formalising methodologies adopted by
Organising strategy Non-partisan civil society alliances Stakeholder partnerships
Community
Organising • How does the ‘empowering of others’ (diffuse design) and
Agenda/goal Citizen participation Co-production of ‘expert-diffuse’ ‘self-power’ (expert design) relation balance?
and Strategic
outcomes
Design for • How can we open participation in the framing and strategy
Vision of change Rebalancing power (pressure) Innovation (value creation) social change elaboration process?
• How can the expert designer enable and empower?

These synergies present a resourceful and genuine territory for We see these questions contributing to literature on community-based
developing joint methodologies that can potentiate empowerment in PD and within that to the discussion on PD for useful systems and PD as
citizen-driven societal change. infrastructuring (Ehn, 2008; Le Dantec & DiSalvo, 2013).

While it is clear that PD practices have enhanced the democratisation The study
of the design process, what is less clear is how the power conferred The aim of the project was to co-design the materiality of the campaign
to the designer as ‘expert’ is managed in these settings, and how that could speak to and mobilise wider public(s). This involved
we – as design research scholars and practitioners – should attend to facilitating participation in framing process for drawing together 1) the
the tensions emerging in the production of expert-diffuse designs as communications and marketing expertise of energy companies with 2)
vehicles for change. the leadership and human resource mobilising for collective actions
capacity from Citizens UK, and 3) lived experience and knowledge
The concept of ‘expert design’ refers to the discipline and profession practices from local citizens.
that emerged at the beginning of the last century (Manzini, 2015).
In these settings, however, this means someone who is expert in the Our methodology for the study sought to develop a format that would
various ways of stimulating and supporting wider, more complex co- be familiar enough for diverse stakeholders to co-articulate the FEM
designing processes for the non-experts (Manzini, 2015). The design campaign. This included experts and non-experts in design and strategy
expert is expected to integrate and promote the design abilities of who, although diverse in their practice, share a vision of change for the
the others; ‘diffuse designing’ of everybody – i.e. design as a diffuse energy market.
human capability. This view implies that the expertise of the designer
transcends the traditional technical capability (for example, to design Workshop design
a campaign logo) and extends into the capacity to enable community We designed the workshop around the metaphor of the local newspaper,
empowerment to design their own vehicles for change, to articulate as a relatable and familiar framework . The activities were inspired
and frame their significance and meaning, and to implement them in a by drawing framing techniques from leadership and organisational
way that makes sense to them. Thus, design becomes a collaborative
effort where ‘the design process is spread among diverse participating
Activity Technique Purpose Table 2.
stakeholders and competences’ (Björgvinsson, Ehn, & Hillgren, 2012) (Fairhurst, 1996)
– i.e. the expert and the community – and is envisioned and explored WORKSHOP Metaphor To frame a conceptual idea through comparison to something
Framing
else workshop
in hands-on ways characterized by human-centeredness, empathy and
Activity 1 Stories To frame a topic via narrative in a vivid and memorable way activities
optimism. Stories and personas

Habermas holds that ‘the negotiation of definitions of the situation is

Activity 2 Artefacts Objects with intrinsic symbolic value – a visual/cultural item that
an essential element of the interpretive accomplishment required by Brand values holds more meaning than the object itself
communicative action’ (Habermas 1984, p. 286). Thus, the ‘definition & Visualisation
Slogan To frame an object with a catchy phrase to make it more
of the situation’ can be usefully conceptualised as a framing activity memorable and relatable

that can be facilitated through participatory methods. For this reason, Activity 3 Spin To present a concept in such a way as to convey a value
Communication Strategy judgement (positive or negative) that might not be immediately
as expert designers, we see our role as ‘staging the process’ wherein apparent; to create an inherent bias by definition.
Activity 5 Headlines
elaboration of strategy can happen democratically. On the other hand,
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communication literature (Fairhurst & Sarr, 1996) which best suited the developing the communication strategy by thinking about calls to action
context and the purpose (Table 2). that a) would invite new energy companies to join the mark, b) raise
awareness among energy advocacy groups mediating between citizens
The venue and energy companies, and b) mobilise the wider public to switch to
Our campaign partner, St James the Great Clapton (London) provided energy providers that represent the values of the mark. Together we
the venue, as this was considered a welcoming and inclusive community then mapped campaign tactics to spread the word on various platforms
space (Figure 2). Invitations were circulated strategically to reach energy (Activity 4). The last activity aimed to frame the narrative of the cause
companies, citizens advocacy groups and community centres, but the and the campaign by coming up with headlines that would speak to the
setup remained open for anyone interested to drop in and join. press and the public (Activity 5). In the following sections we provide an
overview of the these in more detail.
Figure 2. FEM
Participatory
framing work- Activity 1 – Stories and personas
shop This activity was designed to enable narratives to emerge from the
experiences and tacit knowledge of the participants.

Through writing and representations, participants expressed the lack

of reciprocity in the supplier-customer relationship (Figure 3). The
recurrent themes in the data were fuel poverty, lack of support, debt
lock, unfairness, lack of accountability and transparency and poor
service.

There is a call to action for the industry to step up in its responsibility

towards customers, developing more ethical business practices, and
The process for the powerholders to “play your part in reducing people living in
Communication strategists and graphic designers from Bulb and poverty.” This could be particularly important when the campaign has
Octopus Energy, community leaders from Foodbank, Citizens Advice, the intention of disrupting the status quo.
Citizens UK, and the local church and citizens with lived experience of
fuel poverty participated actively in the workshop. Guided through the Strategically, this also poses an opportunity for companies to gain
five activities, participants articulated the brand – that is issues, values, competitive advantage by improving customers service to strengthen
vision, language of FEM – and put forward strategic actions to mobilise relationships with customers. Service innovations that allow for customer
publics. empowerment and could be viewed as opportunity to improve supplier
credibility and retain customers.
Activity 1 focused on deconstructing the stories of lived experience of
fuel poverty. We then moved on to visualise and construct the brand
by thinking about the benefits, values and the promise of FEM (Activity Figure 4. Ac-
2) and synthesising a visual language in a poster. Activity 3 focused on tivity 2: Brand
articulation
and rep-
Figure 3.
resentations
Activity 1:
generated by
participant’s
participants
representa-
tions of un-
balanced and
unjust power
relationships

344 345
Activity 2 – Visualisation and brand representation Figure 6.
The language that dominated the workshop was ‘fair’ and ‘care’ – there Activity 4:
can be no doubt that the participants intend these value messages are co-created
strategies for
to be communicated loud and clear through the promise and benefits
campaign
of the fair energy mark. Figure 4 summarises the activity findings. implementa-
tion
Activity 3 – Communication strategy
Figure 5 evidences ideas generated for communication strategy
directed to the various stakeholders – energy suppliers, strategic
partners and the general public.

The call to action further articulated the brand benefits to various

stakeholders. The results provide a social learning opportunity for
industry to understand that citizens are demanding change and if
industry does not respond, they will miss out. The empowerment of the
participants can be evidenced by the changing language when given Activity 5 – Headlines
opportunity to role model. The last activity was aimed to encapsulate the cause by coming up with
newspaper headlines that would communicate persuasively to the press
Figure 5. and the public. The activity provided an opportunity for participants to
Activity 3: take an outsider point of view, and decide on ‘how others should see
elaboration of us.’
communica-
tion strategy Figure 7.
Activity 5:
newspaper
headlines
produced by
participants

It is also worth noting the implication in the language that there are
credibility issues with some industry players (“enhance your reputation”)
and the power is shifting to the citizen calling for more consensual
relationships through the campaign language “be part of the change”. The statements take a hopeful tone, announcing a ‘change of dynamics’
to bring relief at last from unjust market practices.
Activity 4 – Campaign tactics
In response to the energy literature (Willis, 2019; Middlemiss, 2017) Discussion and reflections
which highlights the need to understand how we engage with energy While there is much literature on participatory design and co-design
systems in order to solve the problems we face, participants generated applied to the development of tools to facilitate citizen-led innovation
‘campaign tactics’ (Figure 6), and were prompted to identify the target on one hand, and the role of design in the development of branding to
audience of the campaign (who), and propose deployment ideas (how). support campaigns on the other, what this investigation set to interrogate
and challenge is the implicit nature in which expert design assumes and
Contrary to energy saving campaigns, the tactics that emerged here manages power in such collaborative practice arrangements.
point to the need for energy literacy – e.g. “pop-up open day and
discussions with energy experts who can help find the best deals.”

346 347
Through project-making, the study provided a twofold opportunity for Figure 8.
design research for change: Interpreting
outcomes of
the workshop
1. To observe the political and power dynamics of expert–diffuse
for brand de-
engagement in the context of civil-society activism, and identify velopment
constructs that can help bring to light the implicit understandings
of engagement; and 2. To facilitate expertise exchange between
two strategic approaches to social change (design and community
organising) and formalise the generated knowledge into methodologies
that amplify capacity building for agency towards change.

Conceptual constructs to discuss power in expert–diffuse design

Three broad concepts stand out from the literature as relevant to
discuss the expert–diffuse design relationship: expectations (Manzini,
2015), accountability (Habermas, 1984) and agendas (Scheufele, 2000).
These concepts appear fundamental to the implicit ‘engagement
contract’ for establishing a working partnership between the expert
and the community based on openness and mutual trust. We put them
forward as helpful constructs for structuring discussions and locating
power relationships.

Expectations
In the first place the designer is empowered by the group, by being
recognised as the most expert member of the community to further the
cause at that particular stage: a good communication strategy requires Figure 9.
skills in persuasion, which a communication designer can deliver. Final brand
However, in a conventional branding and strategic communications communica-
exercise, it would not be standard practice to consult with ‘non- tion visuals
designers’ or open up the process to participation, but rather the
expert would take charge and ownership for project development as
‘expert in the field’.

From the expert design practice perspective, this involves risk and
making more courageous, experimental choices (Manzini, 2016) and
remaining flexible and open throughout a dynamic collective sense-
making process. Delivering on these expectations meant that:

1. we had to design tools fit for the purpose, familiar and inclusive –
e.g. newspaper format – to enable citizens to collectively
elucidate, articulate and strategically frame issues (Figure 8);
2. we interpret the data collected through the workshop into
professional standard communication materials. This implied
refining the design outcomes while keeping legitimacy towards
the set of embodied knowledge we generated together (Figure 9).

Accountability
The trust placed on the expert’s ability to lead the community through
this process prompted us to consider issues of accountability and
reciprocity.

348 349
Working as an embedded member of the community, it can only be Participatory activities as platforms for learning
sensible for the designer to adopt and build on community organising Beyond the importance of co-creating framing and strategy with
methodologies, principles and best practice. In this case, it meant the people and businesses the project will impact (stakeholders and
sharing power through consultative decision making, and being project outcomes), bringing participatory design and the community
accountable to the group for the kind of operative mechanisms we organising logic of Citizens UK together in the workshop provided
created to enable inclusivity and participation. It also required setting mutually beneficial means for knowledge exchange that extends
aside a ‘problem solving–outcome oriented’ mindset and adopting capacity building – or empowerment – for change in many ways. In
a ‘learning–infrastructuring’ mindset. For example, rather than a Table 3 we illustrate how the project enlarged and enriched areas of
mechanism to ‘harvest data’, workshopping was considered a capacity practice and understanding through this collaborative partnership, with
building opportunity that provided an inclusive way of grasping new new learnings highlighted in bold.
understandings, bringing transformation and empowerment through
experiential learning and creative self-expression. Conclusions
In this project, we engaged with paradigm change through design
Agendas in civil society activism context. Through a project-based research
Drawing framing strategies is a highly political dimension to navigate aimed at participatory co-creation of campaign brand and strategic
as designers. Like with all stakeholders involved, it required exercising communications, we explored the political aspects at play in the
self-reflection frequently to identify the motivations behind our views, expert-diffuse design relationship and contribute a useful construct
decisions and actions, and disclosing them openly. – expectations-accountability-agendas – to discuss the contractual
engagement in practice-based interventions with citizen empowerment
Questions such as ‘What decisions am I taking on behalf of others? at its core.
Are we preselecting or progressing certain choices without consulting
others? Are we highlighting or prioritizing certain aspects over others?’ By enabling expert knowledge transfer through issue framing activities,
prompted reflection for ourselves and others, and kept us on check to the research achieved transformative effects at individual level,
ensure that the power and responsibility entrusted to us as experts was empowering citizens as agents capable to create their own vehicles
exercised responsibly and we did not get ourselves in the way while for change. At collective level, the changed achieved through this
striving to achieve strategic goals legitimately. design research collaboration is evidenced in having moved the cause
Community Organising Strategic Social Design
a step forward – that is, from the critique and issue debate space into
Table 3.
materialising actionable pathways to make the issue visible, but most
Empowerment Capacity building through relational Infrastructuring through participatory projects Transforma-
through knowledge sessions, listening tive change importantly a persuasive and winnable cause.
Formalising methodologies
Training for leadership through
Good practice in inclusive, relational strategic
Moving from the debate to leadership for social change project-based Although this paper presents the experimental stage of the project, it
materialisation learning is worth noting that considerable public funding for advancing the FEM
New methods for creating campaign as a larger, long-term project was subsequently secured, on
stakeholder ownership
the basis of the strong alliances and robust results produced at this
Identifying areas of opportunity for
innovation stage. At disciplinary level, the research identified important knowledge
Organising strategy Non-partisan civil society alliances Stakeholder partnerships gaps in strategic design management in the socio-political sphere. A
Agenda/goal Explicit. Motivated by citizen Implicit. Motivated by co-production of
closer integration of design and communicative action theories, and
participation ‘expert-diffuse’ outcomes participatory design and community organising methodologies pose
Understanding that creating value for Setting up mechanisms for motivation significantly promising avenues for accelerating the impact of design
all stakeholders advances the cause disclosure, accountability and transparency in
via higher buy-in instead of decision making that affects representation of
research for social change.
pressuring. all
Reflect on tacit contractual terms of
engagement.
Vision of change Rebalancing power (pressure) Innovation (value creation)
Participation and co-creation mechanism as
enablers for capacity building and mutual
empowerment.
A learning vs facilitation mindset
Detachment of subjectivity and choosing most
effective strategy for achieving legitimacy and
impact.

350 351
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 Why knitting now?
Textile design
research as a driver
for educational
change
Jane Scott, Elizabeth Gaston and
Zoe Dennington
354 355
Abstract The effect of textiles manufacturing can be significantly reduced by
Design education in the UK is under threat. Research conducted by the decisions taken at the design stage (Charter and Tischner, 2001:120),
Crafts Council has identified a significant decline in both A Level and therefore the role of the designer is critical to the future of textiles
GCSE art and design subject entries since 2010. For textile design this (Fletcher, 2008, Black, 2013).
has led to falling student numbers and a reduction in skilled graduates.
This is significant. Textiles are ubiquitous; from the macro scale of the As a textile process, knitting produces fabrics within unique levels
geotextiles that support national infrastructure, to the microscale of of extensibility and formability; it is a production process that can
implantable medical devices, textiles encompasses a lot more than enable the fabrication of two dimensional shaped panels or three-
clothing. This requires an understanding of not only the fundamental dimensional forms (Spencer, 2001). Successful knit design requires
properties of textile materials, but also the production strategies to knowledge of materials, process, technology and aesthetics. In
design and make in 2D and 3D. knitted fabric design unique combinations of this knowledge are
literally built into the designed product and used to generate fabrics
This research presents a design intervention developed to respond and forms with diverse, and highly specified functions. Knitting is
to this educational challenge. Working with the Crafts Council’s a sustainable option for textile manufacturing because products
Make Your Future programme, and directly with schools in Yorkshire, can be manufactured directly in 3D reducing material consumption
researchers at the University of Leeds developed and implemented a through waste. In addition low impact, natural materials are
project designed to engage with the opportunities offered by a creative important materials for knitting. For example smart textiles
curriculum. Using knitting as a tool for designing and making across a research has developed systems to transform linen and wool into
variety of scales, the project worked with teachers, pupils and school environmentally responsive material systems for architecture and
management to reposition textiles as a vehicle to respond to global fashion (Scott, 2017).
challenges. Specific approaches applied biomimicry to the design of
complex forms and considered new applications of colour theory as a Knit Design Research at the University of Leeds is a research
means to respond to the environmental problems of textile colouration. led design studio directed by Jane Scott and Elizabeth Gaston
Outcomes of the project have been significant. The team worked that explores how textile design research methodologies and
directly with sixteen schools and delivered workshops in five schools practices can be used to inform a range of theoretical, practical
within the Yorkshire region during 2018-2019. The paper reflects on and pedagogical challenges. Knit Design Research examines
the impact of this intervention for pupils, teachers, school management the potential to ask questions of this unique body of knowledge
and the wider community and considers how this experience can lead to answer wider societal problems and to determine a range of
to lasting change in education. The ambition of this work is not only to solutions through knitted fabric design practice. Using diverse
re-skill school pupils and teachers in specific textile making processes, methodologies including biomimicry and Performance Craft
but also to renew the opportunities for design and craft education as (Gaston, 2016) the group produces research outcomes that
a means to develop creative thinking and essential problem solving challenge the conventional thinking of knitting as fashion. Instead,
abilities for all pupils. using experiential approaches, knitting is positioned as a way of
thinking to develop materials for art, architecture and engineering.
Introduction
Textiles are pervasive. As a material system, textiles are highly complex; In 2017 the research team were approached by the Crafts Council to
balancing strength and flexibility through the organisation of fibres, act as a Yorkshire lead for the Make Your Future programme, and to
yarns and fabric structures. The applications for textiles extend into every participate as maker-educators; focussed on introducing knitting as
aspect of life, from conventional applications in fashion, to engineering, a tool for thinking and making into secondary schools in Yorkshire.
medicine and architecture (McQuaid, 2005). But there is a problem; This research paper reports on the background to the Make Your
the quantity of textiles consumed globally, and the complexity of the Future programme, and evaluates the programme of workshops
manufacturing system has a huge environmental impact, and change is developed to engage pupils with Knit Design Research.
required to reduce the impact of the global textiles industry:
Context
“Textiles [is] fourth in the ranking of product categories which In 2014, the Crafts Council launched Our Future is in the Making,
cause the greatest impact, just after food and drinks, transport the evidence-based education manifesto that sets out the case for
and housing” (European Commission, 2013:1). every child having the chance to develop craft skills and achieve
their full potential (Crafts Council, 2014). The manifesto highlighted
the crisis facing our current education system, stating, ‘In the last

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five years participation in craft-related GCSEs fell by 25% and the model: CPD sessions at the partner HEI teach new craft skills which are
number of higher education craft courses fell by 46%.’ (Crafts Council, reinforced through collaborative delivery of sessions in their classrooms
2014). Nearly five years later the picture has worsened. alongside professional maker-educators. Maker-educators work closely
with teachers to pass on skills to Key Stage 3 students and give young
In August last year analysis by the Cultural Learning Alliance showed people an insight into craft careers.
further declines in entry numbers for arts GCSE and A Levels most
significantly a 57% decline in Design and Technology GCSE entries The focus of Make Your Future in Yorkshire is inspired by Yorkshire’s rich
between 2010 to 2018. (Cultural Learning Alliance, 2018). This is textile heritage and has seen schools paired with The School of Design
compounded by a continuing decline in arts A Levels: entries down at The University of Leeds and Leeds Arts University. Learning from the
24% since 2010 (with a 6% decline in Art & Design and a 41% decline in project’s pilot year has fed into the development of Make Your Future’s
Design & Technology A level entries in the same period). STEAM approach; makers worked with teachers to design sessions that
illuminate the science and technology inherent to 3D making processes.
In addition to the decline in pupils selecting design subjects research
highlights that there have been cuts to lesson time, staff or facilities Why knitting now?
in Design and Technology A-level subjects over the past two years Knit Design Research was approached to facilitate CPD and school-
(ASCL, 2018). This situation is further compounded by trends including based workshops focused on knitting as a making process and as a tool
a shortened key stage three (2 years rather than 3 years), shorter lesson to integrate craft and design into the wider STEAM curriculum. The role
times and an arts ‘carousel system’ with arts subjects being given only of maker-educator also provided a vehicle to disseminate the design
one, or half, term on the timetable. outcomes of knit design research with a new audience, encouraging
debate about the positive environmental change that can be achieved
The wider issue of teacher recruitment and retention is particularly through textile design research. In addition this included the importance
concerning for our art & design teachers (In 2018 only 73% of the Art of creativity for employability, and twenty-first century skills such the
& Design target, and 25% of Design & Technology were recruited) ability to take risks in work and the importance of communication skills.
(Cultural Learning Alliance, 2019). Alongside the factors above, a lack Perhaps most importantly, the project aimed to remind pupils about the
of access to relevant CPD in art and design is damaging. Significant joy of making.
numbers of art and design specialists in all phases ‘rarely or never’ Figure 1.
receive CPD. 55% of art and design teachers across all schools sectors project
said in the last five years they had considered leaving or had left the year 7, 8, and 9 school participants
profession (NSEAD, 2016). pupils

Make Your Future

Make Your Future is a response to this landscape: initiating networks
of schools, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and makers in London, Knit
public: art, design
Birmingham and Yorkshire, to develop sustainable working models for families, Design and
wider Research technology
craft education.
community teachers
Make Your Future’s long-term aims are to create conditions where:

• Schools offer students high quality craft learning as part of the

curriculum. school senior
• Young people from diverse backgrounds have improved their management
well-being by engaging with craft-making activities.
• Local and national craft education networks support high quality
craft opportunities in schools.
Project participants.
The programme is distinctive due to its focus on hands-on craft skills The project participants (figure 1) were selected from Yorkshire based
in the secondary classroom and the exploration of craft as a cross- secondary schools with a high pupil premium. This was further divided
curricular bridge which draws together science, technology, and into four distinct but related areas: year 7, 8 and 9 pupils, art and design
creative subjects. Teachers are at the heart of the Make Your Future teachers, senior school management and the wider community.

358 359
Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils were important participants; the project took stated that they had little time to participate in personal development
place before GCSE subject selection, to make pupils aware of the of textiles skills. Firstly, teachers learnt how to use the hand operated
benefits of studying a design course. The second group of participants and CNC industrial knitting machines in the School of Design. Through
were art, design and technology teachers. One key finding from this practice-based approach the participants were introduced to the
research was the lack of professional development opportunities for unique properties of knitted fabrics. Whilst the participating teachers
teachers, so a stand-alone CPD programme was developed to enhance enjoyed the session, they could not see the relevance of knit on their
subject specific skills in knit design. As this is a specialist area within teaching practice at this stage. Despite this it was important to ensure
textile design, the intention was to introduce a variety of approaches that teachers had this understanding of knitted fabric and it also
that could complement existing teaching. In addition CPD introduced generated an excitement for the materials and techniques.
interdisciplinary science and design methodologies to support a new
STEAM educational focus. Further CPD sessions demonstrated how these concepts could be
used in the classroom. Two colour repeat patterns were produced on
The third group of participants were the school senior management domestic, hand operated knitting machines. An equipment audit of
teams. One ambition was to engage with schools at a management participating schools highlighted that although some schools had these
level, to change the perception of design as a subsidiary subject, machines available, no staff members had the skill to use them. The
and demonstrate the value of thinking through making as a core of repeat pattern project was structured so that it could be delivered to
the curriculum. Finally, it was important to engage with the families of pupils over several sessions. A design was created using collage, and
the pupils involved. Parental influence is key in subject choices and so this was tested as a repeat using a quartering method. The design was
the project had to communicate the relevance of design in the wider transferred to a punch-card and finally knitted through to create an all-
curriculum but also the potential of employability within the textiles over repeat fabric.
industry, which remains an important employer in Yorkshire.
In the final session only hand processes were used. Teachers were taught
Over the course of two years teams of teachers from sixteen schools a freehand loop construction process which created “ropes” of knitted
across the region attended CPD at The University of Leeds. Make fabric. The importance of material choices was demonstrated through
Your Future’s maker educator team delivered workshops in all sixteen the experimental use of yarns in this process. Working in groups, the
schools, with knit-focussed work taking place in five schools, Thomas a ropes were knitted together, again using hand process, to form large
Beckett, Wakefield, Guiseley School, Beckfoot Upper Heaton, Bradford, scale textile canopies, using integral shaping and tensioning to create
Leeds City Academy, and Allerton Grange, Leeds. These schools three-dimensional form (figure 2).
offered textile design as part of the key stage 3 Design and Technology
curriculum however none of the school delivered any knit content Figure 2.
CPD with
within the textiles curriculum and not all of the schools achieved the
teachers ex-
pupil numbers required to run a GCSE textiles programme. The major ploring form
challenge highlighted by schools was the ability to engage pupils with a using free-
creative curriculum beyond the traditional product-based approach. As hand loop
design researchers we were keen to work together to offer alternative construction
methods to introduce knit and develop resources that could adapt and processes.
evolve within the schools.

Make Your Future delivery

The project was delivered in three strands, CPD for teachers, in-school
workshops with pupils and a regional exhibition of work produced by
all participating schools.

CPD activity
A programme of knit specific CPD was held at the School of Design, Throughout the sessions the use of knit as a thinking process were
University of Leeds over three sessions. Prior to the first session stressed and explicit links to other areas of the curriculum were made.
teachers were asked to complete a skills audit. Analysis of the skills The concept of knit as a product was avoided.
audit highlighted that although most of the participants were educated
to a first-degree level in design, few had experience of knit and most

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In-School workshops Workshop 2: The nature of knitting
Whilst the CPD session were planned and facilitated by Jane Scott and This workshop applied biomimetic principles derived from plant growth
Elizabeth Gaston, the programme of workshops delivered in schools was models to textile design using knit process. With direct links to the
much more flexible. The content was co-designed by the teachers who biology curriculum, the workshop began with analysis of how plants
were looking for activities that were be achievable over a short period grow from individual cells into complex and varied forms. Using an
of time and that would integrate aspects of the wider curriculum. The indoor greenhouse with a selection of plants, pupils analysed the forms
workshops were developed around research questions central to the of leaves and flowers, and in groups they considered how the forms
work of Knit Design Research, and this flexibility provided a significant could be interpreted in 3D using knitting.
opportunity to change thinking through knit as a medium.
Plant morphology, through the process of differential growth has
Workshop 1: Colour, light and pattern significant connections to the way that a knitted fabric is produced;
The workshop investigated the effect of incident light quality on the stitch by stitch, and course by course (Scott, 2018). A knitted fabric
perception of colour viewed and consequently the effect of colour on is generated from an individual loop of yarn, inter-looped with those
pattern perception (Gaston, 2016). Pupils were introduced to knitting around it through repeated patterns of knitted stitches to produce
using freehand loop-construction processes and produced lengths a continuous and interconnected surface. This process is inherently
of knitted rope. During this session students recorded the effect of sustainable. Rather than cutting out shapes from lengths of fabric,
material use on the properties of the knitted rope. The knitted rope was knit design enables each shaped piece to be produced to the correct
used in two ways, demonstrating the effect of changing manufacturing dimensions, with no waste. Using knitting, material can be placed
parameters on fabric quality. Working in pairs, pupils produced self- exactly where required to produce the necessary form and drape for
supporting knitted vessels. Larger groups of pupils used the same the outcome.
material create an open, large scale knitted canopy. The importance of
colour in design and how the perception of colour changes in different Over two days the year 8 pupils worked in small groups to reconsider
lighting conditions was analysed by pupils using coloured light to textile design using the differential growth models observed in plants
explore the difference in the patterns created (STEAM connections to as a programming tool to explore the potential to design complex 3D
physics). forms using conventional knitting techniques (figure 8 & 9). Students
undertook analytical studies and interpreted their findings into fabric.
Figure 3. ana- Outcomes of the workshop included a range of knitted samples, many
lysing hand- of which closely resembled the plant forms that acted as inspiration
made knitted (figure 8, 10 &11).
ropes as a
group.
Workshop 3: Knit manufacture; 4 days 4 technologies
Figure 4. Moving from hand knit processes to CNC knitting this workshop
Working introduced pupils to a variety of ways to produce fabric, resulting in
together to the digital design of three installation pieces incorporating self-portraits
Design and inspired by Julien Opie (figure 12 and 13). This workshop was process
make forms.
Figure 8. Im-
Figure 5. Knit- ages of bo-
ted outcome tanical source
materials,
Figure 6. visual analysis
Assembled of growth
Canopy and form,
final design
Figure 7. response.
Pupils testing
light effects
of tensioned
canopy in the
dance studio.

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 Figure 9. and spatial context. Feedback from the exhibition was very positive
Thinking with attendance from pupils, teachers, parents and families and school
through senior management teams.
making in the
Classroom.
Evaluation
Figure 10. De- Make Your Future is evaluated using a Theory of Change model
veloping 3d developed by the Crafts Council and Flow, an external evaluation
Knitted forms. agency. The evaluation framework employs a range of data collection
methods to assess the impact of the project on teachers, students and
Figure 11. wider school networks.
driven, emphasising that whilst different levels of technology could Assembly line;
be used for production, the knitted fabric outcomes had the same fabrics assem-
properties. Three days of the workshop took place in school, working bled to cactus What changed as a result of CPD?
from the simplest freehand loop production properties to machine form inspired A teacher survey was administered before, during and after the project
knitting using domestic knitting machines. The final day of the workshop by indoor to assess the impact of the process on teachers. In addition to this,
took place at the University of Leeds and the students experienced greenhouse. the impact of the project can be demonstrated through informal
industrial hand and CNC controlled knitting machines. This enabled the conversations, emails and through the actions taken following both
workshop to integrate a range of STEAM content relating to materials, CPD and the school workshops.
manufacturing and digital design. The teachers were clearly engaged with knit as a process, within 24
hours of the CPD sessions, researchers received images of knitting in the
Figure 12.
Workshop 3.
classroom. All teachers reported an increased confidence in using knit
CAD Self-por- within the curriculum and could see how the skills delivered through the
traits. CPD sessions were directly applicable to a classroom. Re-engagement
with textiles practice was evident in much of the teacher reflection. A
Figure 13. baseline score of 5/10 as a response to “How confident are you to teach
Workshop 3. a textile craft” before the CPD increased to 8/10 after the sessions.
Detail from
Knitted Instal-
“I would just like to say how good the CDP has been at
lation.
Leeds University. It has been very inspiring on a personnel
and professional level. Thank you for the high standard of
Exhibition preparation and teaching to enable to succeed in the tasks in
The work from the workshops was presented at a professionally curated such a short space of time” (Textiles Teacher, Thomas a Beckett
exhibition at Leeds Arts University (2018) and the University of Leeds School, Wakefield).
(2019). Pupils, parents and senior staff were invited to a private view
where pupils received certificates of participation. In addition pupils An unexpected but welcome outcome was the formation of a network of
attended a day of textile workshops which in 2019 focussed on a design/ textiles teachers who shared practice through an email chain, furthering
technology interface. The knitted fabrics were exhibited as installations their in-school support.
Figure 14.
and hanging as a collection of vessels in the exhibition (Figure 14, 15 Biomimicry
and 16). This provided an additional view on knit presented in an artistic knitting on What changed for the pupils?
display at Each workshop began with pupils asked to draw a response to the
exhibition question ‘what is knitting?’ The drawings included hats, scarves and
jumpers. By the end of each session each group had been presented
Figure 15: with a completely different perspective of what knitting is, and why it is
Canopies an important making process now. Final feedback demonstrated how
exhibited as
much they had learnt from the experience. At the end of each session
large installa-
tion pupils responded to one or two individual questions such as:

Figure 16: • What did you do that was creative?

Vessels exhib- • Did you use maths in your work?
ited as hang- • What did you do that was innovative?
ing exhibit
.
364 365
Pupils answered articulately and confidently, demonstrating a high level formal setting, with the same pupils. It had allowed her to get to know
of technical understanding: her pupils better and gave her an improved insight into their needs
(Art Teacher, Allerton Grange School). Feedback from pupils also
“I have learnt how to use the knitting machine and how to hand demonstrated that their relationships with their teachers had improved.
knit. I even learnt the different designs like Fair Isle and jacquard
and materials such as acrylic.” (Pupil, Year 8.) What changed for families?
Many pupils asked to take materials home so that they could
However informal feedback also demonstrated that students could see demonstrate their new skills to their families, returning the next day with
the benefit of a creative education in careers such as medicine and work produced by siblings and parents. This increased engagement
law. The development of twenty-first century skills such as collaborative from families has the potential to influence the uptake of creative
working was also evident from the feedback: subjects at GCSE and A level. One school reported that the project had
created a buzz around the school and they had an increase in uptake of
“I enjoyed the canopy the most because it gives us all a chance the GCSE textiles option and could run an A level textiles course after
to put our work into a school project” (Pupil, Year 7.) not having enough pupils at either level the previous year.

Similarly, with risk taking, initially students wanted to control their own The main impact for families was evident during the final exhibition.
work but as the projects developed, they were happy to cede control Approximately 50 parents attended the private view of the exhibition
to the group to produce a more impactful outcome. each year. Families travelling from Wakefield, Guiseley and Bradford to
view the student work. This is significant not only due to the distance
The visit to the University of Leeds was very impactful, during a tour travelled from Wakefield and Bradford, some families had never visited
of facilities one student spontaneously stood at the front of a lecture Leeds city centre before, but also because the exhibition happened
theatre and delivered a lecture on what she had learnt during the several weeks after the workshops. This demonstrates that sustained
project. Several students indicated that they would now consider higher interest and excitement in the project can be maintained beyond the
education and a career in textiles. classroom through additional voluntary participation. High quality
work was displayed to professional standards. This allowed parents to
An unexpected outcome for the teachers was that pupils who are understand how creative thinking can impact product and widen their
behaviourally challenging engaged with the project and demonstrated experience of design.
persistence and concentration. At one school the project enabled an
autistic pupil to engage in a mainstream school activity, to the surprise What changed for School Management Teams?
of his teachers. In all cases the School management team engaged with the project. In
the planning stage there had been indications available contact time
What changed for art, design and technology teachers? would be limited, however in practice all schools gave their pupils as
Teachers could demonstrate their improved skills in textiles and much time as needed on the project. At all schools, members of staff from
confidence to try new approaches to learning in the classroom, critical different subjects came to join in and in one school the pupils taught the
in widening the taught curriculum and demonstrating what a STEAM head teacher to knit using freehand loop construction processes. This
curriculum could be. head teacher saw the value of the project and proposed to develop an
annual arts week for all pupils and create arts ambassadors. In another
“The pleasure was all ours, what a great week and fantastic school a biology teacher demonstrated a full-scale, working model
outcomes! Thanks so much for all the hard work, planning and of a knitted digestive system. Knit was important in its manufacture
time you both put into it. It really was a success because of as it allowed the production of a continuous three-dimensional tube
your great ideas and knowledge, so thank you!” (Art Teacher, using different materials. It allowed pupils to understand the scale of
Guiseley School). the digestive system and its position in the body and demonstrates a
perfect example of a STEAM curriculum.
Changes in one Yorkshire school as a result of the project included the
reintroduction of GCSE textiles and A level textiles in the year following Make Your Future programme outputs.
the project due to increased numbers. Nationally the Make Your Future programme has succeeded in
engaging with the delivery of art and design education through craft
Again, there were unexpected outcomes. One teacher commented and making processes at key stage 3. The success of the project has
that she had enjoyed working for an extended period of time, in a less seen the number of schools participating in the project increase from 16

366 367
schools in Year 1 to 23 schools in year 2. The demographics have been Conclusions
diverse; with an average of 44% pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium, Can reintroducing craft into the classroom change the perceptions of
and engagement with 4 special schools including 1 SEMH (Social, textile design by repositioning making as a tool for thinking? Evidence
Emotional, and Mental Health SEN), 1 specialist autistic school and 1 from this intervention developed by Knit Design Research as part of the
School for the Deaf. Make Your Future programme would suggest that it can. Each group
that participated in the project demonstrated new knowledge and a
The CPD programme was extremely well attended, providing a total of greater understanding of textile processes as a result of both the CPD
494 hours of CPD across the country in year 1 and 690 hours of CPD for teachers and the workshops for pupils.
in year 2. The total number of pupils that participated in the project
increased from 915 in year 1 to 1756 in year 2. For Knit Design Research, working with secondary schools and the Crafts
Council offered a new perspective on their research. The application
Future Craft Education strategy of diverse methodologies including biomimicry and performance craft
The delivery of Make Your Future has provided the Crafts Council with as methods to introduce the subject of sustainability from alternative
a series of important partnerships and rich knowledge of delivering perspectives was very successful. Students were able to see how
craft education with schools. Applying the research from Your Future is science, art and design could inspire each other, and techniques such
in the Making has been critical and implementing the findings though as the indoor greenhouse (workshop 2) provided direct contact with
the Make Your Future programme has delivered a measurable change source materials to work from.
to art and design education in the participating schools. However to
demonstrate a lasting change in the art and design curriculum, Make As design researchers, knit is a way of thinking about materials,
Your Future must underpin the development of a broader strategy for technology and scale, not restricted by technology or limited to a
craft education across all phases. This will include: specific outcome. By bringing this open and experimental approach in
schools, and to CPD sessions, thinking and making formed the central
• Testing the Make Your Future model in three new geographical activities, and discussions and ideas were able to evolve from this
areas, considering, for example, what new challenges we might active process. For lasting change within the art and design curriculum,
encounter delivering the project in a rural setting, and what craft processes offer a method to reintroduce skill, risk and problem
measures are required to ensure the same impact? What solving into the classroom. The global challenges presented by the
happens when we change our regional partner from a HEI textile industry require creative solutions, however these problems
to a different type of organisation? How can we link Make present a huge opportunity for innovation when supported by deep
Your Future into other significant initiatives? Does this type understanding of materials and making processes. Make Your Future
of strategic implementation make a difference to the project’s provides an excellent short term model for intervention at key stage
sustainability or approach? three, engaging secondary school pupils, their families, teachers, and
• The development of a Make Your Future franchise model, for school management in reactivating craft and making in school as a
potential management by regional partners change agent across the curriculum. It will inform the development of a
• The growth of Crafts Council’s Artmark Partner offer longer term solution that must include government strategy.
• The relaunch of our Your Future is in the Making, and associated
digital offer
• The development of a broader CPD offer for craft educators,
• A more robust craft careers offer, linked to the national Creative
Careers Programme

Impact in Yorkshire
As a result of the exhibition Elizabeth Gaston was approached by Leeds
City Council to develop a similar project in collaboration with Leeds
Arts University for delivery at primary school level. Initial research has
included an information gathering day of craft practice with primary
teachers leading to a funding application.

368 369
References

ASCL, 2018. Funding Crisis puts A level music and languages in peril. [online] [accessed
1 May 2019]. https://www.ascl.org.uk/news-and-views/news_news-detail.funding-crisis-
puts-a-level-music-and-languages-in-peril.html
Black, S. 2013. The Sustainable Fashion Handbook. London: Thames and Hudson.
Charter, M and Tischner, U. 2001. Sustainable Solutions: developing products and
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 Intervention
without
imperialism: An
equitable approach
to design research
Nneka Sobers
372 373
Abstract Figure 1.
Design, as an act of intervention, has the power to either perpetuate or Arnstein’s
Ladder of
dismantle systems of marginalization. Although the design’s intention
Participation
may be to help those in need, the act of helping may repackage structures (Models of
of neo-colonialism. A person who has the power to help vulnerable Participation)
communities possesses inherent privileges that directly or indirectly
may create a relationship of control, dependence, and exploitation.
Although the unbalanced power dynamic may be unintentional, it is
the role of an equity-minded designer to consciously transfer power by
supporting vulnerable communities, rather than saving them.

This paper examines a hybridized and anti-exploitative design research

methodology that is unpacked through a case study of a community
in Accra, Ghana. Through equity, self-determination, deep dialogue,
and context-sensitivity, the design research approach resulted in the
co-creation of a grassroots organized waste management system. In
addition to achieving a collaborative design solution, the case study
reflects on further notions of the role and mechanics of dismantling
systems of oppression as a socially-conscious designer.

Introduction Interventions that are the most transformative harness the power of
Rooted in the idea of community and camaraderie, humanitarianism is those who are marginalized by creating a process where the community
the act of members of a community to assist another community that in need is authentically valued and engaged. Rather than perpetuating
is unable to help themselves (Barnett 2011). Although intervening to invisible systems of power through non-participation and tokenism,
help a vulnerable community may seem altruistic, help that is provided encompassing citizen power is the ultimate way of applying justice to
by a community of privilege may be a harmful exercise of dominance. an unbalanced system of power.
The traditional approaches to intervention are rigidly top-down,
lack inclusive and authentic local engagement, and resources may By emphasizing process over product and supporting rather than
not be adequately disseminated due to a lack of accountability and leading, design research can restructure new relationships between
coordination. This model of humanitarianism increases exploitation and communities in need and those with the power to help. A new anti-
unsustainable resource dependency of the recipient, which ultimately exploitative design research paradigm, can challenge the presumptions
reinforces a paternalistic power dynamic. The indirect, subtle, or of the privileged and dismantle the root of systemic issues, rather than
unintentional reinforcement of the interventionist having more power simply responding to proximate causes of societal injustices.
than the aid recipient(s) is a form of neo-colonialism. Since design is This paper explores the principles and tools that create a new paradigm
grounded in responding to human needs, holding design accountable for anti-exploitative and equity-driven design research. The principles
as an intervention and rethinking its role is essential in making positive and tools introduced through my anti-exploitative process will be
change without repackaging structures of neo-colonialism. examined in the story of the Ayawaso East community of Accra, Ghana.
With the 2000 revival of Ken Garland’s “First Things First Manifesto”, Due to a history of informal settlement patterns and limited municipal
there has been a shift in design emphasizing social context, rather than capacity, Ayawaso East’s residents lack adequate essential municipal
producing commercial outputs (Abdulla 2014). Since design research services, such as waste management. Tired of waiting for inadequate top-
contextualizes the system that a design intervention is embedded in, this down interventions to improve local waste infrastructure, the residents
systematic inquiry provides an opportunity for designers to challenge of Ayawaso East would like to harness the power of local human capital
and restructure systems of power embedded in design interventions. and grassroots organizing to improve their waste management system.
In order to dismantle unequal power relationships between marginalized Although top-down stakeholders dismissed Ayawaso East’s informal
communities and those considered as the “expert”, design interventions organizing endeavors as insignificant, Ayawaso East’s community action
should be held accountable based on how it achieves opportunities is drastically helping residents reduce their risk of displacement and
for equity, self-determination, deep dialogue, and context-sensitivity. environmental degradation. Inspired by the passion of Ayawaso East’s
Illustrated in Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation (Figure 1), residents, I explored how design research catalyzed positive social,
there is a gradient of the quality and equity of design interventions.
374 375
economic, service, and environmental change, which resulted in the co- Contrary to the initial aspirations of Northern Ghanaian migrants
creation of a grassroots-operated waste management system for one of temporarily moving to the zongo, many migrants permanently settled
Accra’s most vulnerable communities. in Nima. Due to their religious and cultural differences, Nima’s migrant
population faced social and economic discrimination. As residents were
Ayawaso East: Case Study excluded from participating in the mainstream economy, residents of
As a way to explore the intricacies and potential of design as a tool for Nima started establishing their own local business, which has contributed
dismantling systems of oppression, I will reflect on my 2018-2019 work to a robust insular economy and active community organizing.
in Accra, Ghana.
Figure 3.
Land Use
Home to 4 million people, Ghana’s capital city of Accra has experienced Map
exponential economic growth and social progress in the past 20 years
(Overview 2019). As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies
(McDonnell 2018), Accra houses the country’s most powerful institutions
juxtaposed to some of Ghana’s most vulnerable communities. As Accra
continues to grow, the city struggles with navigating how to improve
the quality of life for its residents, while mitigating negative externalities
of urban upgrading. Consequently, such rapid urban growth has
resulted in controversial development and institutional voids that have
disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, especially
Ayawaso East.

Occupying an area of 2.5 km2 and housing over 95,000 residents, the
Ayawaso East Municipality is the most densely populated community
in Accra, especially Zones I, II, and III (Figure 2). Ayawaso East contains
several neighborhoods, but its most identifiable neighborhood
includes “Nima”, which is referred to as a Zongo, which translates to
“traveler’s camp” in Hausa. Today, Zongos have become a vast network
of settlements across Ghana’s urban centers; however, Nima is reputed
to be the most notorious Zongo in Accra due to its population size, low
income, perceived high crime rates, and large-scale waste management
problem.
Figure 2.
Regional Map

Due to the population increase and informal settlement patterns

(Figure 3), Nima being characterized as the densest and haphazardly
built neighborhood in Accra (Kang 2010). As a result of the irregular
development and street network that has extended from Nima to
Ayawaso East, accessibility is extremely limited. The network of
narrow alleys makes it difficult for residents to traverse through their
376 377
 Figure 4. Figure 5.
Accessibility Waste
Map Infrastructure
Map

neighborhood and access essential services, such as emergency Sometimes, residents walk more than ten minutes throw away their
medical response and waste pick-up (Figure 4). waste in informal communal receptacles and pay more than GH¢10-
15 (USD $2-3) to throw away a week’s worth of domestic waste
Although Alliance Waste is the official provider of waste services in (approximately 120 liters). Residents who are unable to afford the Pay-
Ayawaso East, the community’s narrow streets make it impossible for As-You-Go (PAYG) waste fee or walk to a communal waste bin resort to
Alliance Waste’s expansive fleet to pick up waste (Mingle 2018). Since paying a disproportionately higher fee to throw away less waste; burn
Alliance Waste’s existing waste fleet cannot access Ayawaso East’s waste; or litter. Since many of residents are unable to afford the PAYG
residential interior, Alliance Waste only services several communal waste fee, littering, especially in public spaces, has caused extreme a
waste bins located on the peripheral neighborhood roads (Figure 5). public health and environmental hazard.
These communal waste bins are leased to bin operators who charge
residents to throw away their waste. As a way to reduce litter and overcome Ayawaso East’s infrastructural
constraints, there have been controversial top-down interventions, which
have sparked grassroots counteraction. Due to an active local economy,

378 379
urban centrality, proximity to the home of Ghana’s President and Vice Figure 6.
President, and relatively low land values, Ayawaso East has become Process
an attractive site for luxury real estate development. Prospective real Sanitation
Team
estate development is perceived as a catalytic opportunity to upgrade
the challenging infrastructure conditions of Ayawaso East. Although
attracting upper-class development would encourage developers to
build new roads, sturdy housing developments, and adequate waste
management, such top-down development would apply immense
pressure of displacement and gentrification on Ayawaso East’s existing
population.

There have been several non-commercial interventions to directly

improve Ayawaso East’s infrastructure conditions; however, previous
attempts have not been successful. The most significant top-down
public-sector intervention is the incompletion of the 2016 Nima
Drain project. After years of public planning and limited community
engagement, National and City agencies declared a plan convert
the local stream into a road and covered sewage system in effort to
improve vehicular access and reduce litter from contaminating the local
water source. Although part of the road infrastructure has been built, a
pending political dispute has resulted in halting the project indefinitely.
Consequently, it is uncertain when critical waste management and
sewage infrastructure will be implemented.

Although the government and private organizations have a formal and

top-down approach to waste management in Accra, their interventions
and politics have failed the essential needs of Ayawaso East’s residents.
Frustrated by how the politics and controversy amongst privileged
stakeholders have resulted in depriving the residents of Ayawaso East
of adequate infrastructure, residents have informally organized as an
alternative way to improve their environment and protect themselves
from displacement.
Process Sanitation Team collects upwards of 2,250 liters of litter, which
Founded in 2010 by local resident, Ahmed Yaajalaal, VOiCE CIC is a equates to about nine 250-liter household waste bins.
center for local governance, leadership, and research dedicated to
promoting youth participation in decision making and facilitating the Through the support of VOiCE CIC, Pride of the East school, and
implementation of socio-economic development projects in Ayawaso numerous local residents, Process Sanitation Team has gained great
East (VOiCE 2018). In addition to engaging the community from within, momentum. Such prolific and bootstrapped community support reflects
VOiCE CIC works closely with a diverse set of stakeholders to promote how the residents of Ayawaso East are eager to support initiatives
transparency, accountability, equality, and self-reliance in Accra, Ghana. that help improve the health of their community and promote their
Since VOiCE CIC serves as a central local community resource, they are autonomy.
well-connected and support other grassroots initiatives in the Ayawaso
East. The most robust VOiCE CIC-affiliated initiatives addressing local Being a low-income and a majority Muslim community, residents, like
waste management issues is “Process Sanitation Team” (Figure 6). Abu and Process Sanitation Team, do not have a lot of money and
are unable to receive loans with interest, which limits the Team from
Established in 2017, Abubakari “Abu” Issaka, a popular local activist, accessing money to purchase materials needed to implement and scale
leads a volunteer-based waste pickup service. Every three-five days, Abu their waste management initiative. Due to the constraints that systemic
and his team identify and clean several blocks of their neighborhood, marginalization and extractive top-down interventions have created,
especially around the Nima Drain. Within a 1-hour clean-up session, Process Sanitation Team must find resilient ways to scale their crucial
services. By relying on the trust and strength of their neighbors, the
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creation of Ayawaso East’s alternative and grassroots waste system is Figure 7 Anti-
the ultimate act of resilience. Exploitative
Design
Methodology
Design Approach
The story of Ayawaso East is a universal narrative of how a lack of access
and misguided design interventions can perpetuate the marginalization
of vulnerable communities. It is also a story of how community networks
and grassroots initiatives are essential in filling the gaps of institutional
voids. Community mobilization, as a form of social resilience, is a critical
tool that is most common in marginalized communities. According to
Gregory Fairchild, segregation has led to opportunities for marginalized
peoples with limited resources because those who are marginalized
have more tactic knowledge of the community’s needs rather than
outsiders. Ultimately, marginalized communities are able to reinforce
trust and bounded solidarity within their communities, rather than an
outsider externally imposing these bonds. Therefore, as a socially- a positivist approach, rather than “what needs to be fixed”, a deficit-
conscious designer who wants to help, it is crucial to erase the “I” and based approach, shifts the role of the design interventionist from
“them” dichotomy and engage in a process that is collectively defined being a design savior to supporting the community to make self-
by “us”. determined change. “It reframes the project to one that is mutual-
“acknowledge[ing] users as active participants and partners rather than
Motivated by utilizing design as a catalyst for social impact, especially as passive repositories of “lore” to be [mined]” (Abdullah 2014).
to help vulnerable communities like Ayawaso East, it is essential to
redesign the role and approach of a designer and their intervention. In this section, I will introduce the anti-exploitative design research
Anyone who intervenes inherently possesses a position of power. As methodology and explain how I integrated it into my work with the
a person who has the resources and expertise to use design as an Ayawaso East community.
intervention, anyone who has the power to intervene should translate
their privilege into the power of enabling equity in an unjust system. Stage 1- Dawn
Traditionally, design has invoked leader-centered assumptions and a In contrast to the traditional design process of initiating research
deficit-based approach to problem-solving. Instead of positioning by defining the problem, I initiated my research by researching and
the designer as the center of change, the anti-exploitative role of a cultivating relationships needed to lay the foundation for change. By
designer is to become an ally and have a support-oriented process embedding oneself in the community they are designing with, one
enabled by deep dialogue. As Paulo Freire warns, “leaders who do not can build trust and co-establish an approach that embraces local
act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize knowledge, perspectives, and priorities.
the people–they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they
liberated: they oppress”. Although some aspects of the “Dawn” stage can be completed
remotely, the “Dawn” stage is most effective when conducted in person.
Hybridizing processes from user experience research, participatory Therefore, fieldwork is essential for understanding a first-hand account
action research, and appreciative inquiry, I have developed a of the community’s context. Before my initial field visit to Ayawaso
comprehensive anti-exploitative design research methodology that East, I researched the history of Accra and community organizations
promotes equity, self-determination, context-sensitivity, and design in Ayawaso East, which serves as introductory knowledge to identify
resilience. Although design research processes may change depending who would be ideal stakeholders to engage. Through my stakeholder
on the discipline and project parameters, my proposed design research mapping exercise, I discovered the work that MCI created during their
method applies to all user-centered design. Nima Drain project. Although MCI is a non-local stakeholder and a more
neutral party in the Nima Drain project, they provided me with specific
As illustrated in Figure 7, the anti-exploitative approach to design contact information on local partners and spatial data, which was critical
combines exploratory, generative, and evaluative research methods information that was not readily available online. Not wanting to be
that foster trust, value, build on local-knowledge and problem- limited by MCI’s existing network, contacts provided by MCI provided
solving, and enable authentic choice-based and dialogic engagement. an initial foray into building my unique network of connections in
Facilitating mutual engagement that emphasizes “what is working”, Ayawaso East.

382 383
Upon arriving in Ayawaso East for fieldwork, I visited all potential local While my contextual inquiry was designed to sample a diverse cross-
partners in-person, which is how I become acquainted with Ahmed section of local residents, my interviews targeted specific community
Yaajalaal, Founder of VOiCE CIC. By being transparent about my stakeholders. From interviewing local activists to business owners
research intentions, asking for permission to work with and engage and government officials, my purpose was to identify the capacity,
local residents, and building trust within VOiCE CIC, Mr. Yaajalall then perspective, and goals of each key stakeholder, which served as the
connected me with more community partners, which compounded foundation of my stakeholder mapping exercise (Figure 8).
into developing numerous deep relationships with local organizers and Figure 8:
residents, including Abu of Process Sanitation Team. Waste
Service
Stage 2- Discover Blueprint
In order to capture a story as complex as Ayawaso East, design research
must capture the community’s context by gathering and synthesizing
qualitative and quantitative data. During the “Discover” stage, the
overlay of data will begin to reveal trends, systems relationships,
motivations, priorities, and initiatives which can be interconnected and
augmented through the design process. By collecting many stories
from local and diverse stakeholders, these positive stories reveal
which existing community assets to expand on in order to overcome
contextual challenges.

When establishing my quantitative analysis, Ayawaso East’s existing

spatial data was limited to hand-collected GIS data gathered through
MCI’s Nima Drain project. Due to the common constraint of informal In addition to interviewing 35 select stakeholders, I facilitated 5
communities lacking robust data and VOiCE CIC’s mission of collecting focus groups, which ranged from 8-20 diverse residents per session.
more data on Ayawaso East, it was essential to utilize democratic Appreciative of the time residents volunteered to help me, I hosted
data collecting tools to help the community update and improve their the focus groups during manageable hours in easily accessible spaces
data collection. “For citizens to be able to influence decision-making and provided snacks. The focus group activities included storytelling
in government or the private sector, they need to be able to access, and documenting what inspires the participants to take action, how
use and control data relevant to them. In other words, they must be participants get their neighbors to contribute to their cause, and
empowered by data” (Pawelke 2018). challenges they may experience when organizing.

New tools that I introduced to VOiCE CIC and other residents who were Stage 3- Define
interested in collecting data included free crowdsourcing tools such as By eliminating any presumptions about the community’s context, the
Mapillary (platform for crowdsourcing geotagged photos) and QGIS designer can equitably co-define what problem should be addressed.
(open-sourced geospatial tool). Co-definition is key in eliminating the power imbalance been a designer
and the community they are helping. By providing space for the
When gathering qualitative data on Ayawaso East, my primary methods community to share their concerns, priorities, and ideas, the purpose
included contextual inquiry, interviews, focus groups, stakeholder of the designer becomes more about what capacities, expertise, and
mapping, and geolocated photography. By having permission from tools the designer may have to support the community’s aspirations for
community members established in the Dawn stage, I arranged to follow the future.
50 diverse residents around for 1-8 hours of their day. By observing
consenting residents, I learned more about mundane aspects of their By analyzing the data from qualitative research utilized in the Discover
everyday lives, the experience of living in Ayawaso East, and the issues stage, I organized my discoveries using affinity mapping and service
they care about most. Through contextual inquiry’s semi-structured blueprinting. The affinity mapping exercise unveiled that residents
format, I structured my inquiry by reintroducing myself, describing the were most passionate about projects relating to improving their local
intentions of my work and collaboration, asking about pressing local infrastructure, particularly waste management. The service blueprint
matters that residents care about, and ideas they had about overcoming identified the actors, behaviors, and connectivity and gaps in the existing
such matters. local waste management service. Through a quantitative assessment,
spatial patterns revealed that Ayawaso East’s informal settlement

384 385
pattern has made it difficult for resource vehicles, like waste trucks, to waste, and tools that would help Process Sanitation Team overcome
serve the community. Due to the alarming amounts of waste in Ayawaso labor and financial inconsistencies.
East and unsuccessful municipal action, residents were inspired to take
local action by picking up litter. Inspired by Process Sanitation Team’s unique approach to filling in waste
service gaps through volunteer litter clean up and upcycling plastic waste
Through volunteer assistance and donations, residents encourage into public trash cans, animal feeders, and other community-specific
and recognize that the work of Process Sanitation Team is an essential tools, I developed an urban design logistics guide and barter-enabled
service needed to overcome the precarious state of waste in Ayawaso community organizing app that would help coordinate existing waste
East. Since Process Sanitation Team is a volunteer-based initiative; the management initiatives and scale them to sustainably and efficiently
viability of the organization is dependent on people donating their time remove more waste in Ayawaso East, all while maintaining community
and resources. Abu expresses his desire to make the organization more ownership and autonomy of their grassroots-managed infrastructure
reliable and robust. “Although my community and I are passionate about system.
the work of [Process Sanitation Team], it is sometimes hard because we
do not have enough [donated] money to throw away our trash after The first tool designed to address Ayawaso East’s waste management
the clean-up. Or sometimes people cannot afford to volunteer because context included a logistics guide to manage and uniquely utilize
they need money for their time. I wish there was a more reliable way to locally-generated waste, “A Cleaner Nima” guide (Figure 9). Based
pay volunteers with water or other [resources] instead of money”, Abu on urban design principles, the guide identifies priority sites of waste
stated. cleanup, integrates local waste removal practices into a regional waste
stream, develops strategies for waste upcycling, and establishes the
By uncovering and linking community needs (ie. waste management), foundation for a circular waste-based economy.
existing positive assets (ie. Process Sanitation Team), and my design Figure 9.
capacity (ie. time, skills, and budget), active community stakeholders and Urban
I co-defined the project scope as developing a way to extend Process Design
Sanitation Team to a sustainable community-run waste management Waste
system. Developing a problem statement and project objectives foster Manual (A
transparency between the designer and the community while holding Cleaner
the project to a set of standards that can be measured during the Expanding on existing community behaviors, such as grassroots Nima)
“Determine” phase of this process. organizing enabled by social media broadcasting and informal
bartering to overcome monetary constraints, I developed the “Nima
Stage 4- Design X Change” app, which is a personalized project management tool that
Now that the intervention scope and context parameters have been helps community organizers formalize and aid in community initiatives
established through the Discover and Define stages, the Design stage through barter-based exchange (Figure 10). By using the app, Abu
translates community aspirations and project scope into targeted and other residents could facilitate waste clean-up sessions, collect
actions. The Design stage is an iterative and collaborative process donated resources, manage and compensate Process Sanitation team
that consists of projective and constructive approaches that balance Figure 10.
collective visioning and project feasibility. Nima X
Change app
Projective methods emphasize product ideation, which includes a process
diverse range of ethnographic tools like additional contextual inquiry,
interviews, and task analysis. Since Constructive methods are centered
around concept development, tools utilized in this approach include
charrettes, rapid prototyping, and usability testing.

When utilizing projective Design methods, I assisted Abu and other

members of Process Sanitation Team during routine waste pick-ups.
This first-hand experience of waste pick-up gave me invaluable insight
into the logistics needed to clean Ayawaso East, new relationships with
key partners and resources needed to upcycle and safely dispose of

386 387
volunteers. into quantifiable metrics serve as key performance indicators (KPIs) to
Both the urban design guide and app tool respond to specific findings objectively assess the impact of the intervention (Figure 11). In order to
addressed in the Dawn, Discover, and Define stages of the anti- ground impact measurements in evidence-based claims, establishing
exploitative design methodology. The tools designed can be used
complementary of each other to enable Ayawaso East’s first holistic and Figure 11:
Establishing
grassroots-operated infrastructure system.
KPI metrics

Stage 5- Deliver
Since all the designs were developed through extensive collaboration
between the designer and the community, establishing sustainable
ways to implement the interventions is inherent to the anti-exploitative
design approach. By identifying and integrating the capacities of key
stakeholders during the Dawn, Discover, and Design stages, the Deliver
stage communicates specific tasks and strategies with community
members who have committed to upholding the intervention. This
stage is crucial in transferring power from the designer so that the
community self-governs and evolve their initiatives without further
external intervention.

In order to devolve my participation, I organized group meetings

with all self-identified community project implementers, particularly
Process Sanitation Team and VOiCE CIC. During the meetings, I served
as a facilitator while Process Sanitation Team and VOiCE CIC’s team
discussed a collaborative strategy on how they would like to carry
out Ayawaso East’s community waste infrastructure plan. In addition
to facilitating implementation discussions and transferring my design
materials to key stakeholders, I also suggested future resources that KPIs is paramount in claiming impact with confidence (Reynolds 2018).
community organizers could utilize to evolve their project. An example As I closed the Design stage of my research in January 2019, I am
includes integrating Code Academy training, a free online coding continuing aspects of the Deliver stage. I plan on conducting the
education platform, into VOiCE CIC’s existing youth education and Determine stage 1-year after the Deliver stage has been completed.
capacity-building initiative. By training residents how to code, VOiCE
CIC will be able to continue its successful work on helping Ayawaso East When measuring the impact of Ayawaso East project, there are several
learn valuable skills that may help reduce existing high unemployment dimensions to assess: the anti-exploitative relationship between the
skills, and allowing residents to modify the app as it continues to change designer and the community; and the catalytic nature of the process
post-implementation. and product of the intervention.

Stage 6- Determine The role between the designer and the community must be reflected
Even after the designer’s active participation has ceased, evaluating the on from two perspectives. As a designer, I actively fostered an anti-
impact of the project helps the designer understand the usefulness, exploitative relationship by consistently positioning myself as a support
usability, quality, and impact of their intervention. In the Determine resource rather than a project leader. Also, all the tools that I co-
stage, the designer will evaluate the project’s progress after 6 months – developed were an extension of existing community knowledge and
1 year after implementation. initiatives. From the community’s perspective, I helped expand their
network of resources. By connecting them to relevant stakeholders
Trust from the community does not stop after a project is designed. By and tools to help them implement and evolve their waste management
continuing dialogue to understand the community’s experience during project, enables the community to continue to be self-sufficient without
and after the intervention process allows the designer to reflect on and my direct assistance or any future help.
grow from their anti-exploitative practices. An impact measurement
plan is best when based on a theory of change. Breaking down the Although the development of “A Cleaner Nima” guide and the
anti-exploitative design research principles and project objectives “Nima X Change” app were pivotal technical resources to further the
community’s endeavors, the most transformative aspect of the Ayawaso
388 389
East waste management collaboration was the design process. Since
the community has the autonomy to implement and evolve their waste As scholar Ananya Roy states, “there is no such thing as ‘the voiceless’.
management system, the method and tools that the community uses There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard”.
today may not be the ones that they choose tomorrow. Regardless of Ultimately, anti-exploitative design research has the power to dismantle
what tools they may choose to utilize, the experience of co-developing unjust power systems by celebrating the voices of marginalized
a waste management strategy and connecting the community with communities, rather than speaking for them.
resources/training to implement their project is fundamental in
transferring knowledge, capacity, power to ensure resilience and self-
mobilization of the community, rather than perpetuating dependence
on the designer.

Conclusions
In a world abundant with resources, a person may be compelled to help
combat adversity and injustice. Problematic models of helping those
who are marginalized centers the interventionist as “the voice for the
voiceless”.

Design as an intervention has the power to shape systems and the lives
of people who engage within it. Therefore, the design process must
be refined in a way that increases accountability and context-sensitivity
of the impact of design interventions. Developing an anti-exploitative
design research methodology is key in enabling empathetic practices
and practitioners.

The story of Ayawaso East is a ubiquitous reality of systemic

marginalization, extractive interventions, and the power of grassroots
organizing for community resilience. By developing a hybridized anti-
exploitative design research model, I navigated the role of the designer
in facilitating a process and designing an intervention that authentically
disrupts power hierarchies. My design research experience in Ayawaso
East reveals the essentiality and interconnectedness of collaboration,
transparency, support, social capital, and local knowledge and
imagination as the means for promoting equity and autonomy in
marginalized communities.

Being inspired and directed by the community is a humbling and

transformative experience for both the designer and the community.
By building on local knowledge and positive existing assets in Ayawaso
East, the anti-exploitative paradigm of design research resulted in the co-
creation of the two distinct tools, as well as augmenting local residents
as the interventionists of their existence and the self-liberation from the
power imbalance of the designer and greater network of oppression.
However, reducing the designer’s power does not mean giving up the
fight against injustice. In fact, “when [a designer has] the privilege of
power and influence and can see that others are being denied their
rights, [designers] can continue to speak out against injustice. But even
in those circumstances, … [the] end goal should be to work and change
the environment that has imposed the silence” (Registre, 2017).

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 Material reality to
materiality: Ocean
plastic and design
research
Katherina Vones and Ian Lambert
394 395
Abstract edition” products successfully utilise remanufactured ocean plastic
With approximately 5 to 13 million tonnes of plastic waste being as a composite material, these initiatives are often short-lived and
deposited into the marine environment every year (Jambeck et al., economically unsustainable in the longer term. Individual designers
2015), oceanic plastic pollution is approaching catastrophic levels. This such as Studio Swine, through their projects Sea Chair (Swine, 2012)
figure is widely used across the news media, although Jambeck et al. and Gyrecraft (Swine, 2015) have taken a more experimental approach,
also state that, “[…] no rigorous estimates exist of the total amount and by focusing on the process of directly harvesting the raw material from
origin of plastic debris in the marine environment” (2015, p.768). As the sea and then devising original in-situ manufacturing approaches to
large islands of plastic waste such as the Pacific Gyre (more commonly create thought-provoking objects that draw attention to the underlying
known as the Pacific Garbage Patch) amass through the forces of ecological issues.
intercontinental currents (Law et al., 2010) and microscopic plastic
particles enter the food chain, serious consequences on the delicate There are multiple challenges. Retrieving marine plastic is immensely
ecosystems of marine life, and ultimately human health are becoming difficult: much of the plastic (up to 60%) in the ocean consists of particles
more apparent (Wright et al., 2013). Remote beaches in the pathway less than 1mm in size (Roberts, 2010). The National Geographic (Evers,
of oceanic currents, such as those on the West Coast of Scotland, 2014) estimates that up to 70% of the plastic forming the large gyres
become repositories for discarded ocean plastic (Barnes and Milner, sinks to the ocean floor: “[…] The seafloor beneath the Great Pacific
2005), with only a small percentage of the total amount being usefully Garbage Patch may also be an underwater trash heap.” Once retrieved,
repurposed by locals. The rest is left to photodegenerate, breaking into the plastic needs to be cleaned of salt and micro-organisms that might
ever smaller parts and being washed back into the sea or ingested by contaminate recycling, but even then, ocean plastic can be exposed
local wildlife (Seltenrich, 2015). Ocean plastic therefore represents a to ultra violet light for many years and photo-degenerates. This, along
serious environmental threat as well as an underused material resource with continuous contact with salt makes the ocean plastic extraordinarily
freely available to local populations. plastic brittle. To enter it back into the recycling stream it requires to
be mixed with other plastics retrieved through waste disposal on land
Introduction and a certain percentage of virgin plastics. In 2014, trade publication
In recent years, the problem of ocean plastic has received increasing Packaging News announced that environmentally conscious detergent
attention from the media and as a consequence has gained wider public brand Ecover had launched bottles made from ocean waste plastic but
recognition. In the UK, this increasingly applied after the broadcasting then states that it “…is made entirely from recycled plastic, with 10%
of the episode ”Our Blue Planet” in 2017, which forms the final part of collected from the sea.” (Corbin, 2014). This low percentage of ocean
the BBC’s popular Blue Planet II series (Honeyborne, 2017). Presenter plastics is further elaborated upon by Ecover’s Philip Malmberg in an
Sir David Attenborough examined the effects of anthropogenic activity earlier article published by newspaper The Guardian: “It will always
on the world’s oceans, and reported that plastics, along with rising depend on the amount and quality of the plastic they [the fishermen]
temperatures, were the biggest concerns currently facing the marine have managed to fish.” (Smithers, 2013). Online technology magazine
environment. An article featured in The Guardian newspaper previously Wired reported that soap manufactuer Method had also used bottles
reported estimates of up to 12m tons per year (Gould, 2015). As far made from a blend of 10% ocean plastic and 90% other recycled plastic
back as 2010, an episode of BBC Radio 4’s Costing the Earth (Roberts, for their packaging in 2012 (Hurst, 2012), although an earlier report
2010) provided a detailed report on the above mentioned Pacific Gyre. claimed this would be 25% (Guevarra, 2011). Method (Method, 2015)
This is a mass of plastics floating on or just below the surface that has advised that firstly this was due to the short supply of ocean plastic – it
collected in the north Pacific Ocean, approximately twice the size of is difficult and costly to collect in the reliable quantities needed at this
France (Callan, 2014), although estimates of its size vary. It is in fact scale of manufacture – and also confirmed that ocean plastic was of a
one of five gyres (Cózar et al., 2014). Costing the Earth (Roberts, 2010) lesser quality due to a combination of the photo-degeneration and salt
reported that plastic litter on beaches has doubled since 1994. Today, (Method, 2015).
there are many groups around the world trying to address the problem,
with numerous attempts to retrieve plastic from the sea and coastlines, Given the enormity of the problem, individual attempts may seem
to others at reducing single use plastics and the amount of plastic futile, but as part of a combined global effort of activism stimulated by
entering the oceans in the first place. Environmental organisations such design research in conjunction with targeted public engagement can
as Parley for the Oceans aim to foster public awareness and encourage make an impact. We make no claim for this project to as a solution to
a more meaningful engagement with the ecological implications of the problem – indeed, experiencing the extent of the ocean plastic
ocean plastic on a commercial level by engaging business partners problem in remote places such as the Outer Hebrides first hand has
such as G-Star RAW, Adidas and Stella McCartney in collaborative emphasised to this team of researchers that individuals can only have
projects (Parley for the Oceans, 2019). While the resulting “special a relatively limited impact on the conversations that need to be had in

396 397
order to generate a meaningful solution. It is a small gesture intended providing pathways to feed research findings directly into secondary
to bring further understanding to the wider public. education and to specialist, informed, audiences.

Objectives of the research Location of the research

So far, the difficulties inherent in obtaining and working with ocean Following an initial visit to the Isle of Harris in the outer Hebrides on
plastic have prevented a comprehensive engagement with this material the West Coast of Scotland by one of the researchers in 2015, the Islet
in a larger context. The concept of ocean plastic as a viable material of Scarp was identified by the research team as a location of interest
for design, manufacturing, remanufacturing and recycling has not been to the project with a very high concentration of plastic waste being
explored to its fullest degree. Conventional methods of recycling, washed up on the South-West facing beaches of the Islet, particularly
such as industrial remanufacturing or depolymerisation, are currently the Mol Mor inlet (Figures 1 and 2). By consulting the oceanic current
unviable both economically and from an environmental point of view, models developed by (Maximenko et al., 2012), (Lebreton et al., 2012)
mostly due to the cost of collecting and transporting ocean plastic to and (Sherman and van Sebille, 2016), the team extrapolated that the
centralised industrial facilities and quality issues connected to foreign likelihood of beaches with a West or South-Westerly orientation on the
particle contaminants having entered the plastic during its lifecycle. West Side of the island to contain significant accumulations of Ocean
Ocean plastic therefore represents a serious environmental threat as well Plastic was greater than of those with a Northern orientation, or those
as an underused material resource freely available to local populations. on the East side that face the Scottish mainland. In this respect, the
Applying a systemic approach to this circular process allows locals to research undertaken by (Neumann et al., 2014), while not directly
experiment with materials and processes and discover novel ways to focusing on the beaches of Scotland, offers an excellent visualisation of
repair, repurpose and remake objects from ocean plastic, encouraging the types of oceanic currents that may affect exposed areas situated in
skill sharing and community education. As 3D printing is gaining ground the Northern hemisphere. The multitude of small inlets situated along
both in popularity as well as general availability, exploring strategies the coastal landscape of the Isle of Harris, some of which culminate in
for remanufacturing ocean plastic into 3D printing filament suitable for substantial sea lochs, provide a comb-like structure that traps marine
FDM printers was specified as an intended outcome of the project. debris amongst the rocks of Harris’ dramatic coastline. Anecdotal
At the core of this research was fieldwork involving site visits to locations evidence gathered during the two field trips from local populations
on the Isle of Harris, where nautical currents have turned local beaches suggests that many of these marine debris deposits exist in remote
and secluded bays into large ocean plastic ‘repositories’, spread over a and practically inaccessible locations of outstanding natural beauty.
period of six months. More specifically, the coastal areas on the West of It is the peculiar irony of the Anthropocene that geographical areas
the Isle of Harris were targeted for their potential to attract large amounts mostly untouched by human presence are amongst the worst affected
of ocean plastic predicted by marine surface modelling (Sherman and by marine debris.
van Sebille, 2016). The site visits were conducted in August and March,
Figure 1.
enabling the observation of the effects harsh winter weather has on The Mol Mor
plastic distribution and accumulation in the chosen locations. The on the Islet
weather during our second trip in March was too inclement to consider of Scarp in
a repeat visit to the Islet of Scarp, but data from a previous site visit in August 2018.
2015 nevertheless provided a basis for comparison. Note that
from afar the
Each site visit involved scoping and documenting what ocean plastics beach looks
prisitne.
are available by collecting a range of samples from different locations,
including those that are only accessible by boat. Small samples of
those plastics identified as viable for remanufacturing were brought
back to the Edinburgh Napier University Polymer lab to be analysed
and evaluated for quality. This involved exploring how they could be
cleaned, pelletised, desiccated and subsequently remanufactured into
3D-printing filament for use in FDM 3D-printers.

At the end of the project, educational workshops held at two local high
schools and at the bi-annual Research Through Design Conference
served to share the material knowledge developed during this project,

398 399
 Figure 2. The and included broken parts as well as whole objects. The team aimed to
Mol Mor cov- gather as wide a variety of plastics as possible. Despite the existence
ered in ocean of the polymer recycling code system, most plastics that have been
plastic as seen
through the rugged environment of stormy seas and rock-strewn coast
in 2015.
lines, were found not to contain such hints to their material origins, so
the team used their own judgement in selecting the samples. Another
criterion in selecting the samples was to pick those with an attractive
array of colours, as the intention to eventually turn them into 3D-printing
filament added the consideration of an aesthetic element. The use of
photography as a research method was employed extensively, both
in recording the location of Ocean Plastic samples, the environmental
issues that were witnessed and later as a tool for in depth analysis in
the laboratory.
Figure 3.
Katharina
Vones & Ian
Lambert on
a remote
beach at
Fieldwork and initial findings Loch Tam-
After receiving funding from the Carnegie Trust for the Scottish nabhaigh.
Universities in 2018, a team of researchers travelled to the Isle of Harris
in the last week of August 2018 for a seven day field trip (Figure 3).
Documentary filmmaker Dr Diane MacLean accompanied the team on
this field trip in order to facilitate interactions with local populations
known to her from previous visits to the area that formed part of her
extensive doctoral research on the oral histories of the Islet of Scarp
(MacLean, 2014). The following objectives were identified by the team
prior to commencing the fieldwork:

• Revisiting the Mol Mor on the Islet of Scarp to investigate whether

there had been significant change in the accumulation of Ocean
Plastic debris since the first visit in 2015.
• Surveying the area around Scarp for further significant The Islet of Scarp is only accessible by boat, and the team’s first attempt
accumulations of Ocean Plastic debris. This included gaining access to cross the short distance between the pier at Hushinish and the
to more remote locations, particularly the sea lochs north of Scarp, landing on Scarp was foiled by an increasing swell of the sea. Scarp has
by liaising with local farmers and fishermen. not been permanently inhabited since the 1970s (MacLean, 2014), and
• Surveying several beaches along the South West coast of the Isle the only human presence on the Islet is contained within a few cottages
of Harris to assess whether Ocean Plastic Debris is present. Beaches on the site of the old village during the summer months. There are no
that were targeted included those located around Hushinish, footpaths on Scarp, and the Mol Mor beach is only accessible by scaling
Gobhaig, Borve and Rodel. a steep hill and subsequently descending through marshland towards
• Visiting the two secondary schools (Sir E. Scott School in Tarbert the rugged coastline. Even as high as halfway up this hill, evidence
on the Isle of Harris, and Mallaig High school on the West Coast) of marine debris could be detected, possibly deposited there during
that were previously identified as locations for conducting public the stormy winter months. If this debris is left undisturbed, it gradually
engagement workshops. degenerates, slowly sinking into the fabric of the boggy landscape. This
is a phenomenon we witnessed at multiple locations (Figures 4&5) and is
On visiting the targeted locations, the team decided to collect a one of the most insidious environmental issues to be tackled. Once the
representative selection of Ocean Plastic samples to analyse and plastic debris is thus embedded in the landscape, it becomes incredibly
experiment with in the Polymer Laboratory located at Edinburgh Napier difficult to remove and needs to be extracted manually, piece by piece.
University. The samples collected ranged in size between 2 and 40cm, Furthermore, as harsh environmental conditions deposit soil, stones or
sand on top of the embedded debris, strata of plastic waste are formed
400 401
and become a fossilised element in the landscape. We witnessed such might take place, as the beach is not easily accessible even from the
stratification on the cove-like beach at the small hamlet of Gobhaig water and needs to be landed on with a dinghy. Despite a tentative
(Figure 6), where locals had reportedly been observing this process agreement having been formed between local pressure groups and
since the 1980s. These direct observations confirm the model of marine the fishing industry to undertake this arduous task, it depends entirely
plastic pathways proposed by (Critchell and Lambrechts, 2016), and on the goodwill of individual companies. We saw similar large bags
worryingly point to the eventual degradation of these stratified layers of collected ocean plastics in several other beach locations on the
into microplastics that finally enter the water table and food chain. Isle of Harris, but as of our last visit in March 2019 they had been
Figure 4. A untouched. Images of the beaches strewn with larger objects may
crate that has elicit a more sensational response from viewers, but these are in fact
sunk into a easier to collect. The bigger problem by far are the smaller fragments
boggy marsh embedded in the rotting seaweed, sand, earth and under rocks and
and been stones (Figure 9). These are more difficult to collect and are the types
overgrown by of items inadvertently eaten by sea creatures, through which they enter
mossy algae.
the human food chain and also kill birds and mammals (Furness, 1985,
This was seen
on a beach
Moore, 2008). Collecting plastic washed up on beaches is one place
only accessi- to start; however, plastic debris that comes ashore can easily be taken
ble by boat back by the sea during the stormy winter season.
near Loch Figure
Tamnabhaigh 6. Plastic
in August stratification
2018. on the beach
at Gobhaigh,
as seen in
March 2019.

Figure 5. A
thick plastic
rope that
has been
swallowed
into the fabric
of the soil on
the Mol Mor,
as seen in Figure 7. The
August 2018. Mol Mor in
August 2018,
facing South.
Note the
large bags
of gathered
plastic wait-
ing to be
collected.

Reaching the Mol Mor beach itself was an eye-opening experience

for the team. The beach is completely covered in large quantities of
marine plastic debris as far as the eye can see. A recent drive by the
local community to gather the ocean plastic was still evidenced by large
white bags, filled to the brim with plastic objects and awaiting collection
(Figures 7 and 8). However, it is currently unclear when such a collection
402 403
 Figure 9. Plas- of someone with a scientific background in the context of collaborative
tic fragments design research is a cornerstone of the methodology proposed
entangled in by (Miodownik, 2003), and later expanded upon in the context of
seaweed and
contemporary craft (Vones, 2013, Vones, 2017), as it emphasises the
driftwood on
a beach near interplay and amalgamation of fundamentally different perspectives
Rodel, as seen on the nature of materiality. In this case, the technical data gathered
in August during the initial analysis provided a basis for comparing variations in
2018. the remanufactured filament in terms of strength, printability and melt-
flow. After initial discussions, it was also decided that following scientific
protocol in recording the samples before remanufacturing them into 3D
printing filament would be beneficial for later-stage analysis. Thus, each
sample was photographed in a studio environment from above, using
a ruler (cm) as an indicator of scale. A full frame 35mm DSLR (Canon
5D MkII) was used in conjunction with two lenses: the Canon EF 50mm
F2.5 Macro for small to medium sized samples, and the Canon EF 24-
70mm F4 L IS for larger samples. Additionally, some samples were
selected to be photographed using a high-magnification macro lens
(Canon MP-E Macro 65mm F2.8), which enabled images of the surface
Visiting a location like the Mol Mor really emphasises the scale and textures of the plastic to be taken at a magnification factor of between
materiality of the global ocean plastic problem. The objects we saw x3-x5. Each sample examined in this way was photographed using the
included those from a domestic environment (bathroom fixtures, shoes, focus stacking method, to produce an image that provides maximum
brushes, broomheads, plastic bottles and bags), as well as those clearly magnification and depth of field. The resulting close visual examination
related to the maritime industries (including fish farms) and nautical of the surface qualities of ocean plastic gives a fascinating insight into
activities (crates, wellingtons, buoys, packaging materials, parts of the material and biological realities encountered in the field. In addition
fishing implements, different kinds of rope) (Figure10). The latter to the expected discolouration and scratch marks left by environmental
category forms the majority of the waste we discovered on the beaches conditions, the surface of some of the PP samples examined appears
of the Isle of Harris, and suggests that a more holistic approach including to disintegrate into small scales, that trap dirt beneath them and in
close involvement of global maritime and nautical industries and central time crumble away from the surface to become insidious microplastic
government is required to even begin addressing the problem of ocean particles (Biber, 2016) (Figures 10 and11). The HDPE samples on the
plastic. Some of the plastic objects found intact on these beaches, other hand seemed to attract increasing colonisation with marine
such as PVC pipes, undamaged fishing nets, tubs, crates, buckets and organisms, which could point to consequences for the wider ecology
lengths of rope may be reclaimed by local populations to reuse, but in terms of species migration (Barnes and Milner, 2005) (Figures 12 and
the majority of the plastics we saw was in fragments. One local resident 13). This is an area of great interest and warrants further investigation.
explained that the variety of objects coming ashore on one beach had
in fact declined since the mid-1990s. This coincided, she believed, with In terms of processing the ocean plastic samples for remanufacturing,
the time that New York had stopped dumping its rubbish in the sea the observed surface qualities had a similar impact, namely that of
(MacLean and Lambert, 2015). Nevertheless, there was still a vast array making the cleaning process and removal of foreign matter increasingly
of objects and many different types of plastic were initially identified: difficult. Despite concerted efforts by the research assistant to remove as
PVC, PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET, PS, nylon, rubber, acrylic. Subsequent, many contaminants as possible, some remained and were inadvertently
more detailed, analysis in the laboratory confirmed these findings, but included as small particles within the finished Ocean Plastic Filament.
suggested that the plastics most plentiful in the visited locations were It is important to note that the finished filament also retained a strong
in fact HDPE, PP, Nylon and PS. aroma of the sea, despite having been through a high-temperature
extrusion process. This points to the inclusion of contaminants at
Material reality to materiality a molecular level, which would be impossible to remove without
Following our initial site visits, the plastic samples the team had gathered further elaborate processing. However, during the public engagement
were taken to the Edinburgh Napier Polymer Laboratory and analysed activities that were conducted by the team, this smell was generally
in detail by a research assistant with a materials science background, received positively and served as a reminder of the historical origins of
using an infrared spectrometer and differential scanning calorimeter to the material. After vigorous cleaning, the samples were granulated and
measure melt flow index and thermal behaviours. Utilising the expertise mixed by weight with virgin PLA to different ratios between 50-60% of
ocean plastic (HDPE and PP). PLA was chosen as a carrier material as it
404 405
 Figure 10. Figure 13.
A brush- The same ob-
like object ject as Figure
made from 12 photo-
PP. The dirt graphed
accumulat- under a
ing between magnification
the bristles of x3. Note
is particu- the visible
larly hard to colonisation
remove, and with algae,
some marine that serve to
colonisation adhere sand
can also be particles to
observed. the object
and have
completely
enveloped
the sur face.

Figure 11. The is a bioplastic and can be composted in industrial facilities (Ebnesajjad,
same object 2013), thus increasing the end-of-life options of the new material.
as Figure 10 The extrusion process was undertaken with an industrial single-screw
photographed
extruder, culminating in a water band cooling track and filament winder.
under a mag-
nification of The process was subsequently also trialled with a small ‘enthusiast’-
x3. Note the level single-screw extruder (Noztek) and filament winder (V1.0), with
scaly surface promising results. This type of equipment might be reasonably found in
disinte grating a well-equipped local maker space, and open-source initiatives such as
over time, Precious Plastic even supply plans to build shredders and extruders to
shedding adventurous makers (Precious Plastic, 2019). The diameter chosen for
mircoplastic the filament was 1.75mm, as it is easier to extrude within tight tolerance
particles.
than the other commonly used type at 2.85mm. Over the course of four
sessions, seven rolls of filament were produced from approximately ten
of the samples.

Workshops
Figure 12. An
Three short workshops were undertaken, two with year 9 and year 10
HDPE sample,
displaying schoolchildren in group-sizes of around 8 to 10 participants (Sir E. Scott
severe photo- School in Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, and Mallaig High school on the
degener- West Coast), and one as part of a research workshop at an academic
ation and conference. The two workshops with schools, both in remote locations
heavily situated on an affected coastline, served to introduce the children to the
contaminated idea that the ocean plastic coming ashore locally had potential value as
with sand. a material that can be reprocessed for making new things. Using an
enthusiast-level single screw extruder, they were shown how granulated
ocean plastic (PP), when mixed 50:50 with PLA, can be extruded into
3D printing filament, and then used to print a small scale 3D map of the
area where they lived (Figure 14). The children also had the opportunity
to play with 3D printing pens to help understand the principles of the
process. Each workshop was followed by a public lecture in the evening,
attracting surprisingly healthy numbers of local residents despite

406 407
inclement weather. The Q&A at the end on both evenings gave rise to extrusions using granulated blue polypropylene and white PLA. The
lively discussions that revealed useful local knowledge and insight into filament emerged with variations in the weighting of colour (Figures
the problem, with many using personal evidence to point the finger at 15&16), probably because of the larger diameter (2.85mm) that was
marine industries and particularly fish farms. Figure 17.
Workshop
The third workshop took place at the 2019 Research Through Design outcomes
conference at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), having as they were
been accepted in a competitive peer-reviewed call for pre-conference displayed at
research workshop proposals. With six participants, including research the RTD 2019
students and experienced academics, we were able to make use of showcase.
TU Delft’s Makerspace to granulate polypropylene rope, and form
Figure 14. Pu-
pils at Mallaig
High School
experiment
with filament
extrusion and
3D printing
technologies.
required for the University’s 3D printers.

As a group, it was decided to design and print simple rings. The

reason for this was, firstly, that these were small and easy objects to
design and print, and second, as jewellery they symbolised the value
of returning a difficult to retrieve material into the commodity chain.
The resulting rings emerged in a semi-translucent colour that had an
uncanny resemblance to aquamarine blue, and these were gifted to
any delegates throughout the conference. Some of the designs the
participants created had symbols of the sea on them (waves, swirls)
while other, such as the “26.8kg ring”, embedded a more conceptual
Figures 15 and narrative based on the amount of plastic each person in the world
16. Workshop (7.6bn at the time of the workshop) would have to collect in order to
participants retrieve all of the plastic estimated to have entered the ocean in the last
at RTD 2019 25 years (Figure17). The key learning outcomes of the workshops came
granulate from the physical demonstration of the transformation of materials, the
ocean plastic tactility of the resultant objects, as well as the discussion and creative
and extrude
enquiry throughout. For example, to know that approximately half of the
filament. Note
the inconsist-
material in the rings, printed there and then, had just a few days before
ent quality of been plastic debris on a beach added a new dimension of appreciation,
the filament which resonated strongly with sustainable design narratives.
due to elevat-
ed moisture Conclusions
levels within The problem of ocean plastic is enormous. It has to be addressed
the ocean
through combined activism and the passing of strict international laws.
plastic.
Plastic is a very useful material, but the approaching Anthropocene
Epoch needs to see a dramatic reduction in its feckless use and reserve it
for essential applications. The project has given rise to new insights into
the potential and challenges of working with ocean plastic as a material
for practice-led design. We have shifted from a position of optimism

408 409
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 (Reading University), Professor Teal Triggs (Royal College of Art), and
Professor Tracy Bhamra (Loughborough University). I wish to record my
thanks for their relentless energy and commitment to Design research
in all its guises.

A special mention is due to all of the reviewers who gave up their

precious time, often at very short notice, and completed their reviews
effectively and efficiently. The reviewers were involved in reviewing
over 60 papers that were submitted to the Design Research for Change
Symposium call-for-papers. Massive thanks goes to Professor Rachel
Cooper (Imagination, Lancaster University), Dr Giovanni Innella (School
of the Art Institute of Chicago), Professor Lorraine Gammon (Central St.

Acknowledgements
Martins, UAL), Professor Paul Chamberlain (Sheffield Hallam University),
Sevra Davis (Design Museum, London), Sian Whyte (Design Council),
Professor Sue Walker (Reading University), Professor Teal Triggs (Royal
College of Art), Professor Tracy Bhamra (Loughborough University),
Dr David Hands (Imagination, Lancaster University), Professor James
Producing a book like this one is never an individual activity – it is always Moultrie (Cambridge University), Professor Paul Coulton (Imagination,
a collaboration between many people. This book is no different and I Lancaster University), Dr Emma Dewberry (The Open University), Dr
have had the privilege of working with some amazing individuals on Roger Whitham (Imagination, Lancaster University), Professor Andrew
the design and development of Design Research for Change and the Walters (Cardiff Metropolitan University), Dr Alison Prendiville (London
associated symposium at the Design Museum, London on 11 and 12 College of Communication, UAL), Professor Tom Inns (cofink Ltd.),
December 2019. The design and production of the book that you hold Professor Leon Cruickshank (Imagination, Lancaster University), Dr Helen
in your hands just now has been completed by Euan Winton, a PhD Charman (V&A Museum, London), Professor Stuart Walker (Imagination,
student at Imagination, Lancaster University. I am sure you will agree Lancaster University), Professor Jo-Anne Bichard (Helen Hamlyn Centre
Euan has done a great job. for Design, Royal College of Art), Professor Craig Bremner (Charles
Sturt University), Professor Dan Lockton (Carnegie Mellon University),
I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the invaluable support Dr Jonathan Ventura (Hadassah Academic College), Professor Ann
I have received on the design and development of the Design Light (University of Sussex), Dr Chris McGinley (Helen Hamlyn Centre
Research for Change symposium and book from my amazing AHRC for Design, Royal College of Art), Professor Mark Roxburgh (University
Design Leadership Fellow team – Pam Allen (Fellowship Coordinator), of Newcastle, Australia), and Professor Peter Lloyd Jones (Imagination,
Francesco Mazzarella (Research Associate) and Loura Conerney Lancaster University).
(Communications Officer). My special thanks go to Harry Kerr (Strategy
and Development Manager for Digital and Design, AHRC) and Professor I would also like to thank all of my fantastic colleagues at Imagination,
Edward Harcourt (AHRC Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation) Lancaster University, as well as all the authors in this book with whom
for their continuing support and fantastic enthusiasm on the Design we have collaborated over the last few months. Finally, I would like to
Leadership Fellowship over the last three years. extend my thanks also to all of the people I have forgotten to mention.

I have also had the pleasure of working with some of the leading Professor Paul A. Rodgers
design researchers in the UK who have supported me over the course AHRC Design Leadership Fellow
of the three year AHRC Design Leadership Fellowship in their capacity Imagination, Lancaster University
as an Advisory Group member, namely - Professor Tom Inns (cofink
Ltd.), Dr Alison Prendiville (London College of Communication, UAL),
Professor Andrew Walters (Cardiff Metropolitan University), Dr Emma
Dewberry (The Open University), Professor James Moultrie (Cambridge
University), Professor Lorraine Gamman (Central St. Martins, UAL),
Professor Martyn Evans (Manchester Metropolitan University), Professor
Paul Chamberlain (Sheffield Hallam University), Sevra Davis (Design
Museum, London), Sian Whyte (Design Council), Professor Sue Walker

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 The twenty-one papers in this Design Research for
Change (DR4C) book examine and explore how
contemporary forms of design research are increasingly
involved in a range of major social, cultural, economic,
and environmental challenges. The research included
in this book highlights a variety of significant roles that
design researchers play in some of the most complex
and demanding issues we face, such as energy and the
environment, education, public services, health and social
care both in the UK and globally.
This rich set of papers are the end result of a lengthy
process that began with an amazing response to the call-
for-papers for the Design Research for Change (DR4C)
symposium. We received 62 papers from researchers
based in countries all over the world including Australia,
USA, India, China, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Norway,
Denmark, Israel, Greece, Turkey and the UK. After a
thorough review process, twenty-one papers were
accepted for this book and presentation in a single-
track session over the course of two days at the Design
Museum, London on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12
December 2019.

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