Program
Alain Findeli
SEARCHING FOR DESIGN RESEARCH QUESTIONS
It is well admitted that, in scientific research, the form of the research question has a critical influence on the expected results of the research. In other words, if one changes, even slightly, the formulation of the question, one should expect a corresponding change in the research process and outcome. Special care should therefore be taken when deciding upon one’s research question, i.e. when addressing the epistemological issue of a research project. I see no reason why design research should or could escape this central axiom.
Now, we all know that design research and PhDs have some -legitimate- claims of originality. Their specificity may be expressed in terms of purpose, knowledge, method, communication, impact, Weltanschauung, or else. As a consequence, design research questions are expected to have special characteristics which distinguish them from research questions in other disciplines. The difference lies much less in content (design shares a good part of its objects of inquiry with other disciplines) than in form.
Based on examples of actual PhD projects, we will present and discuss a comparative study of how the search for the research question in design research may be carried out successfully.