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Bayazit, N. Investigating Design - A Review of Forty Years of Design Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bayazit, N. Investigating Design - A Review of Forty Years of Design Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bayazit, N. Investigating Design - A Review of Forty Years of Design Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Nigan Bayazit
Istanbul Technical University
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The objectives of design research are the study, research, and inves-
tigation of the artificial made by human beings, and the way these
1 L. B. Archer, “A View of the Nature of the activities have been directed either in academic studies or manu-
Design Research” in Design: Science: facturing organizations. As Simon indicates, we can call overall
Method, R. Jacques, J. A. Powell, eds.
activities of design research, “the sciences of the artificial.” 2 Some
(Guilford, Surrey: IPC Business Press Ltd.,
198 1), 30 –47. L. Bruce Archer gave this
of the art, craft, and design people call what they do for art and
definition at the Portsmouth DRS confer- design “research.” That kind of research is not the subject of this
ence. paper. An artist’s practicing activities when creating a work of art or
2 H. A. Simon, The Sciences of the a craftwork cannot be considered research. Yet it is possible for an
Artificial (Cam bridge, M A: M IT Press,
external observer to do research into how an artist is working on his
Third Edition, 1999).
or her work of art to make a contribution to the common knowledge.
3 C. Frayling, “Research in Art and Design,”
Royal College of Art Research Papers 1:1 These can be observable phenomena. As Christopher Frayling 3 says,
(199 3/ 4). “Research through art and design is less straightforward, but still
Vladimir Hubka and Ernst Eder both spent several years in industry,
83 Ibid., 50.
84 M. Asimow, Introduction to Design working and/or leading design teams. They defined design science
(196 2). in the same book as: “The term ‘design science’ is to be understood
85 J. C. Jones, Design Methods: Seeds of as a system of logically related knowledge, which should contain and
Human Futures (2nd rev. ed.), (New York: organize the complete knowledge about and for designing.”
Reinhold Van Nostrand, 19 92).
English-speaking engineering design methodologists were
86 N. Cross, Engineering Design Methods:
Strategies for Product Design (Chichester, Morris Asimow,84 John Christopher Jones,85 Nigel Cross,86 L. Bruce
UK: John Wiley and Sons, 199 4). Archer,87 T. T. Woodson,88 Stuart Pugh,89 David Ullman, 90 and many
87 L. B. Archer, Technological Innovation others.
(London: Science Policy Foundation In the U.S. in 1984, Nam Suh, who was then the assistant
Special Publication Series, 19 71).
director for engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF),
88 T. T. Woodson, Introduction to
created the Design Theory and Methodology Program. Among his
Engineering Design (1966 ).
89 S. Pugh, “The Design Audit: How to Use goals in creating this program was developing a science of engi-
It,” Proceedings of Design Engineering neering design and then establishing design as an accepted field of
Conference, NEC, Birmingham : NEC, engineering research. From 1986 to 1988, this program was directed
197 9).
by Susan Finger, followed by Jack Dixon.91
90 D. G. Ullman, The Mechanical Design
Some of the design researchers and design methodologists
Process (New York: McGraw -Hill, 1992).
91 S. L. New som e, W. R. Spillers, and S.
were working in the field of computer-aided design, and develop-
Finger, Design Theory ‘88 (New York: ing their methods in relation to architectural and engineering design
Springer-Verlag, 1 989). problems, applying the models of OR and systems analysis. These
Conclusion
The history of design research with reference to design methodolo-
gies, as well as design science, is a wide and comprehensive subject
that needs additional extensive research. Only a brief review of
research history on this relatively new discipline of design has been
covered here. Generally, articles and book chapters concerning state-
of-the-art reviews, the history of the discipline, or original conference
proceedings and other documents were used in this paper.
Design research and its relevance to design methodology,
as well as scientific research, are reviewed. Most design research
studies were made in architecture because of the requirements of
the societies after World War II. Scientific developments during the
war, and the shortage of resources in postwar societies obviously
necessitated and gave impetus to the creation of new ways to solve
existing problems. Future studies in various design disciplines may
benefit from the experience and progress in disciplines concerned
with building as well as engineering.
107 N. Bayazit, Abstracts: Architectural
Here, I tried to look at design research and its relevance to
Design: Interrelations among Theory,
Research, and Practice (1 978). design methods and design science from a Turkish perspective.
108 N. Bayazit, Papers: Architectural Design: Mutual influences of information technologies and design research
Interrelations among Theory, Research, were the requirements of the era, although that is not mentioned
and Practice (1 979). in many relevant publications. Another area of studying design
109 N. Bayazit , M . Tapan, N. Ayiran, and
research is the utilization of the methods of disciplines in such areas
N. Esin, Tasarlama (Dizayn) I. Ulusal
Kongresi Bildirileri (Istanbul: Istanbul as psychology, social psychology, management, economics, seman-
Teknik Universitesi Mimarlik Fakultesi, tics, and ergonomics. Here, only main starting points have been
198 2). indicated concerning the various disciplines.