Week 9

Reading Reflection

Zimmerman et al, Lab, Field, Showroom Chapter 1

This article reminds me of the importance of “learning hands-on”. By saying this, I mean to learn things by actually doing them. For me, learning things by only reading the concepts never works very well, but as long as I do them by myself, I can suddenly understand everything much better. Therefore, I really appreciate it when the author mentions that actually constructing something is way more than just thinking about it.

Understanding the Problem: Design Research, Chapter 2

This article emphasizes the importance of qualitative research data in the world of design, and I can totally agree with the author’s point. Design is measured through feelings and senses, and it is much less about numbers. The “right design” is never a specific, fixed data, but instead an abstract range of feelings. I also agree with the part where the author mentions that focus groups are great for marketing but terrible for design. While marketing is about making the most profit, designing is about inclusivity and making as many people as possible enjoy the product.

Chris Frayling, Research in Art and Design

I like how the author separates research for art and design into different types. To many people, doing research only for art and design is already kind of rare, so it is very interesting for me to see that there can also be different types of art and design research. Among the three types, the author states, Research FOR Art and Design is the most interesting. After reading these articles, I kind of feel like there is some kind of research in every kind of learning, and that is quite amazing to me.