Symposium DESIGN=RESEARCH

On November 30 the DSL Sympodium Design = Research took place in Velp. About a hundred participants attended lectures from practice and institutions and shared thoughts on various aspects of design in relation to research. Everyone who was present in Velp: thank you so much for your enthusiasm and contribution! We will publish a written report later, and the powerpoints as well. Below an impression by photo’s of Ben ter Mull and first reactions of participants:

“If this afternoon makes one thing clear, it’s that it is all still very diffuse. How we in practice and in institutions are dealing with it is not unambiguously.”

“Many perceptions of what design research is, came by. It is valuable that we have a sense of the width of the topic. What still lacks is a clear conceptual framework. ”

“We as universities of applied sciences urgently need a framework in which we can start working. For that we are looking towards the scientific institutions. We would like to work together. ”

“I am happy to see overlap between the different institutions and practice. That is a good starting point for cooperation.”

“Do clients (governments) recognize our role? The scope for design research is not obvious. As long as we all do something else, it is logical that they do not know what to expect. Why would they commision research if this is the case? Here we have to look to ourselves. We have work to do.”

“Do we utilize research done within the agencies enough? This knowledge is quite volatile and it is a pity that we pass on too little to each other. We should work on our collective memory.”

“The semantic debate is a tricky one: How do we define what we do? It might be more interesting and fruitfull to see what we actually do, to reflect on practice.”

“It is interesting to hear what is happening in the educational and research institutions. It is a perfect topic in the context of continuing education and lifelong learning. For many people in practice and teaching a course would be of value.”