Moving with the Design Research Programme

A design research program (DRP) is a design method for thematic explorations through design experimentation, and was our way of navigating our diploma project. Here is an excerpt from our report:

"As our process matured, our DRP has helped us systematically and actionably direct and process our engagement efficiently. Designers Thomas Binder and Johan Redström, have written several articles about design research programs, claiming that “Explicit formulation of design programs [...] act as a frame and foundation for carrying out series of design experiments and inter- ventions”. This frame is then sequentially updated, creating a dialogic relationship between the pro- cess of designing and the resulting exploration of the research. In short, tying conceptual explorations with designs inherent pragmatism. The program itself is a framework where one uses an overarching research question as a driver, working downwards through, programmatic assumptions and situated questions, which culminate in situated experiments. Learnings from the experiments ascend upwards by influencing the questions and assumptions, shifting the trajectory of the research.

We have both, prior to this project, engaged with the method through class collaboration and studio projects. Building on this experience, one of the key capabilities of a DRP, is the ability to share a hypothetical worldview, allowing multiple people to steer the project’s ratio- nale, especially helpful in projects including more actors."