A Visual Tool for Understanding Wicked Problems in Design Research: A Case Study of Marginalized Youth Unemployment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Mari Suoheimo ◽  
Tang Tang ◽  
Tarja Juvonen
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Marginalized Youth ◽  
Visual Tool

Social Design for Services Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie SARANTOU ◽  
Satu MIETTINEN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Social Design ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

This paper addresses the fields of social and service design in development contexts, practice-based and constructive design research. A framework for social design for services will be explored through the survey of existing literature, specifically by drawing on eight doctoral theses that were produced by the World Design research group. The work of World Design researcher-designers was guided by a strong ethos of social and service design for development in marginalised communities. The paper also draws on a case study in Namibia and South Africa titled ‘My Dream World’. This case study presents a good example of how the social design for services framework functions in practice during experimentation and research in the field. The social design for services framework transfers the World Design group’s research results into practical action, providing a tool for the facilitation of design and research processes for sustainable development in marginal contexts.

Collaborative idea exchange and material tinkering influence families’ creative engineering practices and products during engineering programs in informal learning environments

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo Hyeon Kim ◽  
Heather Toomey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Naturalistic Inquiry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Solution Generation ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Feasible Solutions ◽  
Engineering Practices ◽  
Parent Child

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how families’ sociomaterial experiences in engineering programs held in libraries and a museum influence their creative engineering practices and the creativity expressed in their products derived from their inquiry-driven engineering activities. Design/methodology/approach This research project takes a naturalistic inquiry using qualitative and quantitative analyses based on video records from activities of 31 parent–child pairs and on creativity assessment of products that used littleBits as prototyping tools. Findings Families engaged in two sociomaterial experiences related to engineering – collaborative idea exchange and ongoing generative tinkering with materials – which supported the emergence of novel ideas and feasible solutions during the informal engineering programs. Families in the high novelty score group experienced multiple instances of collaborative idea exchange and ongoing generative tinkering with materials, co-constructed through parent-child collaboration, that were expansive toward further idea and solution generation. Families in the low novelty score group experienced brief collaborative idea exchange and material tinkering with specific idea suggestions and high involvement from the parent. An in-depth case study of one family further illustrated that equal engagement by the parent and child as they tinkered with the technology supported families’ creative engineering practices. Originality/value This analysis adds to the information sciences and learning sciences literatures with an account that integrates methodologies from sociocultural and engineering design research to understand the relationship between families’ engagement in creative engineering practices and their products. Implications for practitioners include suggestions for designing spaces to support families’ collaborative idea exchange and ongoing generative tinkering to facilitate the development of creative engineering practices during short-term engineering programs.

Identifying Design Interventions in Cities for Urban Sustainability

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohit Arora ◽  
Felix Raspall ◽  
Arlindo Silva
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Urban Sustainability ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Material Reuse

Cities have been the focus of recent sustainability and climate change mitigation efforts primarily because of unprecedented urban growth and ever-increasing resources consumption. A worrying trend has been the ever-decreasing life of buildings in cities because of premature building obsolescence. Premature building obsolescence has been cited as the major driver of demolition waste which accounts for more than 40% of total waste generated annually. This waste stream poses a bigger challenge as the pressure on natural resources increases with urban growth. A traditional way of looking at the urban sustainability has been from the perspective of the environmental sciences and waste management methods. Analyzing urban areas with design science perspectives could provide novel insights to improve existing resource consumption patterns and transform sustainability growth in cities. This study focuses on the problem of demolition waste arising from the premature building obsolescence in cities. It applies a design research methodology framework for identifying existing problems associated with demolition waste and generating strategies to transform cities into more sustainable urban systems. In the problem clarification phase, a detailed literature review was supported with stakeholder’s interviews to identify the state-of-art for building demolition process and demolition waste. Research was further extended to descriptive study-I phase to carry out a demolition case study and generate support tools to enable transformation in the existing scenario for achieving a desired state. Singapore, a dense city state of South-East Asia has been taken as a case study in this research. Results show that applying design research methods could help open-up a new dimension to solve urban sustainability challenge for built environment. It highlights that material reuse could lead to significant improvement in the built environment sustainability but the challenge associated with realization of material reuse practice needs to be addressed. Descriptive study-I concludes with the strategies on creating a reuse market through entrepreneurial innovation and an alternative material supply chain of secondary materials for regional housing demand. These results highlight the role of design research methods for tackling complex systems level problems in cities.

scholarly journals The city as a theatre of characters. John Hejduk’s Masques

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Luca Cardani
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Strong Connection ◽  
Theoretical Design ◽  
In Series ◽  
Place Of Origin ◽  
The One ◽  
The City ◽  
General Work ◽  
Different Parts

The architectural work of John Hejduk (1929-2000) is marked by theoretical-design research, collected in series with titles and periods. Among these series the one entitled Masques, developed since about 1979, can be considered the nucleus of his research on the architecture of the city and the place of origin of his language of construction later developed in his realized buildings. This paper analyses the dense network of references and analogies established by Hejduk to create his Masques, trying to fix its origin in the idea of the city as a theatre of characters composed of architecture. Starting from the name chosen for the title of this series, the paper tries to trace the threads that lead from the general work of the various projects of the Masques series, to the reflections and ideas that produced it. Then, it comes back again to the observation of architecture and of a case study (Security, 1989), to understand and explain its meaning and the compositional methods involved into the process of genesis of form. Through the entire work named Masques, and its recognizable link with the buildings and installation realized around the world, Hejduk has built an archive of architectural prototypes ready to construct different parts of the city, thus highlighting the strong connection that his work establishes with reality in order "to conceive it, represent it and finally realize it".

scholarly journals Modelling of Social Policy and Initiatives under COVID-19: Rural NEET Youth Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 393
Author(s):  
Giedrė Kvieskienė ◽  
Ilze Ivanova ◽  
Karmen Trasberg ◽  
Viktorija Stasytytė ◽  
Eglė Celiešienė
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Rural Regions

NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth rates in Europe are generally higher in rural regions than in urban areas and the share in rural regions is constantly increasing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people became even more vulnerable as they experienced social exclusion and mental health problems. The objective of this paper is to analyse NEET youth-related statistics in Europe and distinguish positive initiatives for young people in rural areas of the Baltic countries to encourage positive emotions and willingness to learn. Statistical analysis and case study methods were employed. Data on youth unemployment, NEET youth by age and gender, and poverty and social exclusion of young people, is analysed. Social policy initiatives in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, mainly from rural municipalities, are presented and discussed. This research determines the key issues related to NEET youth and proposes initiatives to overcome existing problems among young people. Such social initiatives aim to promote positive social emotions of youth, promote their inclusion in society, and foster regional sustainability.

scholarly journals Design for Disassembly and the rehabilitation of public housing stock. A case study

2021 ◽  
pp. 181-191
Author(s):  
Lidia Errante ◽  
Alberto De Capua
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Design For Disassembly ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
The Public ◽  
Principles Of Design ◽  
The One

This contribution presents the meta-design research scenario of the sustainable building redevelopment of the INA Casa “Sbarre Inferiori” district in Reggio Calabria based on a twofold reflection. On the one hand, the transformative potential, both technological and formal, of the public housing stock created under the INA Casa Plan. On the other, the extension of the life cycle of the buildings and the improvement of the spatial quality of the housing according to a circular, low-tech and ecological approach. The result is an abacus of technological additions in bio-xlam conceived according to the principles of Design for Disassembly, which allows the reuse of the modules in new spatial and functional configurations, and the remanufacturing and recycling of the elements at the end of their life.

scholarly journals THE IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN REDUCING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN ROMANIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Sorina-Geanina Stanescu ◽  
Ana-Maria Comandaru(Andrei)
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Design Research ◽  
National Level ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Statistical Interpretation ◽  
Main Research

Aim: Lately, there is more and more discussion about sustainable development and social responsibility within organizations, thus increasing the pressure on organizations and managers to act ethically and responsibly. The main purpose of this study is to present how Romanian businesses have integrated aspects of social responsibility into the decision-making and management systems of organizations. The study focuses on identifying the main factors behind the development of the concept of social responsibility and presenting the link between economic activity and sustainable development. A major focus of this research is the study on the implications of corporate social responsibility in reducing the number of youth unemployment at national level. Design/Research methods: As far as the methodology of research is concerned, we will start from the theoretical documentation and we will continue with empirical research, using descriptive analysis and statistical interpretation of data as the main research methods. Conclusions/findings: Empirical research conducted in this paper allowed us to observe the involvement of organizations in adopting support measures for the social problems of young people unemployed. Originality/value of the article: Social responsibility is a vast concept that is growing in Romania and the implication of this concept in solving unemployment has led us to realize the present research that we want to add value to both the business environment in Romania and young researchers interested in this field.

Players’ Experience in a Sport Geocaching Game

2014 ◽  
pp. 127-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirita Ihamäki ◽  
Mika Luimula
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Outdoor Sports ◽  
Adventure Game ◽  
Player Experiences ◽  
Prevalent Form

Geocaching is a multiplayer outdoor sports game. There is a lack of extensive research on this game, and there is a need for more academic research on this game and its application to other contexts worldwide. There are about 5 million people participating in the geocaching game in 220 different countries worldwide. The geocaching game is interesting because the players create it. The players’ role in game design increases its value in human-centred design research. Digital games are a prevalent form of entertainment in which the purpose of the design is to engage the players. This case study was carried out with 52 Finnish geocachers as an Internet survey. The purpose of this conceptual analysis is to investigate how the geocaching sports game might inform game design by looking at player experiences, devices, and techniques that support problem solving within complex environments. Specifically, this analysis presents a brief overview of the geocaching sports game, its role in popular adventure game design, and an analysis of the underlying players’ experiences and enjoyment as a structure to be used in game design.

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