Using Provocative Conceptual Designs to Foster Human-centred Innovation

Came across this recent PhD which might be useful in considering how to support participatory design without ending up with the lowest common denominator.

"A Critical Artefact Methodology: Using Provocative Conceptual Designs
to Foster Human-centred Innovation"

available online at http://www.simon-bowen.com/?page_id=40

Chris Rust at Sheffield Hallam writes:
Simon's work explores some practical implications of the critical design methods developed by Dunn and Raby, Bill Gaver and others. He has synthesised and evaluated ways for designers to use provocative concepts, "Crazy Ideas" as he describes them, to stimulate stakeholders to engage in productive speculation about aspirations and needs that might not be revealed by more conventional user research techniques. In particular he positions the designer at the centre of his methods, tacitly "processing" the insights from stakeholder workshops into new, more relevant design concepts to stimulate further rounds of stakeholder thinking, rather than relying on explicit analysis.

To support this Simon has developed a description of such processing based on Michael Polanyi's theories of tacit knowledge in action. I find this a most useful building block in the body of work being done here at Sheffield Hallam by myself and Nicola Wood with more to come from Rizal Rahman and Cigdem Kaya whose PhD studies are extending it in different directions. You can find this description on pages 171-173 of the thesis: 6.2.4 Designing as ‘processing’ and Polanyi’s indwelling

I've developed a short account of how Simon's work has stimulated my own thinking on how Rittel and Webber's work on wicked problems might be a basis for design methods, prompted by members of this discussion list who have suggested that wicked problems might be interesting but don't seem to provide help with methods.
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/an-argumentative-process/

Best wishes from Sheffield
Chris

...............................................................
Professor Chris Rust FDRS
Head of Art and Design
Sheffield Hallam University, S1 2NU, UK
+44 114 225 6772
chris@chrisrust.net
http://chrisrust.wordpress.com/

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
future of the human race. - H. G. Wells