Celebrating the plurality of design research

Design research has come a long way since its inception 60 years ago. Beginning with a more scientific approach to the study of design methods, the first generation design research in the 1960s was focused on studying and codifying design activities dominated by the fields of architecture, engineering and industrial design. The role of ethics and politics are also much more explicit and evident in how design research is talked about and applied. Design in its bid to redesign itself has also become more critical in questioning its methods and onto-epistemic foundations. Fundamentally, the act of designing still involves the intentional shaping of materials. Creative making and exploration remains core to design practice and research. Design research continues to involve rich, complex and layered practices that use creative practices to explore fundamental questions. Ultimately what questions are worth exploring lies with the design research community.