ELUCIDATING HERMENEUTIC AND REFLECTIVE DESIGN PRACTICES; IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRESENT A PRESCRIPTIVE PROCESS?
Year: 2018
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Peter Childs, Stephen Green, Ashley Hall, Aran Dasan
Author: Liem, Andre
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Section: Design and Engineering Education Practices
Page(s): 2-7
ISBN: 978-1-912254-02-6
Abstract
Reference to six modes of design reasoning, this article aims to elucidate designers´ hermeneutic and reflective ways of thinking. It seeks to answer whether it is possible to present a prescribed hermeneutic and/or reflective process. Several real-life design projects were analysed retrospectively. Results have indicated that the problem-solving design process has broadly been applied and adapted in real-life design projects. Methods and tools to support “Analysis”, “Synthesis” and “Evaluation” were varied, multiple, and not consistently applied in specific patterns or sequences. Therefore, it is difficult to elucidate a typical hermeneutic or reflective design process. However, being able to formalise some practice elements, and acknowledge the importance of context and bounded rationality, are key factors to consider, when aiming to understand what really happens in real-life design practice.
Keywords: Hermeneutic and Reflective Reasoning, Design Process, Practice and Situated Design