SOCIAL DESIGN RESEARCH LAB
Newsletter
RESEARCH #01
SOCIAL DESIGN (社會設計)?
While design as a discipline is expanding from creating artefacts to interactions, innovations, participations and other services, there were many design movements over the years (Crucial Design/ Universal Design/ Inclusive Design/ Participatory Design) cumulating in public performances, exhibitions and publications for global debates. These practices will help to bridge gaps in design research and social practice. [read more]
The concept of Participatory Design (PD) could be explained by its simple notion that those being affected by the final design outcome should have a say in the design process. This school of thought has its roots in the Scandinavia workplace democracy movement in the 1970s. Back in that time, PD researchers and trade unions initiated a range of collective projects to revisit the existing approaches of computerisation... [read more]
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
RESEARCH #04
December is the festive month and the 2nd issue of REAL DESIGN shares the story of Fine Dying, the Halloween Party with a four-day design showcase that celebrated the start of HKDI DESIS Lab’s first ‘Design Possible Study’, which explored designs between living and dying (設計生與死). As part of the DESIS International Network (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability...[read more]
The open design concept could be traced back to the open-source software movement, but are implemented for the development of physical products rather than software. The term first appeared at the end of the last century with the founding of the non-profit Open Design Foundation (ODF). Open design is defined as design whose makers allow its free distribution and documentation and permit modifications and derivations of it... [read more]
Co-design with older people, why?
OPEN DESIGN (開放設計)
RESEARCH #02
RESEARCH #03
“Ageing in itself is not a policy problem to be solved” was the conclusion of the DEMOS’ report on the Mass Observation Project. Instead of focusing on ageing as a problem, the Mass Observation Project reported on people’s attitudes towards their lives and ways of going about them. Of course, there are problems related to the ageing process, but what we need to understand is the ‘wicked’ nature of these issues. Camillus elaborated... [read more]
SOLUTION-FOCUSED & AGEING
RESEARCH #05
Design can play a part on many different levels in a Democracy. By simply applying design to increase civic participation in governing practices such as designing voting ballots or online civil platforms with better usability. The ‘Design for Democracy’ initiative by the American Institute of Graphic Arts is one such prime example.
Designer involvement in democratic actions, specifically participatory design has a long history in the democracy in workplace... [read more]