After spending September and October as visiting lecturer at KAIST in South Korea, (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), I was invited to write an article for the Archives of Design Research. The journal is published by the Korean Society of Design Science. The issue has just been published (and I’m happy to see that my entry, Thoughts on the Future of Design, is the opening article.
In the article I reference Richard Buchanan’s 2001 article that identified three “levels” of design research. Clinical research (arguably the most prevalent) is conducted for a specific project. Applied research looks further, applicable to a number of projects in a specific category. Basic research is designed to acquire fundamental knowledge in design, with wide application.
A problem with understanding design is that Basic research is a rare event. Or maybe I should say it’s a huge opportunity. There’s a lot left to know about design and how it can or should impact our lives.
