An “appropriate” education for a practice-based evidence approach in design education

Abstract

Design occupies a space between theory and practice, strategy and tactics, discipline and craft. Its approach is now applied across a wide range of formulas and contexts. To maintain its ability to engage with reality, design must adopt an interpretation that manages increasingly complex models, while suggesting future educational frameworks. The objective of design is to practically intervene to modify reality, which makes its disciplinary dimensions somewhat ambiguous: It is rich in tools but lacks the foundational axioms of a discipline. A transdisciplinary perspective can be valuable in developing a reliable model and an affordable methodology. However, this perspective must be built on areas of knowledge in which the practical activity complements the theoretical evidence; that is, fields where the engagement with the public (both collectively and individually) is strong. Therefore, a stimulus can come from personal care practices such as medicine, psychology, or pedagogy. In these areas, recurring patterns (or, better, Gestalt) can help shape an anthropological dimension, one that reflects the contextual and functional nature of design.

Keywords

Education / Tool / Discipline / Practice / Evidence / Experience

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