Peeling Apples: Prototyping Design Experiments as Research

Abstract

Design research often includes design experiments. But the discourse generated by the idea of ‘research through design’ has not always been a helpful starting point for novice design researchers who intend to incorporate design as a component of their research inquiries. In this paper we make two contributions. Firstly, we present a short analysis of six design research exemplars that involve design as a constituent part of the research. We do this in an effort to demonstrate that there is a multitude of ways that design can, and has, formed the basis for research contributions. Following from that observation, we introduce an experimental workshop involving apple peeling that we have developed and trialled. We put this workshop forward as a pedagogical instrument to help design research students clarify the many connections that can exist between design experiments and research contributions.