Danny Godin | Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (original) (raw)
Papers by Danny Godin
Design Studies Journal, 2022
There is no consensus on how to judge the quality of Research Through Design (RTD) projects, whic... more There is no consensus on how to judge the quality of Research Through Design (RTD) projects, which makes them difficult to plan and evaluate. In response, this study provides a framework for discussing and positioning RTD projects in terms of quality. It draws on theory on research quality and an original analysis of 25 RTD papers to identify how known quality indicators are applied. Our findings show that most papers align with these indicators, especially those associated with pragmatist research. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to enrich discussions on quality in RTD and we propose recommendations to this end. These recommendations can support more mindful and transparent project planning and reporting, and better assessment of and discussions on quality.
Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its ... more Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its main concern is to inform a research question, it also must be concerned with the end product of the design. As such, designers/researchers become concerned with the same type of “wicked problems” the professional designers are, especially when using research through design. Moreover, they also add a new layer of complications that are inherent to research. Since the approach is quickly gaining in popularity, it is necessary to develop a base of knowledge about it. Thus, this paper’s aim is to present a literature review of texts about research through design to demystify this approach and provide a deeper understanding for future work in the field. The gathered views on the subject are then classified into one of six sets of aspects: ontological aspects, epistemological aspects, methodological aspects, limits and expected contributions.
The Computer Games Journal, 2020
Although they aim at preparing students for the game industry, higher education courses and progr... more Although they aim at preparing students for the game industry, higher education courses and programs have evolved on their own. Few professors or lecturers combine a steady practice and a constant watch over new game-related knowledge and theories. This creates a growing gap between teaching practice and professional practice since no knowledge transfer pipeline is in place between the two contexts. This study examines how researchers can become knowledge brokers between higher education and industry through an investigation, field tests and refinement of a methodological approach we call 'game development praxiography'. This approach is inspired by practice theory's praxiography and research through design and it was field tested using a theoretical framework combining concepts from game studies, design theory, rhetoric and innovation sociology. This paper describes the concepts and methods that were tested and adapted during a pilot project in a game development studio and discusses how to build an appropriate methodology for similar projects. The approach can be used to set up knowledge transfers between higher education and local game development studios and to develop and contextualize teaching tools for higher education. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.
Richard Buchanan and a number of other design researchers have long argued about the synergy and ... more Richard Buchanan and a number of other design researchers have long argued about the synergy and similarities between design and rhetoric. The prospect of a new persuasive approach to design has also been evoked. Rhetoric, however, has a long history and has gone through numerous forms, many of which seemingly fit with Buchanan's rhetoric. Our long term goal is to define a persuasive approach to design and the effects of such an approach; therefore, as a first step, we need to identify the form that best fits Buchanan's rhetoric. Using a comprehensive list of influential rhetoricians, we have compared the characteristics of different forms of rhetoric through the ages and found that argumentation should be used for further investigation and development of a persuasive design approach.
Higher education programs in design often include curricula that are knowledge-oriented rather th... more Higher education programs in design often include curricula that are knowledge-oriented rather than design practice-oriented. These curricula include subjects such as design history, management and others depending on the design disciplines. We propose that practical design skills, approaches and attitudes, should be integrated in all aspects of design education. In this paper, we use Van der Maren's pedagogical object development model, along with works by Cross; Findeli; Oxman; Schell and de Bono to set the groundwork for this new approach to knowledge-oriented curricula planning for programs in design using the case of a " Video Game History " class taught to higher education video game design students. Context igher education design programs from around the world include design practice-oriented curricula – such as workshops, labs, user-centered design, etc. – in their program planning. Outside of the most technically oriented colleges and universities, we can safely assume that those same programs incorporate knowledge-oriented curricula –design history, history of a specific type of artifact, business and entrepreneurship, etc. –. In fact a quick review of design higher education programs (whether they are industrial design, graphic design, interior design, interactive design or game design programs) revealed that they all include some level of design history or history class related to their object of study. These knowledge-oriented classes are often taught in the more traditional, whole-group presentation method, using PowerPoint presentations and written exams. Design is a professional skill, as understood by Schön (1987), and therefore a skill that can easier be " coached " than " taught " (Schön 1987 17). This type of studio-inspired coaching education is labelled as " deviant " by Schön (1987 15), as it breaks from the traditional ways of teaching that students are familiar with, since it has been used to educate them since elementary school. Hence, design students have to constantly oscillate between the comfortable traditional education that brings them back to a more passive form of information reception and the coaching-oriented education which aims at developing their design skills by forcing them to do things and apply knowledge by themselves. To promote the development of design skills more coherently, we propose that practical design skills, including design ability, approaches and attitudes, should be integrated in all aspects of design education. In order to achieve this goal, we must first clearly identify what those design skills are and exactly how they should be developed through design education. In the following text, we will:
Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its ... more Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while
its main concern is to inform a research question, it also must be concerned with the end
product of the design. As such, designers/researchers become concerned with the same type
of “wicked problems” the professional designers are, especially when using research through
design. Moreover, they also add a new layer of complexity that is inherent to research. Since
the approach is quickly gaining in popularity, it is necessary to develop a base of knowledge
about it. Thus, this paper’s aim is to present a review of texts about research through design to
demystify this approach and provide a deeper understanding for future work in the field. The
gathered views on the subject are then classified into one of five sets of aspects: ontological
aspects, epistemological aspects, expected contributions, methodological aspects, and limits.
Design Studies Journal, 2022
There is no consensus on how to judge the quality of Research Through Design (RTD) projects, whic... more There is no consensus on how to judge the quality of Research Through Design (RTD) projects, which makes them difficult to plan and evaluate. In response, this study provides a framework for discussing and positioning RTD projects in terms of quality. It draws on theory on research quality and an original analysis of 25 RTD papers to identify how known quality indicators are applied. Our findings show that most papers align with these indicators, especially those associated with pragmatist research. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to enrich discussions on quality in RTD and we propose recommendations to this end. These recommendations can support more mindful and transparent project planning and reporting, and better assessment of and discussions on quality.
Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its ... more Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its main concern is to inform a research question, it also must be concerned with the end product of the design. As such, designers/researchers become concerned with the same type of “wicked problems” the professional designers are, especially when using research through design. Moreover, they also add a new layer of complications that are inherent to research. Since the approach is quickly gaining in popularity, it is necessary to develop a base of knowledge about it. Thus, this paper’s aim is to present a literature review of texts about research through design to demystify this approach and provide a deeper understanding for future work in the field. The gathered views on the subject are then classified into one of six sets of aspects: ontological aspects, epistemological aspects, methodological aspects, limits and expected contributions.
The Computer Games Journal, 2020
Although they aim at preparing students for the game industry, higher education courses and progr... more Although they aim at preparing students for the game industry, higher education courses and programs have evolved on their own. Few professors or lecturers combine a steady practice and a constant watch over new game-related knowledge and theories. This creates a growing gap between teaching practice and professional practice since no knowledge transfer pipeline is in place between the two contexts. This study examines how researchers can become knowledge brokers between higher education and industry through an investigation, field tests and refinement of a methodological approach we call 'game development praxiography'. This approach is inspired by practice theory's praxiography and research through design and it was field tested using a theoretical framework combining concepts from game studies, design theory, rhetoric and innovation sociology. This paper describes the concepts and methods that were tested and adapted during a pilot project in a game development studio and discusses how to build an appropriate methodology for similar projects. The approach can be used to set up knowledge transfers between higher education and local game development studios and to develop and contextualize teaching tools for higher education. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.
Richard Buchanan and a number of other design researchers have long argued about the synergy and ... more Richard Buchanan and a number of other design researchers have long argued about the synergy and similarities between design and rhetoric. The prospect of a new persuasive approach to design has also been evoked. Rhetoric, however, has a long history and has gone through numerous forms, many of which seemingly fit with Buchanan's rhetoric. Our long term goal is to define a persuasive approach to design and the effects of such an approach; therefore, as a first step, we need to identify the form that best fits Buchanan's rhetoric. Using a comprehensive list of influential rhetoricians, we have compared the characteristics of different forms of rhetoric through the ages and found that argumentation should be used for further investigation and development of a persuasive design approach.
Higher education programs in design often include curricula that are knowledge-oriented rather th... more Higher education programs in design often include curricula that are knowledge-oriented rather than design practice-oriented. These curricula include subjects such as design history, management and others depending on the design disciplines. We propose that practical design skills, approaches and attitudes, should be integrated in all aspects of design education. In this paper, we use Van der Maren's pedagogical object development model, along with works by Cross; Findeli; Oxman; Schell and de Bono to set the groundwork for this new approach to knowledge-oriented curricula planning for programs in design using the case of a " Video Game History " class taught to higher education video game design students. Context igher education design programs from around the world include design practice-oriented curricula – such as workshops, labs, user-centered design, etc. – in their program planning. Outside of the most technically oriented colleges and universities, we can safely assume that those same programs incorporate knowledge-oriented curricula –design history, history of a specific type of artifact, business and entrepreneurship, etc. –. In fact a quick review of design higher education programs (whether they are industrial design, graphic design, interior design, interactive design or game design programs) revealed that they all include some level of design history or history class related to their object of study. These knowledge-oriented classes are often taught in the more traditional, whole-group presentation method, using PowerPoint presentations and written exams. Design is a professional skill, as understood by Schön (1987), and therefore a skill that can easier be " coached " than " taught " (Schön 1987 17). This type of studio-inspired coaching education is labelled as " deviant " by Schön (1987 15), as it breaks from the traditional ways of teaching that students are familiar with, since it has been used to educate them since elementary school. Hence, design students have to constantly oscillate between the comfortable traditional education that brings them back to a more passive form of information reception and the coaching-oriented education which aims at developing their design skills by forcing them to do things and apply knowledge by themselves. To promote the development of design skills more coherently, we propose that practical design skills, including design ability, approaches and attitudes, should be integrated in all aspects of design education. In order to achieve this goal, we must first clearly identify what those design skills are and exactly how they should be developed through design education. In the following text, we will:
Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while its ... more Research through design is, by nature, embedded in the design process. In other words, while
its main concern is to inform a research question, it also must be concerned with the end
product of the design. As such, designers/researchers become concerned with the same type
of “wicked problems” the professional designers are, especially when using research through
design. Moreover, they also add a new layer of complexity that is inherent to research. Since
the approach is quickly gaining in popularity, it is necessary to develop a base of knowledge
about it. Thus, this paper’s aim is to present a review of texts about research through design to
demystify this approach and provide a deeper understanding for future work in the field. The
gathered views on the subject are then classified into one of five sets of aspects: ontological
aspects, epistemological aspects, expected contributions, methodological aspects, and limits.