‘‘I’d really like to do a survey’’ or ‘‘Let’s conduct some interviews’’ might sound like reasonable starting points for a research project. However, it is crucial that researchers examine their philosophical assumptions and those underpinning their research questions before selecting data collection methods. Philosophical assumptions relate to ontology, or the nature of reality, and epistemolog...

1. THE PHEONOMENA The aim of the research is to explore the relationship/s between members of two discourse communities/communities of practice (academic researchers in performance studies and theatre professionals) and the works of a culturally iconic author (William Shakespeare). In doing so, it aims to further our understanding of a variety of phenomena relating to relating to collective sen...

The significance of the design process in determining the success or failure of a product in the market place is becoming increasingly more articulated. Consequently companies are implementing and developing new techniques and tools to support design more effectively. Design research is directed at gaining a greater understanding of design, ultimately to better support it through the developmen...

A brief account is unavoidably superficial in one way or another. I will try to describe adequately the questions my research addresses, the importance of these questions, the data I have gathered in order to find answers, the conclusions that are drawn, and the references. As a consequence, I will not mention many details, although these are important to understand the design of the experiment...

This paper describes the empirical research through design method (ERDM), which differs from current approaches to research through design by enforcing the need for the designer, after a series of pilot prototype based studies, to a-priori develop a number of testable interaction design hypothesis which are then embedded in a working prototype and tested in context with target users. The approa...

The word ‘case’ means ‘an instance of’ and the central feature of case study research design is the investigation of the one or more specific ‘instances of’ something that comprise the cases in the study. A case can be something relatively concrete such as an organisation, a group or an individual, or something more abstract such as an event, a management decision or a change programme. Other c...

Generative design offers new modes of aesthetic experience based on the incorporation of system dynamics into the production of artifact and experience. In this paper, we review a number of processes that can be explored by designers and suggest how design as a discipline can benefit from this research. These processes include self-organization, swarm systems and ant colonies, evolution, and ge...