A sociomaterial perspective on epistemic objects in design practice

Ahmad Beltagui; Andrew Bell; Marina Candi

doi:10.1016/j.destud.2023.101201

A sociomaterial perspective on epistemic objects in design practice

Ahmad Beltagui^*, Andrew Bell, Marina Candi

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Digital technologies enable realistic and highly refined representations early in the design process, yet designers frequently use rudimentary objects in their design practice. This research proposes a framework to explain characteristics of objects that make them appropriate for different roles in complex design projects. Objects created by designers in three research settings are explored through interviews. Through the lens of sociomateriality, objects are seen in roles of joining conversation across knowledge boundaries or encapsulating conversation. Four characteristics of fidelity, investment, ambiguity, and history are proposed to determine which role an object is suited to. The framework helps explain and guide effective use of technology and appropriate use of objects in design.

Original language	English
Article number	101201
Number of pages	41
Journal	Design Studies
Volume	87
Early online date	12 Jun 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2023.101201
Publication status	Published - Jul 2023

Bibliographical note

Keywords

design practice
technical object
epistemic object
prototypes
sociomateriality

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10.1016/j.destud.2023.101201Licence: CC BY 4.0

A sociomaterial perspective on epistemic objects in design practice
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Final published version, 1.49 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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title = "A sociomaterial perspective on epistemic objects in design practice",

abstract = "Digital technologies enable realistic and highly refined representations early in the design process, yet designers frequently use rudimentary objects in their design practice. This research proposes a framework to explain characteristics of objects that make them appropriate for different roles in complex design projects. Objects created by designers in three research settings are explored through interviews. Through the lens of sociomateriality, objects are seen in roles of joining conversation across knowledge boundaries or encapsulating conversation. Four characteristics of fidelity, investment, ambiguity, and history are proposed to determine which role an object is suited to. The framework helps explain and guide effective use of technology and appropriate use of objects in design.",

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AB - Digital technologies enable realistic and highly refined representations early in the design process, yet designers frequently use rudimentary objects in their design practice. This research proposes a framework to explain characteristics of objects that make them appropriate for different roles in complex design projects. Objects created by designers in three research settings are explored through interviews. Through the lens of sociomateriality, objects are seen in roles of joining conversation across knowledge boundaries or encapsulating conversation. Four characteristics of fidelity, investment, ambiguity, and history are proposed to determine which role an object is suited to. The framework helps explain and guide effective use of technology and appropriate use of objects in design.

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KW - prototypes

KW - sociomateriality

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M3 - Article

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ER -

A sociomaterial perspective on epistemic objects in design practice

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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