Introduction - IA de Investigación especializada en el MIT

Introducción

In design work—especially participatory design where there
is much desire to get to some kind of meaningful and collective
action around a social cause or important initiative—there is often
an effort to unify and converge the various interests among indi-
viduals and groups. This is not to say that the effort does not have
its moments of divergence and of seriously taking into account
alternative perspectives. Por ejemplo, in the frequently used
double-diamond model consisting of a repeated sequence of diver-
gence-convergence that has become synonymous with design think-
ing to many, divergence is formally recognized as an important
part of design. But as in many things within the realm of human
experiencia, the realities of designing with and for people often do
not match such clean-cut maps and representations. Rather than the
expected tidy denouements, the territories of design activities can,
en cambio, lead to unsettled conclusions. To put it another way, no
only are designers able to tame and resolve wicked problems, ellos
are also able to fuel important issues within problematic situations
that may affect or influence the shaping of various markets, publics,
and audiences. Sometimes they may further complicate the situa-
tion through provocations to drive a deeper appreciation of what is
at stake to an otherwise obscure group of people. Designers may
even question the participants’ underlying presuppositions in order
to open them up within their own assumptions. Such openings can
serve as noteworthy design accomplishments.

The contributors of this special issue offer a suite of eclectic
explorations on this theme of sustained divergence within the
practices of participatory design and design as provocation. El
guest editors Karin Hansson, Laura Forlano, Jaz Hee-jeong Choi,
Carl DiSalvo, Tessy Cerratto Pargman, Shaowen Bardzell, Silvia
Lindtner, and Somya Joshi provide a rich overview of this discus-
sion around critical, speculative, reflective, political, and adversar-
ial design anchored in what they refer to as “the shared struggles”
of divergent and sometimes opposing perspectives.

https://doi.org/10.1162/desi_e_00505

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One core commitment of Design Issues is to criticism. Incluso
as design has been recognized for its ability to critically challenge
other domains of human interest and experience, it is fully capable
of revisiting and reimagining its own conventions, practicas, y
established frameworks. In this special issue, there is a demon-
stration of how this is being done within prevailing models of
participatory design and the production of publics. It is this ability
of design and designers to question, challenge, and dig deeper into
the taken-for-granted conventions and convictions that shape our
world that interests the editors of this journal.

Bruce Brown
Richard Buchanan
Carl DiSalvo
Dennis Doordan
Kipum Lee
Víctor Margolín
Ramia Mazé