What is Research Through Design?

Research Through Design (RTD) is a concept that describes a research approach where the design process in itself becomes a way to acquire new knowledge. The term was coined by Christoffer Frayling in 1993 as a proposal to differentiate between different types of design research, the other ones being research into and for design. Frayling describes RTD as “Taking design as a particular way of thinking, and a particular approach to knowledge, which helps you to understand certain things that are outside design.”

There is however no clear consensus about what this approach actually implies, and other related concepts are also used such as Practice-Led and Practice-Based Research. What is typical of RTD and what is the result of this design-led research approach compared to other research methods?

In this seminar we will look at a number of examples of RTD and discuss the approach and its usefulness. Researchers with various backgrounds that use RTD will describe their work and show examples. The seminar takes place in an exhibition about “Gestaltning för ett energieffektivt campusliv i Albano”, a project that uses RTD as an approach.

Lecturers: Loove Broms (Senior Lecturer at Konstfack), Sara Ilstedt, Ylva Ferneaus, Karin Ehrnberger, Mia Hesselgren, KTH

Welcome!

Organized by the Centre for Art, Technology and Design, MID, (the Dept. of Media Technology and Interaction Design), together with Green Leap. The seminar is followed by a coffee break with discussion.