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THE DARK SIDE OF METHODS – AN EXPLORATION OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF METHOD USE AND METHOD REFLECTION IN DESIGN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Björgvin Hjartarson ,
Jaap Daalhuizen  and
Karoline Fogh Gustafsson
Björgvin Hjartarson*
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark
Jaap Daalhuizen
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark
Karoline Fogh Gustafsson
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark
*
Hjartarson, Björgvin, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Denmark, bjhj@dtu.dk

Abstract

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The proper use of methods is increasingly important as design challenges are more complex and involve more stakeholders. Such work also demands high reflective ability from designers. Reflective thought processes do not necessary produce positive outcomes for the process and the individual involved. Positive reflection is goal oriented while negative reflection is typically self-oriented. In design education, reflection by students is often treated as rather trivial or only rudimentary support is offered. Research in cognitive science shows that poor reflection can hurt students' well-being, abilities and confidence over time. Thus, there is a need to better understand method use and reflection in design education more specifically when done poorly. We take a theory-building approach and interviewed 12 design students and recent graduates and investigated instances of method use where these led to negative experiences and effects. In doing so, we show different types of negative experiences that students have when using methods, the effects that these experiences have and how they relate to problematic use of methods and poor reflection practices. We end with implications for design education and design research.

Keywords

Design methodsDesign educationReflective practiceReflective abilityCase study
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 3001 - 3010
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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