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.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2023.101201
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School > Operations & Information Management
College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School > Advanced Services Group
College of Business and Social Sciences > Aston Business School
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: 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/).
Uncontrolled Keywords: design practice,technical object,epistemic object,prototypes,sociomateriality
Last Modified: 10 Dec 2024 08:19
Date Deposited: 15 Jun 2023 15:42
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.sci ... 142694X2300042X (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2023-07
Published Online Date: 2023-06-12
Accepted Date: 2023-06-01
Authors: Beltagui, Ahmad (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-2687-0971)
Bell, Andrew
Candi, Marina

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