Abstract
This research explores the design practice of three prominent New Zealand designers. It seeks to identify the key elements and methodologies they employ and to answer the research question: How do designers design? The need to gain understanding on how designers work, gave me occasion to visit and speak with designers about their approach to design. To look inside a designer’s practice has left me with an overriding impression that these designers know and trust their own way of working, they do not map their thoughts onto a pre-existing process; rather, each new work dictates its own direction. Their understanding has come about through a wealth of design experiences, a way of seeing, and perceptive reflection-in-action.
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Notes
Heuristics is a qualitative method of solving a problem for which no formula exists. It uses informal methods or experience, and employs forms of trial and error. Heuristics relates to the ability to find knowledge, patterns or a desired result by intelligent questioning and guess work rather than applying a pre-established formula. A heuristic methodology often involves using knowledge gained by experience. This methodology involves the development and testing of a body of work through rigorous and diverse methods of questioning.
The Treaty of Waitangi—An agreement between the British Crown and 540 rangatira (chiefs) in 1840 was signed as a form of constitution. In the words of Lieutenant Governor William Hobson, after the signing of the Treaty, “He Iwi Tahi Tatou”—We are now one people.
Puriri—(Verbenaceea—Vitex lucens) is a native tree only found in New Zealand. It can grow up to 20 m tall up to 20 m tall, with a trunk commonly up to 1.5 m in diameter, frequently thicker, and a broad spreading crown. Puriri has dark green glossy leaves and tubular flowers that can range from fluorescent pink to dark red in colour.
Pakeha—Term given by Maori for stranger, non-Maori, European and Caucasian.
Whakapapa—Maori word for cultural identity, lineage.
According to Scrivener (2000), the term reflexivity is the name employed in qualitative research to describe the cyclic process whereby the way we describe a phenomenon changes the way it operates for us, which in turn changes our perception, which changes our description of it, and so on.
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Mc Glashan, A.A. Designer stories: a commentary on the community of design practice. Int J Technol Des Educ 21, 235–260 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-010-9116-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-010-9116-6