Engineering design is often perceived as a mainly technical activity yet within the
engineering design organisation it really only coheres as a social activity. This paper …

This paper reports two studies of the design process within engineering firms. The studies
were based on participant-observation techniques: in each case the firm was approached in …

Empirical studies are privileged means to obtain a holistic view of designing as it is practiced
in the world. In this paper we describe a collaboration we have been carrying out for almost …

This chapter investigates some conversational episodes in an architectural meeting (A1).
The analysis adopts an interpretative approach to design research and is guided by a …

This chapter explores how a design concept was interactionally produced in the talk-in-
interaction between an architect and two client representatives. Its intention is to develop our …

In understanding design-society relationships its crucial that we grasp what we are talking
about when we use the word 'design'. Too often the term is used not to denote the activity of …

Market pressures impel globally competitive power systems producers, such as Rolls-
Royce, to engage in multi-national, collaborative projects in which the costs and risks of …

The thinking process of designers is one of the most important issues in design research.
This paper intends to enlarge design thinking theory and research by taking a close …

In this paper, we present our experience in sharing ethnographic material with engineers
that have a very different perception of technology and the role of its users. Rather than …

In the past couple of decades we have seen a significant shift in focus within the field of
design research. It is a shift from the aim of creating a 'design science'to that of creating a …