Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN SCHOLARSHIP (D. NIEUSMA identified five different…
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN SCHOLARSHIP
A.D.S. seeks to understand how unequal power relations are embodied in.
IN THE 1960's the main problem was how to transfer technologies from the West World to the 3rd World.
At that time, technology's scholars realized the importance of context .
FROM THE 1970's the
appropriate technology
became a strong social movement.
But, in the same period, others related alternative design communities arose.
D. NIEUSMA identified five different related A.D.S. and did some consideration about them, in order to find the strengths and the weaknesses of each one of them.
COPING WITH UNCERTAINTY: ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
Uncertainties arise out of complexities inherent in design problems/solutions.
Better design often demands better analysis, but also a recognition of the limits of the same analysis!
Ecological design recognizes the complexity of natural system and the limits of dominant design.
Ecological Design works with nature by designing human systems which are completely in conjunction with nature.
Scholars of this design needs not to confuse progress with solutions: the respect of complexity should open up a range of critical questions.
Any approach that assume consensus rhetoric ends up undermining the ultimate goal of inclusiveness.
Progressive social forces would do better to assume difference and then work towards consensus.
It is important NOT to impose but to create a shared language.
UNDERSTANDING GOVERNING MENTALITIES: FEMINIST DESIGN
Governing mentalities shape how people interpret macro social and cultural phenomena.
Feminist Design considers the relation between the built world and the position of women in society.
The designers of F.D. seek to counter sexist material by breaking down social hierarchies wich lead to marginalization.
Feminist Design criticize dominant design practice saying that it reinforces sexism.
The designers of F.D. seek to counter sexist material by breaking down social hierarchies wich lead to marginalization.
Social roles are deeply associated with genders (the microwave analysis example).
This requires changes to design practices and to governing mentalities.
COPING WITH DISAGREEMENT: PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
When designers choose to counter existing power balances, they use design as a tool for abitrating disagreement over which objective to pursue.
P.D. scholars choose to mediate disagreement over desired design objectives.
This kind of design has a central concern: to interact continuously with those who are the ultimate arbiters of system adequacy.
P.D. is more INTELLIGENT
:warning: P.D. IS NOT THE SAME AS USER-CENTERED DESIGN!
P.D. is FAIRER
THINKING THROUGH AGENCY: SOCIAL RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
Designers who seek to challenge a status quo and face with the market need to focus on AGENCY.
AGENCY is the designer's ability to confront dominant design and empower marginalized social groups.
MARKET provides lucrative incentives for ephemeral objects, leaving human needs unaddressed.
Can Design do something to change this condition of pervasiveness of consumerist market that structure today's Design?
WHITELEY stressed out the tension between working for humanity and working in/for a corrupted market.
MARGOLIN & MARGOLIN advocate designers to collaborate with allied professionals.
PAPANEK says that designers should and must overcome dominant mentalities with their work by providing products that are genuinely needed by humans.
Social Responsible Design scholars consider designer agency as a key analytic variable.
2 NEEDS.
Need to thinking of solutions without heroic acts.
Need to explore the relation between designers and employees.
ACCOUNTING FOR DIVERSITY: UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Different people have different needs.
This design has ONE GOAL: to account for a more diverse range of abilities when designing built environments.
UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS NOT THE SAME AS ACCESSIBILITY DESIGN: A.D. has a limitative notion of "users" and fail to count psychological aspects of people with disabilities.
IMPORTANCE OF TRADE-OFFS and COMPROMISES.
:warning: working towards INCLUSIVENESS doesn't mean that everyone's needs can be met with any one system.
Nieusma D. encompass the best of these alternatives design scholarship under the APPROPRIATE DESIGN, which has four main characteristics.
A.D. accepts and copes with uncertainties.
A.D. recognizes the importance of governing mentalities.
A.D. accounts for diversity and disagreement.
A.D. theorizes agency-structure tension.