Distinguished Women Scientists and Engineers
Speakers Program

Brenda Laurel

Design Research: Informed Creativity

November 15
11:15 a.m.—12:15 p.m., EE/CSci 3-180

This colloquium explores the palette of research techniques that can support the process and enhance the outcomes of design. Technology-based designers may be more resistant than most to use human-centered research methods to enhance their creativity. Our resistance may come from the belief that human-centered research is "merely" market research—a back-end process that is devoted to the final stages of development and marketing. In the emerging practice of design research, the process is being inverted, with research as a front-end method to inspire the design of products and services from the concept stage forward. Other forms of research can also inform our creativity. Designers who engage in formal research investigate form and structure in new ways. Design research can also be process-centered, exploring how to construct a culture of research in a working environment. Research doesn't dictate design, but it can enhance the possibility for success. This talk will examine an array of design research methods with examples of their applications. Free.

RELATED EVENT

Transmedia Design: New Methods for a New Profession

November 16
1:00–2:00 p.m. (keynote address only)
Presidents Room, Coffman Union
Sponsored by Game Research and Virtual Environment Lab (GRAVEL)

Laurel will deliver the keynote address at this event. During the afternoon-long event (1:00—4:00 p.m.) recipients of GRAVEL grants last spring will report their findings and the next steps in their research. The session concludes with a discussion by University professors who are using or exploring game technology in their work. Free.