http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/issue/feed 2010-11-17T00:00:00-07:00 D. P. Dash professor.dpdash@gmail.com Open Journal Systems <p>Copyright &#169; 2005-2010 <i>Journal of Research Practice</i> (ISSN 1712 851X) and the authors</p><p>The copyright of the material published in <i>Journal of Research Practice</i> (JRP) is held primarily by the respective author(s). By agreeing to publish their work in JRP, they permit the journal (JRP) to electronically reproduce and disseminate their work over the Internet. However, the authors retain all rights over their articles, including self-archival, reproduction, commercial use, etc. After the authors, the copyright passes over to JRP, unless transferred by the authors to any other designated person or entity.</p><p>Readers are welcome to use these material with due acknowledgment to the source, as indicated in the suggested citation for each article. The readers can also print and make copies of JRP articles for the purpose of education, learning, and review. However, the articles cannot be used for any commercial purpose without the consent of the respective author(s).</p><p>If you are referring to an article published in JRP, please inform the respective author(s) and/or Editors as a matter of courtesy. Similarly, if you are giving a hypertext link to the JRP Web site, please inform the Editors.</p><p>Archival agencies, libraries, publishers, and other agencies associated with academic/scholarly publishing are welcome to contact the Editors to discuss any specific proposals they may have. If the proposal involves a commercial interest, they would be expected to share a part of their benefit with JRP.</p> Journal of Research Practice: Innovations and Challenges in Multiple Domains; open access journal, extending organised inquiry and connecting researchers worldwide http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/247 2011-03-05T10:56:06-07:00 Kristina Niedderer k.niedderer@wlv.ac.uk Linden Reilly l.reilly@londonmet.ac.uk

Experiential knowledge is not often associated with research and organized inquiry, and even less often with the rigour of debating and honing research methods and methodology. However, many researchers in art and design and related fields perceive experiential knowledge or tacit knowledge as an integral part of their practice. The editorial article for the special issue on "Research Practice in Art and Design: Experiential Knowledge and Organised Inquiry" explores how research can recognise the relationship between creative practice, experience, and knowledge generation in art and design in order to develop relevant approaches to organised inquiry. This discussion provides the backdrop against which the different articles of this special issue are introduced. The first section, "Experiential Knowledge and Organised Inquiry" addresses issues of integration and communication of experiential and tacit knowledge within the context of organised inquiry. The second section, "Experiential Knowledge in Doctoral Research" examines research practice options within doctoral research in art and design.

2011-02-26T20:25:49-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/240 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 John Onians J.Onians@uea.ac.uk

An understanding of how our experiences shape the neural networks in our brains, which condition our subsequent actions and experiences, can be useful in explaining patterns found in art and design. This is the perspective of neuroarthistory, which can be applied at different levels, from the patterns unfolding in the works of a single artist/designer to the much wider epochal patterns discovered through archaeological studies. This article introduces the neuroscientific principles of "neural plasticity" and "neural mirroring," and demonstrates their application to explain the patterns found in prehistoric, medieval, and contemporary art and design expressions.

2011-02-26T19:59:54-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/230 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Peter Storkerson peter@communicationcognition.com

Naturalistic thinking and knowing, the tacit, experiential, and intuitive reasoning of everyday interaction, have long been regarded as inferior to formal reason and labeled primitive, fallible, subjective, superstitious, and in some cases ineffable. But, naturalistic thinking is more rational and definable than it appears. It is also relevant to design. Inquiry into the mechanisms of naturalistic thinking and knowledge can bring its resources into focus and enable designers to create better, human-centered designs for use in real-world settings. This article makes a case for the explicit, formal study of implicit, naturalistic thinking within the fields of design. It develops a framework for defining and studying naturalistic thinking and knowledge, for integrating them into design research and practice, and for developing a more integrated, consistent theory of knowledge in design. It will (a) outline historical definitions of knowledge, attitudes toward formal and naturalistic thinking, and the difficulties presented by the co-presence of formal and naturalistic thinking in design, (b) define and contrast formal and naturalistic thinking as two distinct human cognitive systems, (c) demonstrate the importance of naturalistic cognition in formal thinking and real-world judgment, (d) demonstrate methods for researching naturalistic thinking that can be of use in design, and (e) briefly discuss the impact on design theory of admitting naturalistic thinking as valid, systematic, and knowable.

2010-12-05T14:39:37-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/198 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Tiiu Poldma tiiu.poldma@umontreal.ca

This article explores tacit knowledge of lived experience and how this form of knowledge relates to design research. It investigates how interior designers interpret user lived experiences when creating designed environments. The article argues that user experience is the basis of a form of knowledge that is useful for designers. The theoretical framework proposed in the article examines the nature of user experience and how it can be utilized in the design process. The study of lived experiences is contextualized within aesthetic, subjective, and functional aspects of the interior design process, which requires users to express their meanings and needs. A case study is described to illustrate the various stages of this process.

2011-02-16T15:23:39-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/207 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Seymour Roworth-Stokes srstokes@ucreative.ac.uk

This article explores the management and organisational context for capturing and retaining knowledge transferred through the design process. It is widely acknowledged that our ability to successfully organise and transfer design knowledge is dependant upon the context in which it is situated. However the knowledge generated through the creative process is often viewed from the perspective of the artefact rather the process itself. An understanding of the socially complex knowledge-based resources operating within design groups could enhance competitiveness and organisational development. Yet, a systematic literature review of leading design and educational management journals found limited empirical evidence that shed light on the influence of knowledge management on design group performance. The article addresses this gap in the literature. Based on two in-depth case studies with interior design companies implementing new digital asset management systems over a 2-year period, the paper explores the findings in relation to design practice and policy, alongside implications for the contribution of the creative industries to the knowledge economy.

2010-12-06T08:13:48-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/196 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Joyce S. R. Yee joyce.yee@northumbria.ac.uk

This article presents a selective review of recent design PhDs that identify and analyse the methodological innovation that is occurring in the field, in order to inform future provision of research training. Six recently completed design PhDs are used to highlight possible philosophical and practical models that can be adopted by future PhD students in design. Four characteristics were found in design PhD methodology: innovations in the format and structure of the thesis, a pick-and-mix approach to research design, situating practice in the inquiry, and the validation of visual analysis. The article concludes by offering suggestions on how research training can be improved. By being aware of recent methodological innovations in the field, design educators will be better informed when developing resources for future design doctoral candidates and assisting supervision teams in developing a more informed and flexible approach to practice-based research.

2010-12-01T05:25:36-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/200 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Mark Andrew Evans M.A.Evans@lboro.ac.uk

This article considers the potential for a researcher to use their own creative practice as a method of data collection. Much of the published material in this field focuses on more theoretical positions, with limited use being made of specific PhDs that illustrate the context in which practice was undertaken by the researcher. It explores strategies for data collection and researcher motivation during what the author identifies as "researcher practice." This is achieved through the use of three PhD case studies. Methods of data collection focus on: (a) the use of output from practice for quantitative data collection (i.e., for comparative analysis), (b) the use of output from practice for qualitative data collection (i.e., reflection on new working practice), and (c) the use of output from practice for data translation (i.e., using research output to produce a creative design solution for a tool that can be used for further data collection and validation). The article discusses the methodologies employed in the case studies to identify themes which enable the definition of a generic researcher practitioner methodology. It notes the significance of creative practice in support of data collection and the differences between researcher practice and commercial practice, and emphasises the contribution of researcher practice towards personal motivation.

2011-01-20T15:20:21-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/195 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Kaye Frances Shumack k.shumack@uws.edu.au

This article presents an approach for structured reflection by a designer through journal writing. The journal writing situates the agency of the designer, using a range of internal conversations as a way to expand horizons and perspectives. Through a structured approach using journal entries, experiences of the design process are introduced as reflective internal talkback. In the approach that is described, decision points and perspectives are negotiated and potentially contested through a series of voices of self as I, Me, You, and We. These voices are intertwined within the journal narrative and are proposed as a useful framework for negotiating and effectively engaging with design complexity. The article introduces the conceptual backgrounds with reference to conversation as a process of learning. The specific dynamics of the journal writing approach are explained and then illustrated in a case study. The case study describes how the approach is applied for a specific design project.

2010-11-17T17:13:31-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/197 2011-03-02T22:13:24-07:00 Lynn Butler-Kisber lynn.butlerkisber@mcgill.ca Tiiu Poldma tiiu.poldma@umontreal.ca

The burgeoning interest in arts-informed research and the increasing variety of visual possibilities as a result of new technologies have paved the way for researchers to explore and use visual forms of inquiry. This article investigates how collage making and concept mapping are useful visual approaches that can inform qualitative research. They are experiential ways of doing/knowing that help to get at tacit aspects of both understanding and process and to make these more explicit to the researcher and more accessible to audiences. It outlines specific ways that each approach can be used with examples to illustrate how the approach informs the researcher's experience and that of the audience. The two approaches are compared and contrasted and issues that can arise in the work are discussed.

2011-01-07T23:49:01-07:00 http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/251 2011-03-02T22:33:09-07:00 D. P. Dash professor.dpdash@gmail.com 2011-03-02T22:33:09-07:00