| authors |
Lloyd, P. and Deasley, P. |
| year |
1998 |
| title |
Ethnographic description of design networks |
| source |
Automation in Construction 7 (2-3) (1998) pp. 101-110 |
| summary |
One of the central themes of a commercial design process is communication. Complex design artefacts, rather than being rationally thought out by individuals, evolve through designers negotiating and bargaining with clients and peers alike. Problems are resolved through discussion and explanation. The 'design process,' as a reified entity, cannot be apprehended by any individual. Understanding of the process is spread over a social network, and through the narratives and discourses that are forged from day to day. This is design as a social process. The focus of the present paper is twofold. First, we wish to establish the field of ethnography as a particularly useful method of describing design in its social form. Secondly, we describe the results of a design case study we have carried out, using ethnographic methods, in an aerospace manufacturing company. We observe informal structures determining work activity, and the use of subtle `role' playing in problem-solving. |
| series |
journal paper |
| more |
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon |
| references |
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| last changed |
2003/05/15 21:22 |
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