Papers by Jordan Beck
Proceedings of the Design Research Society (DRS) 2018, 2018
The design research community has been interested in its identity as an intellectual community fo... more The design research community has been interested in its identity as an intellectual community for some time, and, as with design itself, critique is central to good scholarship. Building on recent citation analyses in the field, in this paper we examine two cases of critique in design research scholarship. We aim to contribute to the theory of scholarly critique by providing a richer picture of critical citations than has previously been available. In addition, we identify the need for a crucial methodological development in the field; namely, design researchers need a way to examine and assess critical citations from within. Analytical (citation) frameworks that have been imported from other fields are limited in what they can tell us about the nature and quality of critical citations in the design research community. We argue for the DRS community to examine and reflect on its use of scholarly critique.
Proceedings of the Design Research Society (DRS) 2018, 2018
The design process is a central object of inquiry in design research. Many scholars have studied ... more The design process is a central object of inquiry in design research. Many scholars have studied designing and presented their findings in the form of models, frameworks, and schemas. A general understanding of designing is an interesting prospect, and yet there seem to be fewer theories about the design process achieving (or aspiring to achieve) scientific status. In this paper, we explore possible reasons why this may be the case. Based on ongoing research about design theories (n=175), we explore the possibility that there are fewer scientific theories about the design process. Then, we propose three possible arguments as to why, including: (1) Scientific theories about designing are not useful to practitioners, (2) design research is building its own intellectual culture, and (3) different ways of understanding scientific theories may yield different results.
The theory-practice gap is a well-known concept in HCI research. It provides a way of describing ... more The theory-practice gap is a well-known concept in HCI research. It provides a way of describing a space that allegedly exists between the theory and practice of the field, and it has inspired many researchers to propose ways to “bridge the gap.” In this paper, we propose a novel interpretation of the gap as a generative metaphor that frames problems and guides researchers towards possible solutions. We examine how the metaphor has emerged in HCI discourse, and what its limitations might be. Our examination raises concerns about treating the gap as given or obvious, which could reflect researchers’ tendencies to adopt a problem-solving perspective. We discuss the value of considering problem setting in relation to the theory-practice gap, and then explore Derrida’s strategy of “reversal” as a possible way to develop new metaphors to capture the relationship between theory and practice.
Design Studies
Donald Schön was one of the most influential scholars in the design field; his work was and still... more Donald Schön was one of the most influential scholars in the design field; his work was and still is among the most highly cited. But how and why do scholars cite Schön’s work? In this paper, we present a content analysis of 120 texts published at the last four DRS conferences in order to understand the function of citations of Schön’s work. We find scholars primarily cite Schön either to support their research topics, methods or methodologies, and arguments or to credit Schön for concepts or ideas. We observe few instances of citations that engage critically with Schön or build on his ideas. Our conclusions suggest that a deeper understanding of citation function would be an interesting and important project.
While much has been written about designerly knowledge and designerly ways of knowing in the prof... more While much has been written about designerly knowledge and designerly ways of knowing in the professions, less has been written about the production and presentation of knowledge in the design discipline. In the present paper, we examine the possibility that knowledge claims might be an effective way to distinguish the design discipline from other disciplines. We compare the kinds of knowledge claims made in journal publications from the natural sciences, social sciences, and design. And we find that natural and social science publications tend to make singular knowledge claims of similar kinds whereas design publications often contain multiple knowledge claims of different kinds. We raise possible explanations for this pattern and its implications for design research.
What are big questions? Why do scholars propose them? How are they generated? Could they be valua... more What are big questions? Why do scholars propose them? How are they generated? Could they be valuable and useful in HCI research? In this paper we conduct a thorough review of " big questions " literature, which draws on scholarship from a variety of fields and disciplines. Our intended contribution is twofold. First, we provide a substantive review of big questions scholarship, which to our knowledge has never been done before. Second, we leverage this summary as a means of examining the value and utility of big questions in HCI as a research discipline. Whether HCI decides that generating and having big questions would be a desirable path forward, we believe that examining the potential for big questions is a useful way of becoming more reflective about HCI research.
The design process is a central object of inquiry for design research. Many scholars have studied... more The design process is a central object of inquiry for design research. Many scholars have studied designing and presented their findings in the form of models, frameworks, and schemas. A general understanding of designing is seemingly relevant and interesting to the design research community, and yet there seem to be fewer theories about the design process achieving (or aspiring to achieve) scientific status. Our primary goal in this article is to explore reasons why this may be the case. To accomplish this, we discuss relevant work from the philosophy of science that has been central in framing contemporary perspectives on the nature of scientific theories. Then we present empirical support to ground our observation that there seem to be fewer scientific theories about designing. Finally, we propose three explanations to account for this observation including: (1) Scientific theories about designing are not useful to practitioners, (2) design research is building its own intellectual culture, and (3) different ways of understanding scientific theories may yield different results.
This paper discusses how theories (as objects) are used in articles published in Design Studies. ... more This paper discusses how theories (as objects) are used in articles published in Design Studies. While theory and theory construction have been given time and attention in the literature, less is known about how researchers put theories to work in their written texts—about " practical, everyday " theory use. In the present paper, we examine 32 articles and synthesize six models of " theory use " based on our examination.
Donald Schön was one of the most influential scholars in the design field; his work was and still... more Donald Schön was one of the most influential scholars in the design field; his work was and still is among the most highly cited. But how and why do scholars cite Schön’s work? What do these citations do? In this paper, we present a content analysis of 63 texts published at the last two DRS conferences in an effort to understand the function of citations of Donald Schön’s work. We find scholars primarily cite Schön’s work either to support their own research topics, methods or methodologies, and arguments or to credit Schön for his concepts or ideas. And we observe few instances of citations that engage critically with Schön or build on his ideas. Our conclusions suggest that a deeper understanding of citation function would be an interesting and important project.
This paper asks, Can there be scientific theories of design that do not scientize design? And it ... more This paper asks, Can there be scientific theories of design that do not scientize design? And it answers in the affirmative. Not only can there be scientific theories of design that do not scientize design but also that a scientific lens can potentially reveal important aspects of the design process. We apply Karl Popper’s criteria for the scientific status of a theory to four seminal theories of the design process: Bounded Rationality, FBS Framework, Figural Complexity, and C-K Theory. We demonstrate that (1) some theories about design can be construed as scientific in Popper’s terms, and that (2) these theories do not “scientize” the design process. This paper will be published as part of the 11th International European Academy of Design Conference Proceedings.
This paper is an explication of three texts in terms of a common thread of computational thinking... more This paper is an explication of three texts in terms of a common thread of computational thinking. It adheres to the following structure: After grappling with computational thinking, I will analyze Thomas Kuhn’s "Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research" and Karl Popper’s "Science: Conjectures and Refutations" in terms of two specific techniques of computational thinking: pattern recognition and pattern generalization and abstraction. Following these analyses I leverage Scheffer et al’s "Early-warning Signals for Critical Transitions" in an attempt to identify patterns in writing unique to philosophy of science texts as distinct from "practical" science texts. I will generalize these patterns with a concept I call “critical disambiguation,” which offers ideas aimed at mitigating burdensome, ambiguous language in philosophy of science texts. Language of this ilk stymies practitioners’ ability to progress down the path towards answers to the big questions of the discipline, e.g. how do scientists choose between competing theories and how does science “do” progress, by requiring the cumbersome step of clarifying and translating extant theory before analyzing and evaluating it through a critical lens. We might not be able to abolish the need to clarify and translate texts, but we can certainly optimize the process.
She Ji -- Design, Economics, and Innovation by Jordan Beck
This issue of She Ji opens with reflections on the nature and meaning of the modern research univ... more This issue of She Ji opens with reflections on the nature and meaning of the modern research university for the 110th anniversary of Tongji University. The first article considers the work of the late John Heskett on the economic role of design. Cameron Weber applies Heskett’s theory to the 2009 GM bailout in “What Is Good for General Motors Is Bad for America.” Following this nuts-and-bolts examination of design economics, Jordan Beck and Erik Stolterman stake out a theoretical position “Examining the Types of Knowledge Claims Made in Design Research.” University rankings are one of the most prevalent and hotly debated topics in higher education today – this issue of She Ji features two examinations of the theme. Meredith Davis asks “Can College Rankings Be Believed?” and Scott Thompson-Whiteside writes on “Zen and the Art of University Rankings in Art and Design.” Four commentators respond: Peter Murphy on “University Rankings and the Coming of the Auto-Industrial Age,” Pradeep Sharma with “Outstanding in Your Field,” Ninghua Zhong that “University Rankings Need Improvement,” and Carma Gorman with “College Rankings: Can’t Love ’Em, Can’t Leave ’Em.” Finally, Maria Camacho talks with Christian Bason in a conversation on “Design for Public Service.” Design firms, consulting firms, and public agencies use design methods to create more effective services and better systems. Christian Bason was at the cutting edge of this trend as director of Denmark’s MindLab. Now director of the Danish Design Centre, Bason discusses the key issues of design for public service.
by Ken Friedman, Cees de Bont, Derek B Miller, Jordan Beck, Susu Nousala, Danah Henriksen, Jerry Diethelm, Cara Wrigley, Don Norman, Gerda Gemser, Maria Camacho, Justin Cook, Hugh Dubberly, and Kees Dorst This issue we address is “The Design Continuum from Simplicity to Complex Systems.” Articles incl... more This issue we address is “The Design Continuum from Simplicity to Complex Systems.” Articles include: 1) “From Autonomous Systems to Sociotechnical Systems: Designing Effective Collaborations” by Kyle J. Behymer and John M. Flach with commentary by Derek Miller, Hugh Dubberly, Paul Pangaro, and Susu Nousala. 2) “Examining Practical, Everyday Theory Use in Design Research” by Jordan Beck and Erik Stolterman with commentary by Danah Henriksen, Jeffrey Bardzell, and Deirdre Barron. 3) “Design Innovation Catalysts: Education and Impact” by Cara Wrigley. 4) “De-Colonizing Design Thinking” by Jerry Diethelm. There are also book reviews by Luke Feast and Don Norman, and an exchange of letters between Stuart Walker, Gerda Gemser, and Cees de Bont.
Conference Papers by Jordan Beck
Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Apr 21, 2018
Researchers in HCI have typically relied on face to face (FtF) methods for recruitment and data c... more Researchers in HCI have typically relied on face to face (FtF) methods for recruitment and data collection in their research with people living with HIV, whereas social scientists have adopted computer-mediated approaches to address concerns about data validity and access to this stigmatized population. In this paper, we use the asynchronous remote community (ARC) research method to leverage HCI instruments in an online format. ARC successfully engaged people living with HIV in terms of participation and retention by providing a safe space to discuss their experiences. By expanding on past ARC studies, we contribute to an ongoing conversation about defining ARC and working towards increased data validity – especially in stigmatized communities.
Drafts by Jordan Beck
Kialo is a novel peer production system focused on pro/con debate construction. Teams of moderato... more Kialo is a novel peer production system focused on pro/con debate construction. Teams of moderators vet and accept claims submitted by writers. Moderators also edit and refactor debates as they grow. Thus, moderators play a critical role in cultivating and maintaining debates. Conflict between moderators is typical. It is a feature of argumenta-tion and debate. However, not all conflict is productive. Conflict between moderators can undermine collaboration (by distracting from the task of managing debates) and drive attrition (by discouraging participation on the site altogether). Based on a ten-month participant observation on Kialo, we identify a common source of conflict between mod-erators: adversarial beliefs and values. Moderators are not neutral participants on Kialo. They take positions on debate topics. We suggest foregrounding these positions, which are potential sources of conflict, through interface design as a scalable solution to conflict management.
What paper should be cited where, and why? Gaining insight into citation practices in HCI can enr... more What paper should be cited where, and why? Gaining insight into citation practices in HCI can enrich our understanding of the structure of research, as well as social and political factors that influence knowledge production. Recent research into HCI citation practices have identified problematic trends: inaccurate citing and a lack of critical citations. Directly investigating authors' motivations for citing can provide a fuller picture of citation practices. It can help us understand HCI research as a social system and develop a theory of citing. We report an interview study designed to identify authors' motivations to cite. We found three primary motivations: affirming personal relationships, building intellectual narratives, and serving strategic objectives. We discuss our findings from a social constructivist perspective of citation practices. In addition, we explore how these findings can strengthen efforts to write CHI papers. Finally, we outline steps to develop a theory of citing in HCI research.
The question of what makes design unique is explored. We argue that a scientific lens can be used... more The question of what makes design unique is explored. We argue that a scientific lens can be used to reveal distinguishing characteristics of designing. We apply Karl Popper's criteria of falsifiability, refutability, or testability to four design process theories: Bounded Rationality, FBS Framework, Figural Complexity, and C-K Theory. Our ambition is to demonstrate that (1) some theories about design can be construed as scientific in Popper's terms, and that (2) these theories do not frame design as a systematic, objective, and rational process. Instead, they frame designing as an approach distinct from science in that it has no given problem, no given process, and no given solution.
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Papers by Jordan Beck
She Ji -- Design, Economics, and Innovation by Jordan Beck
Conference Papers by Jordan Beck
Drafts by Jordan Beck