In-context and Ecology Immersion for Resilience: An Exploration of the Design of a Household Farming Kit

Reference

(2014). UIA 2014 Durban World Congress on Architecture, Durban, SA, 03 Aug 2014 - 07 Aug 2014. Proceedings of the International Union of Architects World Congress: UIA 2014 Durban: Architecture Otherwhere: Resilience, Ecology, Values. 1332-1343. 2014

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Abstract

Human-Centred Design proposes the method of In-context Immersion or meeting people where they live, work and socialise as a method to gain new insights and opportunities for the designer (IDEO, 2013). This method as per the majority of empirical research tends to simplify complex situations in order to provide a set of criteria that can then guide a design intervention to such problems. This paper explores how it is important to not only understand the contextual situation of a problem, but also a much broader range of contexts and in uences which constitute the ecology of the problem. Ecology Immersion can be de ned over and above the designers’ immersion into a speci c context by the further discovery and exploration of other connected contexts. The designer is able to map a broader system by immersing her/himself in these interconnected contexts and hence foreseeing how a proposed intervention could interact in the greater ecology of the problem. An example could be the e ect the seemingly independent biological system and economic system could have on a small-scale agricultural project. This improved understanding then allows for the design intervention to have a better foundation in terms of the systems it relies on, which potentially aids the nal intervention’s resilience. This paper explores and criticises the design process of a household farming kit as an example of such a method. This critique will o er potential insight into future applications of this method in the eld of Industrial Design and its potential application in other design disciplines to encourage greater resilience.

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