BOUNDARY OBJECTS AS MEANS FOR KNOWLEDGE GENERATION IN DESIGN EDUCATION
Year: 2015
Editor: Guy Bingham, Darren Southee, John McCardle, Ahmed Kovacevic, Erik Bohemia, Brian Parkinson
Author: Keitsch, Martina Maria
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Department of Product Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Section: Pedagogical Practice
Page(s): 284-289
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9
Abstract
Design spans a range of disciplines and stakeholders and communication between them can be hampered by various misunderstandings. Moreover, professional knowledge in design and architecture is often difficult to mediate because it is tacit, embedded in practice and dependent on situated contexts. Boundary objects (BOs) have the potential to connect diverging views of professionals and stakeholders by providing a common ground for discussion. This paper discusses the concept of boundary objects and analyses a workshop with university teachers from design and architecture, where the double diamond model (DDM) was used as BO. The results of this workshop illustrate that BOs facilitate understanding of design concepts and processes, and their use create an arena for professional and social interaction. Further, BOs might be a good tool for design curriculum however they come with different challenges. The results of the workshop are presented, and BOs for design education are evaluated. Finally, the paper will outline possibilities and challenges to include BOs in design communication and curricula.
Keywords: Communication, boundary objects, communities of practice, BOs in design teaching