Title: What makes design research more useful for design professionals? An exploration of the research-practice gap

Authors: Marieke Zielhuis; Froukje Sleeswijk Visser; Daan Andriessen; Pieter Jan Stappers

Addresses: Research Group Research Competence, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, 3500 AD, The Netherlands; Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2628 CE, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2628 CE, The Netherlands ' Research Group Research Competence, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, 3500 AD, The Netherlands ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2628 CE, The Netherlands

Abstract: Academic design research has developed a rich collection of knowledge and tools, but often the results fail to land in design practice. We conducted an interview series with experienced design professionals to study how the knowledge that they derived from research projects was of use to them. They used tools, papers, books, and their own experience in research projects to learn about designing, about the application domain and about project organisation. We found that useful knowledge for design practice can take various formats, including prescribing tools which serve as demonstrator and a reference frame. We discuss how academic researchers can use these insight to make their research more applicable in a way that meets design practice needs.

Keywords: design research; research outcomes; research impact; research-practice gap; design practice.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2022.127568

Journal of Design Research, 2022 Vol.20 No.2, pp.105 - 122

Received: 09 Sep 2020
Accepted: 16 Dec 2020
Published online: 09 Dec 2022 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article