Designing from somewhere : a located, relational and transformative view of design

In this essay I explore a view of design that emphasizes the multiplicity of relationships between designer, the community for whom the design is intended and the development of the design over time. Rather than focus on the design as produced, attention is given to the network of design relationships that makes design possible and to how we enter into those relationships. I draw upon a case study of a design that is being evolved over time in an embedded research approach that has drawn upon approaches from participatory design, co­design, design concept development and agile software development methods. Embedded design research emphasizes sustained collaboration over time between the design team and the community in which the design is deployed. Exploration of the interplay between the design as imagined and the design as used leads to a productive dialectical view that holds as a central tenet the bridging of technological and human aspirations