Louise Valentine

Craft as a Form of Mindful Inquiry

ABSTRACT In this research paper ‘Communication of Craft Practice’ is the subject and the problem is one of transparency of the intellectual act and accessibility to the embodied knowledge. Why? The skill of coherently expressing the intellectual and personal voice within the development of craft practice is usually missing. There is a gap in our knowledge. The aim is to reassess the term craft practice as a means of understanding the impact of social, political and technological change by documenting the practitioners thinking processes throughout a period of practice. The objective is to nurture a dialogue with practice and document the process of thinking and making associated with craft in an attempt to understand how academic research can facilitate an increase in the level(s) of innovation in practice. This paper exposes the methods and the accompanying rationale for using them in relation to Mindful Inquiry, and, it presents a new perspective from which to view and discuss craft practice.

Design Thinking for Textiles: let’s make it meaningful

Abstract The values underpinning the global textile industry are continuing to transform because of globalisation, sustainability and technological progress. This is enabled by the changes within the discipline of design itself, through the impact of design thinking on business management and leadership (Cooper et al, 2015), a move towards co-creation rather than individual authorship (Sanders, 2013; Sanders and Stappers, 2014), smart technologies (Taylor and Robertson, 2014), and greater attention to how we meet today’s social needs through design (Thackera, 2013; Manzini, 2015). This paper is concerned with the impact of transformation upon the role of the textile designer and design educator. Discussion draws on recent design research in Smart Textiles, E-Co Textiles and the sustainability agenda, future craft and designer’s thinking, revealing a set of values underpinning the contemporary craft of textile design, facilitating a conversation as to how they relate to the active concept of authenticity.

An exploratory investigation into the role of a research and development programme on future craft practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of a research and development programme on improving craft practice through the provision of mentoring by academic practitioners, studio space and advice on marketing techniques. Design/methodology/approach – Following an initial focus group investigation of issues which impinge on contemporary craft practice, recipients of a bursary associated with the research and development programme were assessed with respect to how their craft and marketing competencies have developed. Findings – Practitioners can now reflect on their skills, experiment with techniques and consider the effectiveness of their approach and attitude towards marketing. Research limitations/implications – The programme only extends to practitioners working with one art and design institution but has implications for those concerned with creative practice elsewhere. Practical implications – There is wider potential to reinvigorate artistic and marketing practice across the...

Design Thinking for Social Innovation in Health Care

Abstract Design has a potential to envision alternative futures for health care through new forms of innovation. In this paper, we propose a strategic framework for fostering a culture of design thinking for social innovation in health care. Drawing upon the theory of design (and its thinking), in conjunction with global and national health care strategies and policies, we critically reflect on pedagogical approaches for enhancing the curriculum in design as a means of discussing the need for new thinking in health. Findings to date suggest that new mechanisms of knowledge acquisition, application, and exploration are needed to address the complex challenges facing social and health care. Referring to the national health care strategies, connections are made with design thinking, social innovation, health and social care to facilitate a transition from applying design as a process to applying design as a strategy for cultural transformation.

The Use of a Multilevel System Model for Analyzing Stakeholders at Different Levels in Health Care Systems

Participatory design or co-design is defined as the active engagement of all stakeholders in a design process. However, in many co-design projects, only end users are involved. Participants are often considered as the traditional representatives of a generalized stakeholder group, without prior analysis made on each individual’s specific interest. These assumptions fail to capture opportunities for integration and satisfy multiple stakeholders simultaneously, which is required to design successful products in complex systems like health care. To maximize the benefit of collaboration, it is important for designers to improve understanding of the participants and their role as a stakeholder in their product’s ecosystem. This study aims to contribute to this understanding by discussing a potential visualization method that maps different stakeholders’interest in the development of new products within the health care system. The method is based on a Multilevel Design Model and was tested by means of a researchbased- modeling approach, in which several design experts where asked to map or position several design phenomena on a pre-defined template. Both the selection of the phenomena and the mapping results of the various experts where evaluated through comparison. A positive correlation was found between the type of expertise of the different experts, and their specific interest in the innovation system. This led to the conclusion that the visualisation method may prove to be a useful instrument for analysing stakeholders at different levels of institutional and nontechnical systems. Therefore, it may potentially help to manage the problem of complexity and resolve equivocality in the design process.