Birger Sevaldson

This paper introduces a discussion about Systems-Oriented Design (SOD) as a democratic design technique. Hence, we have sought how to design processes that enable democratic design processes and possibly design for democracy. We have analysed student praxis and project turn-ins produced at a SOD course Design for Democracy at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) 2016 – 2018... Read »

This paper addresses the problem of bridging silos. This is a universal problem found throughout the public and private sectors. It is a challenge when different organisations need to cooperate as well as when departments within the same organisation need to communicate... Read »

The resent movement of Systemic Design seeks for new synergies between Design and Systems. While the usefulness of systems approaches in design has been fairly obvious, this paper argues that many core concepts in design are beneficial in systems thinking. This seems reasonable when it comes to the concept of Design Thinking... Read »

Systems oriented design (SOD) combines design thinking with systems thinking. The method helps you create a holistic overview of complex problems and align valuable insights from different stakeholders such as experts and users... Read »

Systems Oriented Design (S.O.D.) is the designerly way of systems thinking. It is tuned towards working with the dynamics of human activity systems and its interactions with technology rather than constructing technological systems. The complexity in modern high end ship building has increased on several fronts... Read »

Designers and design is facing ever growing challenges from an increasingly complex world. Making design matter means to cope with these challenges and to be able to enter new important design fields where design can play a crucial role. To achieve this we need to become better at coping with super-complexity... Read »

This article describes processes connected to Ergonomics in design and Systems Oriented Design and how these two lines of thought in design might be related. Doing this we aim at suggesting a more holistic approach and a better understanding of the notion of Ergonomics in Systems Oriented Design... Read »

The main approach of this paper is to look at design research from a systems-oriented perspective. This implies that design research is understood as a dynamic and emergent field of interrelated or contradicting thoughts, concepts and ideas... Read »

This paper introduces a new perspective on systems thinking in design related to sus- tainability. We argue that designers need to look at sustainability in an integrated man- ner where technical, economical and social aspects are embedded in an ecological ho- listic view. Sustainability is not just another requirement in the design process but needs to form the foundation for all design work... Read »

Research by Design is the theme of this first special guest edited issue of FORMakademisk. In this issue we look into a growing domain of design research that takes up relations between practice and theory that are pertinent for inquiry in the interdisciplinary approaches and frameworks that are often central to research in design (Rust et al. 2005)... Read »

This paper introduces and discusses a Rich Research Space as an inclusive methodological framework and scaffold for research-by-design. The Rich Research Space especially addresses the issue of richness in design processes and design-led research... Read »

The term ‘unreal estate’ is coined to refer to online mediations of projected and planned urban developments, especially luxury domestic residency. A related website is studied as a mediation of co-ordinated artifacts and assembled persuasion. The site is also examined as a mediating artifact through which multiple representations are co-articulated... Read »

Industrial designers, architects, graphical designers and others have slowly adapted to the new digital design tools. Most of this process of adaptation is about modifying traditional techniques to benefit from digital technology. But digital technology offers the possibility to rethink the design process even to a degree where our conception of visual creativity is questioned... Read »

Designing Time is an experimental design studio at the Oslo School of Architecture, where the students are engaged in time based issues. The studio serves as a laboratory to invent, develop and test strategies and techniques relevant to time based design... Read »

This essay presents an attempt to conceptualise and categorise how computers can be used in creative design processes. It focuses upon new experimental design techniques that have emerged from the use of graphical computers and powerful off-the-shelf software. The material that is investigated stems mostly from the author’s own practice and teaching and the teaching of associated colleagues... Read »

The resent development of graphical 2D and 3D design tools has led to a new state of visualisation in the design process. A whole range of visual representation-forms have emerged and gained increasing importance and influence on the design process, and hence the final result. From this follows that visual thinking is more important than ever... Read »

In this essay the ‘Integrated Conglomerate Method’ is brought forward as a generic model for designresearch. Integrated: integrated in practical activities, spiral from tacit to explicit to tacit. Learning through doing. Exploration through practice. Practical work fuelled by theory. Theory derived form practical investigations... Read »

To fully benefit from the potential of computer technology in the design process it is necessary to rethink design methodology. New design strategies have to be developed from scratch, strategies which are specially designed to engage the potential of computer technology as well as to address the general problem of complexity within the interplay of urban systems... Read »