Communities of Practice in Design Research

• Research, theory, and practice are interrelated design activities.
• Communities of practice support the integration of research, theory, and practice.
• Design research needs to be developed throughout the design curriculum.
• Technology changes design's goals to include interdisciplinary collaboration.

Based on observed changes in design focus largely due to the widespread availability of technology, design research and its role in education and practice need to be newly situated. Design itself is taking on new challenges. Former requirements for legitimate teaching of design are called into question along with the vague classification and understanding of research generally, or in relation to design specifically. Research, theory, and practice are interrelated design elements; they are not isolated; together they can form the basis for developing more useful and specific communities of practice. Related research traditions or domains of interest provide scaffolding, critique, and clear communication for such communities. Design research, as an integral part of design education at all levels, requires its own curricular scaffolding. As more collaborative work is undertaken, designers need to understand other disciplinary approaches to research; their internal presumptions, accepted processes, assessments of validity, and limitations.