The conference preparation enters in its second phase
This article was co-written by Carla Cipolla and Ezio Manzini.
The first main step in the Changing the Change process is (successfully) over: the 18th of February was the deadline for submitting abstracts. We have received more than 300 of them. It seems to us a good result. Of course, the quality of the presented abstracts will be evaluated one by one by the International Review Committee. But something can be said just now: a new design research community is starting to exist around the topics of design research and of its possible contribution to the transition towards a sustainable knowledge society.
In fact, even considering that some of the presented abstracts where clearly outside the Changing the Change spirit or simply un-acceptable for technical reasons, profile is emerging of a wide group of design researchers who show a concrete interest (and often solid research activities) in the proposed direction. And this, as we said, is a first good results that in the next weeks will be better evaluated.
In these days the review process has been started, preparing the abstracts for the blind review process. The abstracts to be selected are expected to present design research results, clearly referring the on-going double transition towards a sustainable knowledge society.
What we can add here is that we know very well that both the terms “sustainable knowledge society” and “design research” can be interpreted, and are interpreted, in different ways. For this reason, we think that we have to be very open in the way we interpret them. In particular, for what regards the transition towards a sustainable knowledge society, we think that the papers can obviously refer to its environmental dimension but also to its social one. The important point for us is that they have to present real changes in the ways of thinking, being and doing. For what regards the kind of research where the presented results come from, we think that papers should be based on both formal and informal research activities (i.e. activities that can be carried out by individuals and groups for their personal interest, ouside the formal research structures). What for us is relevant here are the results: they have to be activities that really present an original, interesting and communicable improvement in design knowledge.
Finally, we think that the Changing the Change preparation process, as a whole, i.e. included the peer review evaluations and suggestions, should become an opportunity of discussion between peers and an improvement of the overall design research community activities in this field.
Julia Walden says, on March 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm: