Investigative design: Materiality, systems, critique

What is commonly called “Design” has traditionally focused on communication, problem solving, or aesthetics applied in commercial contexts—according to Bratton (2016a), the means by which our “pathological relationships to material culture are made more efficient and more delightful.” Rittel and Webber (1973) argued that many of the problems addressed by designers are “wicked problems”, but Bratton proposes that many such problems, now global in scale, are the product of Design, and that “the job of Design in the 21st century is to undo (much of) the Design of 20th.” How can designers address global-scale wicked problems without turning them into design projects that value aesthetics over commitment? In this paper I detail strategies used in our design education and research. We use, but also question, design as a process and profession, redefining and subverting it, focusing on materiality and systems. I illustrate with examples from recent graduates