Design para a inovação social: uma leitura sobre o erro em projetos de design

The doctoral research in progress is based on social approaches of design, and explores the relationship between the demand for social innovation from different sectors of society and the efficient delivery of results by designers. The study is supported on the pillars of the constructivist paradigm and interpretative design chain, since design field is an activity that involves creativity, intuition and subjective aspects of creative thought. The opportunity for the study of social innovation from the design perspective justifies itself since: it’s considered the sixth wave of macro innovations; is a rupture with the technological paradigm; it’s encouraged by governmental organizations; the difficulty in measuring the results; the growing demand for design interventions; the gap between the demand and the design results. In order to contextualize the research some questions must be answered: WHAT is the set of theoretical principles underpinning the practice of design for social innovation? WHO are the researchers and experts in design? HOW the processes are conducted by designers and WHERE they centralize their efforts? To compose the case studies two surveys are designed as tools to identify successful initiatives in Latin America countries. The first sample unit consists of design researchers; and the second one are design team leaders. Preliminary observations indicate that it is hard for designers to adopt appropriate methods, techniques and tools; the methods for evaluating the design impact are inconsistent; the sustainability of the project is in risk; projects are planned but developed by trial and error. It is apparent the lack of experience and training of designers with social practices.