Centre de Recherche en Design

The version of design that was shaped and perfected during the 20th Century played a huge role in the making of the modern (global northern) world. Whilst design’s potential as a contributor to the making of worlds is clear, its methods, metrics and purposes have led to a world that is increasingly revealed as fragile, broken and unsustainable. In other words, design today is complicit in the breaking of the world – this essay describes a practice-based design research approach to the making of other worlds. Borrowing from the literary approaches of counterfactual and alternative histories and imaginative fiction, it aims to facilitate the development of new approaches to design, informed through alternative ideologies, methods and motivations. The counterfactual approach allows us to imagine other ways to be, in this case through the application of alternative value systems, a non-additive approach to technology and a removal of the constraints imposed by history. The approach can be summed up as follows: Definition of the theme followed by a broad mapping of its related systems. The creation of a counterfactual timeline based on a different outcome of one or more of the events identified on the real timeline. The design of things along the new timeline: hypothetical products, advertising campaigns, images, texts – evidence of the new value system in action. The most vital use of counterfactuals in design is to allow different voices to emerge that were silenced by the dominant, hegemonic or “standard” narrative(s). As we argue in this essay, illustrated with examples from past and current student projects, alternative histories can open up valuable future paths and create space for rich new imaginaries to flourish.

In this paper, we discuss key research questions generated from a collaborative workshop, during which our aim was to explore the potential of a wearable device to produce novel audio-haptic sensory experiences. The main intention of this research is to enable users with any type of hearing profile to appreciate a body-centered listening experience. The multimodal harness, developed by the co-authors, integrates nine voice coil actuators into a wearable structure, stimulating both the auditory and tactile senses via extratympanic sound conduction and vibrotactile stimulation of the skin on the upper body (spine, clavicles, ribs). We need to create our own interfaces in order to judge its capacity to elicit three modes of vibratory sound perception: auditory, tactile and bi-modal. To this end, we used the Max environment to make several preliminary authoring tools, whose compositional features allow us to explore three main themes of sensory composition: multimodal music listening experiences, spatialization of audio-haptic signals on the body, and sensory equalization. Feedback from trial sessions, along with current constraints due to the wearable and interface design, give<br> us direction for our future work: iterate to improve the sensory experience of the multimodal harness, and apply these tools experimentally in order to contribute to multi-sensory processing research.

Abstract Innovative products can be highly prospective and apt to disrupt usages profoundly. They can lead to multiple long-term social impacts influencing people's way of life and behaviour. So it is necessary to anticipate them without delay. Due to high uncertainty, designers may face the problem that conventional user-centred methods, which assess design performances from today's users, are not adapted. We think sociologists can help characterise the likely social impacts of future products. So we propose an original framework called the Representation-Usage-Impact (RUI) method to stimulate sociologists' projection and capture relevant knowledge about probable social impacts. The method includes a database structure encoding the knowledge of sociologists for further use in the design process. Its goal is to help designers avoid making choices today that may be regretted in decades. We illustrate the method and its process with the design of autonomous vehicle scenarios, as it will likely bring many new usages in the future. As the method is still under construction, we present an intermediate validation step involving sociologists. The first results suggest that the method might be a safeguard for the design of disruptive products.

Les objets sont partout et tendent à se substituer à l’homme à tel point que la société des hommes est remplacée par celle des objets. La sociologie devrait alors s’intéresser à redéfinir une partie de son champ de recherche et intégrer la question de la société des objets comme objet d’étude. Cet article a pour vocation à poser les bases d’une recherche épistémologique et méthodologique à destination d’une recherche conjointe entre la sociologie et le design.

International audience

International audience

Counterfactual histories modify the outcome of a historical event and then extrapolate an alternative version of history. In literature, imaginaries based on a counterfactual history can offer thought-provoking insights on contemporary life: It’s America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some 20 years earlier the United States lost a war and is now occupied jointly by Nazi Germany and Japan. (Dick, 1992) The Man in the High Castle describes the consequences of one popular starting point for counterfactual histories, Germany winning World War II. Historians tend to focus on military "decision points" at which events could have taken another path (Bernstein, 2000), or they imagine the absence of powerful individuals to speculate on how things might have been different. Since history is “often written by the victors, it tends to ‘crush the unfulfilled potential of the past’, as Walter Benjamin so aptly put it. By giving a voice to the ‘losers’ of history, the counterfactual approach allows for a reversal of perspectives” (Deluermoz &amp; Singaravélou, 2021). A counterfactual approach offers much potential as a methodology for practice-based design research and pedagogy – designers typically design for the world as it is rather than as it could be (Dunne &amp; Raby, 2013). Design happens within entrenched systems whose foundations in many cases were laid centuries ago. Systems of economy, infrastructure and popular culture inform and constrain design methods, motivations and approaches to the evaluation of designed artefacts. Technological advances are applied via these rules, facilitating the iterative development of products and providing a neat lineage from the past and, more importantly, into the future (Auger et al, 2017). This version of design is increasingly being revealed as fundamentally flawed – highly successful in placating shareholders, it is not fit for purpose where ethical or environmental issues are concerned. Counterfactuals provide an almost surreptitious method of combining design theory with practice. Through a rigorous analysis of history, the designer identifies key elements that are problematic when viewed through a contemporary lens. The approach can expose dominant structures of power and the influence these have on design culture and metrics: for example, the influence of legacy systems and how they limit the imagination and reveal the hidden or unexpected historical events that influenced the timeline. In A New Scottish Enlightenment, Mohammed J. Ali proposes a different outcome to the 1979 Scottish independence referendum (Debatty, 2014). A “yes” vote leads to the creation of a new Scottish government, whose ultimate goal is the delivery of energy independence and a future free from fossil fuels. The project was exhibited shortly before the 2014 referendum. This starting point (a yes or no vote) resonates because it vividly presents a life that could have been. It makes us think about the power of our vote and the potential implications of a “bad choice”. The second aspect that gives the project wider relevance is the agenda used to drive extrapolation from its fictional starting point – a simple paradigm shift on energy generation and distribution. By defining energy independence as a national goal, it becomes possible to outline the ways this might happen. Important earlier examples of a counterfactual approach to design include Pohflepp and Chambers (Auger, 2012; Dunne &amp; Raby, 2013). Here is a rough summary of a counterfactual design methodology: 1. The approach begins with the choice of subject – what is to be designed and the creation of a detailed and diverse timeline of its history. 2. The identification of key moments that have led to the state of things; in particular the elements that could be critiqued from alternative value systems. 3. The creation of a counterfactual timeline based on numerous possibilities – this is the key difference in method between historiography and design. The approach facilitates the creation of new value systems, motivations, rules and constraints that can be applied in practice. 4. The design of things along the new timeline; it can be furnished at key moments with artefacts informed by the alternative rules. A recent Master’s project at the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay followed this brief. Themes included rethinking approaches to aging based on the elimination of the royalist doctrines of 18th century France; a counterfactual history of agriculture with the tool acting as intermediary between the person working and their environment; and the archive – an examination of the modalities for a deployment of queer, feminist and trans-feminist archive design forms in everyday life. With its focus on underrepresented groups and unrealised possibilities, this last concept resonates with a broader discourse about decolonising design. What alternative value systems and approaches to design might have emerged if 20th-century design history had not been defined by the works of Morris, Dreyfus, Bel Geddes, Gropius, Rams, Starck, Ives, Dyson, and the rest? Taking up Benjamin’s point about “the unfulfilled potential of the past”, the most vital use of counterfactuals in design is to allow different voices to emerge that were drowned out by dominant or “standard” narrative(s). Recognising alternative histories can open up valuable future paths and create space for new possibilities and imaginaries to flourish. Works Cited Auger, James (2012). Why Robot? Speculative design, the domestication of technology and the considered future. PhD thesis, Royal College of Art, London. Auger, James, Hanna, Julian and Encinas, Enrique (2017). Reconstrained Design. Nordes, Oslo, 2-4 June 2017. ISSN 1604-9705. Bernstein, R. B. (2000). Review of Ferguson, Niall, ed., Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals. H-Law, H-Net Reviews. http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3721 Chambers, James (2010). Artificial Defence Mechanisms. https://jameschambers.co.uk/artificial-defense-mechanisms Debatty, Régine (2014). A New Scottish Enlightenment. We Make Money Not Art. https://we-make-money-not-art.com/a_new_scottish_enlightenment/ Deluermoz, Quentin &amp; Pierre Singaravélou (2021). A Past of Possibilities: A History of What Could Have Been. Yale University Press. Dick, Phillip K. (1992). The Man in the High Castle. Vintage. Dunne, Anthony &amp; Fiona Raby (2013). Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming. MIT Press. Pohflepp, Sascha (2009). The Golden Institute. http://cargocollective.com/saschapohflepp/Work/The-Golden-Institute

International audience

The Laboratoire d'Expériences du Bureau (LEB) is designed as an experimental, educational and experiential space for workspace designers. Its purpose is to provide a better understanding of the implications of design choices on the likely sound experience of people at work. Equipped with a set of mobile acoustic devices, an sound ambience generator software and a multi-channel sound system, it reproduces a range of sound phenomena and immerses listeners in a range of sound ambiences in a work situation. Users are helped to gradually become aware, through sound experience, of the implications of their design choices. The process is part of a research approach to the design of sound devices based on the ideation of new paradigms and the modeling of hypothesis. This article intends to present the key concepts of the project, how it differs from other comparable approaches, its state of progress as well as the limits and difficulties encountered.

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In a context of ecological transition, bioregionalism emerges as a relevant theoretical framework for rethinking production methods at the local level through a circular approach. This concept advocates for ecological and cultural territorial embeddedness by valuing local resources, know-how, and specificities while respecting regeneration cycles. The study of the eco-renovation project of the seminar room at the rural third place La Vigotte Lab offers an opportunity to assess how bioregional design can emerge and take shape. By using local materials, reuse practices, and participatory methods, the project questions globalized production logics. It highlights tensions between innovation, standards, and cultural barriers, while experimenting with alternative making practices. This action research, complemented by qualitative interviews, aims to assess the relevance of bioregional design in a rural context. It explores its potential by observing how new ways of cooperating, producing, and organizing can contribute to territorial resilience.

Document de travail pour l'appel à publication "Paysage(s) en partage. Vingt ansde médiation paysagère entre théorie et pratique : bilan et perspectives", Projet de paysage n°26, Revue scientifique sur la conception et l’aménagement de l’espace, 2021.

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Depuis la Révolution Industrielle, les avancées technologiques ont eu des effets à la fois positifs et négatifs sur la société et l'environnement. Cette thèse se concentre spécifiquement sur les impacts des véhicules autonomes (VA) et souligne l'importance pour les entreprises d'anticiper dès maintenant leurs conséquences sur le long terme. Ce travail de recherche propose deux modèles dénommés Study-Method-Impact (SMI) et Representation-Usage-Impact (RUI), pour évaluer les impacts socio-économiques, environnementaux et sociaux des VA (par exemple, les impacts sur la consommation d'énergie, l'emploi ou la santé). Ces modèles sont intégrés dans un logiciel original appelé AutoVision, conçu pour aider les concepteurs à imaginer des véhicules autonomes responsables. AutoVision a été testé au sein du groupe automobile Stellantis et a démontré sa capacité à générer des concepts convaincants et responsables, tout en fournissant de nouvelles connaissances à ses utilisateurs. De manière plus large, ces travaux veulent contribuer à responsabiliser les entreprises sur les futures technologies qu'elles développent. En particulier dans un contexte de réchauffement climatique.

À la manière d’une carte blanche, la revue donne la parole à des savoirs élaborés par d’autres disciplines : Aurélien Fouillet, sociologue et ébéniste, s’interroge sur les écarts féconds que permet le jeu. Puisant des figures dans le lexique des mouvements corporels (le pas de côté, la luxation) ou des cartes à jouer (le boiteux, l’acrobate), il nous invite à percevoir comment nos jeux déstabilisent la cohérence apparente de nos sensations.

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Cette thèse propose de considérer que la transformation des données scientifiques en informations pertinentes pour la recherche, en tant qu'elle est réalisée au travers de la manipulation de formats visuels, est un phénomène pratique de médiation. Ce phénomène articule des dimensions temporelles, affectives et perceptuelles avec des opérations matérielles et des propriétés sémiotiques. Dans ce cadre, il s'agit de décrire et de qualifier la relation phénoménologique tissée entre les formats visuels, le scientifique qui les manipule et les données qu'ils imagent d'un point de vue matériel et expérientiel. Cette recherche prend place dans le domaine de la microbiologie et doit nous permettre de mieux comprendre comment les formats visuels soutiennent le travail d'exploration sémantique des données par les scientifiques. Pour ce faire, la recherche entreprise mobilise une approche ethnographique afin d'observer in situ les pratiques des scientifiques au travail d'analyse de leurs données expérimentales et d'en décrire le déroulé. Elle se concentre sur les activités d'analyse individuelle sur ordinateur. Pour rendre compte finement des pratiques visuelles des scientifiques comme expérience sensible, temporelle, interactive et matérielle, nous avons mis en place une méthode de récolte et d'analyse des données du terrain en « articulation fine » qui permet d'en intégrer le caractère à la fois diachronique et synchronique. Afin d'explorer nos trois études de cas, nous mettons en dialogue trois types de matériaux récoltés sur le terrain. L'enjeu est de pouvoir analyser dialogiquement le « vécu expérientiel » des acteurs, la dimension procédurale de l'activité (tâche, opérations, actions) et les manipulations matérielles des formats visuels au cours (diachronique) de l'activité. Pour ce faire, une analyse thématique de transcriptions d'entretiens d'explicitation est croisée à une analyse procédurale de l'activité réalisée par transcription pictographique des actions et de leurs effets visuels.Il s'agit alors de mener une réflexion sur la relation phénoménologique entre formats visuels et scientifiques au travail. D'une part, cette relation apparait relever d'une « économie de l'attention » qui permet à l'activité de se poursuivre grâce à la dynamisation du processus d'analyse, lui-même rythmé par une alternance de phases « machinales » et « réflexives » qui se rapportent à des postures adoptées par le scientifique. En nous appuyant sur les travaux de Donald Schön, nous montrons que cette alternance permet au scientifique de gérer la complexité de son activité pratique : elle est soutenue par la réactivité des formats visuels avec lesquels le scientifique « converse » et qui actualisent chez lui une capacité de projection pratique et émotionnelle. Cette dynamique conversationnelle met en avant l'importance de la manipulabilité des formats visuels pour l'analyse et leur valeur de médium : les images permettent d'explorer les objets d'étude par des expérimentations sémiotiques. Nous indiquons que cette manipulabilité repose sur le régime « diagrammatique » des formats visuels mobilisés en analyse. Les visuels indexent certaines relations structurelles des objets qu'ils aident à renseigner à leurs éléments morphologiques, constitué en système notationnel modulable. Nous montrons que dans l'activité, des « coupures sémiotiques » peuvent se produire : elles dévoilent que le scientifique travaille activement à maintenir la « diagrammaticité » des images scientifiques afin d'assurer à leurs images et leur analyse une « valeur scientifique ». Cet entretien se réalise par des explorations diverses menant à des compromis sur la base de tâtonnements : le phénomène de médiation apparait alors comme le fruit d'une expérience progressive au long de l'activité qui souligne sa dimension émergente, matérielle et expérientielle.

Coordinateur : Volny Fages

International audience

International audience