Dr Joe Lindley is attending DRS 2022 in Bilbao, let’s ask him a few questions …
What’s your research area?
I lead Design Research Works which is a 4-year project gathering evidence about the value of Design Research and trying to use that evidence as a leadership platform to promote Design Research globally. We have a particular focus on practice-based approaches and on using Design Research to better understand the interplay between society and technology.
Tell us about the paper you’re presenting.
Along with my co-conveners (Dr David Green, Dr Miriam Sturdee, Dr Claire Coulton and Professor Arne Berger) I am hosting a Conversation session at the conference entitled Communicating the Value of Design Research. Conversations are 90 minute discussions that are intended to advance emerging forms of Design Research in a way that is harder to do using a traditional scholarly paper. During our Conversation session we are going to imagine a future world where Design Research is as ubiquitous as things like mathematics or economics – we will then ask ourselves the question “In a world where Design Research is so commonplace, what would an introductory chapter or lecture about it have to say?” … eventually this will lead to producing the content of the actual chapter.
What other activities are you doing?
I’ll be attending my students paper sessions, I’ll be going to lots of sessions about methods and epistemology, and I’ll be talking to people as much as possible about the Design Research Works mission.
What are you looking forward to the most?
Reunions with all the amazing scholars that I only usually get to meet at conference events. While many of us have kept in touch remotely during the pandemic, there is something about the serendipity of in-person interactions which is very hard to create remotely.
Have you any suggestions or tips for people attending their first in-person conference?
Don’t be shy, do go and talk to lots of people, don’t forget your towel, do drink plenty of water.
Joe Lindley