BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Methodological Diversity and Theoretical Integration (the example 
 of Design Fixation) - Dr Nathan Crilly\, EDC
DTSTART:20190508T100000Z
DTEND:20190508T103000Z
UID:TALK124609@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Mari Huhtala
DESCRIPTION:Design fixation occurs when a designer's prior experiences lim
 its their imagination\, leading to a restricted interpretation of the desi
 gn problem or the repetition of prior solutions. Over the last three decad
 es\, design fixation research has emerged as a distinct and productive are
 a of design creativity research\, and of design research more generally. A
 s a research area focusing on human behaviour it is unusually restricted i
 n its methodological choices\, primarily adopting an experimental approach
 \, much of which follows the example set by studies conducted in the 1990s
 . Despite the dominance of experimental research on fixation\, there is so
 me related qualitative research\, including expert interviews and industry
  case studies. However\, there is a clear separation between the experimen
 tal and qualitative work\, with little integration of research findings ac
 ross this methodological divide. Many experimental studies make some refer
 ence to the general contexts and practices that the experiments relate to\
 , but it is extremely rare for these experimental studies to refer to rese
 arch accounts where fixation-related phenomena are discussed. Looking at i
 t the other way round\, the qualitative literature related to fixation mak
 es only a few references to the experimental literature\, and that is ofte
 n just to establish the basic concept and cite the origin of a term or def
 inition. It would seem that despite similar interests and objectives\, the
 se two related literatures effectively belong to different communities. Th
 is low level of methodological diversity and lack of theoretical integrati
 on limits our ability to interpret the findings of fixation research (espe
 cially with respect to ecological validity)\, plan new studies (whether qu
 alitative or quantitative) and impact practice (e.g. through tools or trai
 ning).\n\n
LOCATION:Sir Arthur Marshall Room\, Engineering Design Centre\, CUED
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR