Contemporary Debates on Design Research

Authors

  • Federico Del Giorgio Solfa National University of La Plata

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26807/cav.v10i20.678

Keywords:

design, research, knowledge, practice, methodology

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze research in the field of design from a methodological and critical perspective. We understand research practice not only as a set of actions oriented toward the production of knowledge, but also as a complex endeavor shaped by social, historical, cultural, political, institutional, and epistemological conditions. From this perspective, we problematize the modes of validation and legitimation of project-based knowledge, addressing the tensions between the frameworks of modern science and the specificities of design practice. Our aim is not to establish normative prescriptions about how research in design should be conducted, but to open a space for reflection that situates the debate historically, institutionally, and socially, and examines its ontological, epistemological, and methodological dimensions. Finally, we propose broadening the discussion to contemporary approaches—such as creativity as method, decolonial perspectives, and the ecology of knowledges—in order to recognize the plurality of ways of conducting design research.

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Author Biography

Federico Del Giorgio Solfa, National University of La Plata

Industrial Designer, Professor of Industrial Design, Master in International Marketing, PhD in Arts with a focus on Design. Full Professor of Project Management and Permanent Professor in Master's Programs. Deputy Director of the Research and Development Laboratory in Industrial Design (LIDDI-FdA) at the National University of La Plata (UNLP). Specialist in Public Management from the National University of Tres de Febrero (UNTREF). Master in Law, Economics, and Politics of the European Union from the University of Padua (UNIPD). Full Professor in the Master's Program in Business Management of International Trade at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Visiting Professor in the Doctorate in Design at the University of Palermo (UP). Independent Researcher (without Director), Advisor of Research Fellows, and Co-Coordinator of the Honorary Advisory Commission on Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (INART) of the Scientific Research Commission of the Province of Buenos Aires (CIC-PBA). Advisor of Research Fellows at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). Member of the Peer Committee in Applied Sciences of the National Commission for University Evaluation and Accreditation (CONEAU). Member of the Advisory Council of the Harvard Business Review (HBR).

References

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Published

2025-12-10

How to Cite

Del Giorgio Solfa, F. (2025). Contemporary Debates on Design Research. Index, Contemporary Art Magazine, 10(20), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.26807/cav.v10i20.678

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 20 (2025): Index No. 20

Section

Dossier

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Federico Del Giorgio Solfa

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Index, revista de arte contemporáneo maneja sus derechos bajo licencia Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0. En ese sentido los envíos quedan sujetos a la decisión del autor.

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