Research and Design Practice - An exploratory update of Donald Schön

Abstract

The Reflective Practitioner and Educating the Reflective Practitioner, the two most influential books by Donald Schön from 1983 and 1987, have so far been regarded as a self-evident platform for design research. The ideas put forward have been much discussed but not basically questioned. However, during the last years the conditions for design practice has changed fundamentally. To find out if the understanding of Schön can be developed to match the new situation or if other approaches are necessary, a new critical discussion is necessary. This article is a first and explorative attempt to identify important issues for such an examination. It takes its point of departure in two of Schön´s basic concepts, reflection-in-action and repertoire and makes use of two actual philosophers, Cornelius Castoriadis and Elisabeth Grosz, to find a new theoretical base for development of his understanding.