Enabling metadesign through an exploration of misinterpretation: Design process verification focusing on the role of objects in the actual production process

This case study analyses the role that writing and verbal communication plays when using objects in the collaborative metadesign process. It is common for co-design practices to be introduced in the ideation and other early stages of the design process. In these processes achieving consensus among participants may be critically important. Our research shows that an appropriate physical object can help not only in the initial phase of the process but also in the later stages of designing and production. In this article, we focused on the co-design process carried out by a Japanese craftsman and a group of designers and explored how the artefacts created along the way affected the process of communication. By examining misunderstandings and consensus between the participants, we learnt more about the possible role of objects in bridging the different viewpoints. The results of this study will contribute to the active introduction of metadesign methods in later design phases and, thus, improve the inclusiveness within metadesign projects.