Languaging design methods

Design methods have been integral to design studies research, with initial goals of bringing rationality and objectivity to design activities, later shifting to the creation and provision of methods as tools to encourage more reflective, meaningful, and socially responsible design practices. However, little research exists that describes how methods are created, what knowledge is used to inform this creation, or connects elements of methods to performance by designers. In this research note, I describe performative, codification-oriented, and presentation-oriented stances towards design methods, articulating a vocabulary that languages aspects of methods. I describe areas where this vocabulary may support design researchers, including building new design methods, informing descriptive accounts of methods in use, and supporting the creation of a theory of method.