A Future for Design Science?

A Future for Design Science?

John Broadbent
Faculty of Design, Architecture, and Building, University of Technology, Sydney.
e-mail:John.Broadbent@uts.edu.au

Abstract
In a world seemingly committed to more complex systems, design science should be embracing the
sciences of complexity. Otherwise, its usefulness will be limited to those tame problems amenable to its
current methods, unable to address the wicked problems which increasingly populate our world. There is
already a large body of practical experience with complexity theory on which design scientists can draw. Placing
complexity theory in an evolutionary context, based on General Evolution Theory(GET), could be the next
frontier for design science. GET enriches time perspectives and patterns in complexity theory, both elements
useful to design practice. A particular benefit of Complexity and General Evolution Theories is that they span all
dynamic systems, and thereby diminish the disciplinary barriers between the physical, biological and social
sciences which have for so long bedevilled practice. The methodological issues in broadening design science to
incorporate reductivist, systemic, and evolutionary perspectives are considered, and a meta-methodology based on
Participatory Action Research is proposed as a way to integrate these very different epistemologies.
Keywords: Design Science, Complexity Theory, Evolutionary Systems Theory, Meta-Methodologies, and Futures

1.0 Introduction
The quality of a designed product is dependent on
the pool of relevant science available for its design
Willem (1990,47)
If we accept Willems thesis, then maybe science design science specifically is not doing a
particularly good job. For it has been estimated by several authors that over 80% of all new products fail on
launch, and another 10% fail during the next five years [50][54][23]. As Friedman [26] points out lower
failure rates would have major benefits in terms of more sustainable development, less environmental impact,
reduced waste, increased productivity. More simply, societies could better allocate their scarce resources.
In this paper, I propose some likely reasons for this situation, and suggest how the scientific input to
design might be broadened. The paper is exploratory and, as such, will probably generate more questions
than it answers. Nevertheless, it hopefully presents one plausible interpretation of design science futures; it
may be seen as an elaboration of an earlier paper [12]. A brief historical reflection on design science is
provided first, to contextualise what follows. The paper describes some database surveys, which are intended
to be indicative rather than exhaustive; more thorough surveys would undoubtedly locate more resources.
But I believe that the broad thrust of the paper is not impaired by the approach taken.

2.0 Historical perspectives

Design science comprises a collection(a system) of logically connected knowledge in the area of
design, and contains concepts of technical information and of design methodology Design science
addresses the problem of determining and categorizing all regular phenomena of the systems to be
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Number 5, Chaoyang Journal of Design

designed, and of the design process. Design science is also concerned with deriving from the applied
knowledge of the natural sciences appropriate information in a form suitable for the designers use
Hubka & Eder (1987,124)
Findeli [24] believes that the role of science in design can be traced back to the 19th century.
According to Cross [21] conscious efforts to scientise design derive from the twentieth century modern
movement in design. Educationally, it was when Hannes Meyer was director of the Bauhaus (1927/30) that
scientific principles were first introduced into the design curriculum [56].
But it seems to have been Buckminster Fuller [27] who first used the term design science as a
comprehensive anticipatory design science in a poem written in 1956. Fuller had developed an
enthusiasm for scientific methodology much earlier, while serving in the US Navy in the Great War [55].
But his use of design science was very different from the more generally accepted understanding of Hubka
& Eder above. In comprehensive anticipatory design science Fuller viewed planet Earth as a single system,
and comprehensiveness was reflected in his Spaceship Earth project. Fuller wanted design scientists to be
anticipatory because of the sometimes long lag times between invention and application. Fullers efforts
culminated in a design science decade in the 1960s, during which it was hoped science, technology and
rationalism would overcome the human and environmental problems of the planet [21]. Fuller was percipient
- and at least fifty years ahead of his time!
In the event, design science took a very different direction, with efforts to formulate coherent, rational,
positivist design methods based on the scientific method [64][20]. In this, it found resonance with the
design methods movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s [12]. The resultant hard system methods
undoubtedly contribute to an improved design process in many ways, and their role continues to diversify.
Nonetheless, this contribution is seen to be largely procedural and technical in nature, leaving large and
critical parts of designing unsupported by science. Detractors of hard system methods point to fundamental
differences between science and design and, hence, their associated methodologies. These severe limitations
of positivist science for design had been clearly articulated by the mid-1960s/early 1970s.

3.0 Complexity theory

Our primary goal is to create models of design capable of consistently transforming and evolving,
keeping pace with todays rate of change, breaking deterministic expectations and constructing an
adaptable matrix of tactics and techniques
Rahim (2000,6)
3.1 Historical perspectives
While some in the design community were debating the role of science in design, some in the science
community were exploring lines of inquiry which are now having far-reaching consequences for global
society. These scientists were gaining an understanding of the so-called sciences of complexity or, more
simply, complexity theory. Table 1 gives a sense of the main contributors and the timing and nature of their
inquiries.
While the initial developments closely followed WWII, most contributions were in the 1960s/1970s.
These new sciences were thus being established at a time when reductivist science was finding wide
disfavour with the design community.
There has been a lag phase of 20-30 years between the development of complexity theory and its
practical application in human affairs; over 70% of 2166 monographs selected with the keyword complexity

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A Future for Design Science?

in the database Global Books in Print were published in the last decade. Complex systems thinking now
finds widespread application in such areas as:
Table 1. Major contributions to complexity theory (based on Laszlo[49]; full citations in Reference section)
Year
1947
1948
1951
early 1950s
1960
1965
1972
1975
1977
1977
1977
1980
1987
1989

Contribution
Irreversible processes
Cybernetics
General System Theory
Cellular automata
Dynamical systems/Chaos theory
Non-equilibrium thermodynamics
Morphogenesis
Autopoeisis
Self-organization
Catastrophe theory
Fractals
Interconnectedness/Wholeness
Self-organized criticality
Artificial life

Main contributors
Prigogine
Weiner
von Bertalanffy
von Neumann
Abraham & Shaw
Katchalsky & Curran
Thom
Maturana & Varela
Nicolis & Prigogine
Zeeman
Mandelbrot
Bohm
Bak
Langton

{ Finance, business, manufacturing, economics

{ Transportation and communications
{ Governance, management, organizational change, industrial relations
{ Computing, software engineering, information processing
{ The natural sciences, medicine, and technology
{ Environmental studies and industrial ecology
{ Corporate responsibility and risk analysis
3.2 Complexity theory and design
So what is the situation in respect of design? Regarding monographs, a recent search (October 2004) of
Global Books in Print with the keywords Complexity and Design elicited 32 citations. Of these, just
three significantly relate complexity theory to design; they are listed in Table 2, with several others which
may also be of interest. These texts range widely across design and related areas, but share a complexity
theory approach.
Table 2. Monographs which relate complexity theory to design and related disciplines
Publication
date
1995
1996
1997
1997
1997

Author
Jencks, C.
Stacey, R.D.
Eve, R.A., Horsfall, S. & Lee,
M.E.
Goerzel, B.

1998

Anderla, G., Dunning, A. &

Forge, S.
Byrne, D.

1999

Rowland, G.

1999

Stacey, D.

2002

Minati, G. & Pessa, E.

2003
2003

Nelson, H. & Stolterman, E.

Midgley, G.

Title
The architecture of the jumping universe
Complexity and creativity in organizations
Chaos, complexity, and sociology
From complexity to creativity: explorations in evolutionary,
autopoietic, and cognitive dynamics
Chaotics: an agenda for business and society in the 21st century
Complexity theory and the social sciences:
an introduction
A tripartite seed: the future creating capacity of designing,
learning and systems
Strategic management and organizational dynamics(3rd
edition)
Emergence in complex, cognitive, social, and biological
systems
The design way: intentional change in an unpredictable world
Systems thinking(3 volumes)

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In respect of serial articles, a recent search (October 2004) of the database Art Abstracts with the
keywords Complexity and Design elicited 218 citations. Of these, 15 seemed to have design relevance
and were reviewed. In the event, just six related design to complexity theory; they can be summarized as
follows:
{ Jencks has written extensively on the interaction between design and complexity theory [38][39][40]
[42]. His interest is in the metaphorical meaning of complexity theory for architectural design,
creating what he calls nonlinear architecture. He does not consider whether and how complexity
theory could influence the objectives and processes of architecture. He believes that nonlinear
architecture encourages a plurality of styles and sees complexity theory as unifying nature and
culture. While prone to hyperbole in his earlier accounts, Jencks may be correct when he recently
observed that a wind is stirring architecture, and at least it is the beginning of a shift in theory
and practice [42].
{ Rahim [65] seeks to relate complexity theory to the design process, specifically in architecture. His
writing, though, is abstract and does little to open up this important area of inquiry
{ Findeli [24] provides a thoughtful review of the nexus between design and complexity theory, with
respect to contemporary design education. He comprehensively critiques contemporary design and
sets out to identify another theoretical model as a basis for design education. He believes that
systems and complexity theories have introduced a teleology into the otherwise strictly causal
sequence of design. He recognizes that the designers task is to work with the dynamic
morphology of systems, rather than to act against it He proposes that before a designer starts a new
project, he/she should have an adequate representation of the content, the structure, the evolutionary
dynamics, and the trends[patterns] or telos of [the relevant] system(p.11). These insights are
clearly informing a new model of design education (see also Broadbent, [11]).
3.3 Methodological considerations
Not surprisingly, the methodologies developed for use with complex dynamic systems differ greatly
from those of reductivist design science. Flood & Jackson [25] describe two methods for contextualising
complex problems and six problem-solving methodologies. Jackson [35] has described methodologies in
management science, mostly based on complexity theory. Both authors emphasise the usefulness of diverse
problem-solving methodologies when tackling complex problems, a view formalized by Mingers &
Brocklesby [57] as multimethodology. Although these developments have occurred in management science,
they are likely to be of relevance to design science also. They are seen as a methodological response to the
wicked problems which challenged hard system methods 3-4 decades ago.
It was only in the late 1990s that soft system methods began to enter design methodology [66][62]. It is
likely that some recontextualisation of such methodologies for use in design will be needed.
3.4 Discussion
The trend of human endeavour towards increasingly systemic activities seems inevitable as we become
more aware of the interlinked nature of our world. It seems surprising that such a sea-change from an
objectivist reductionist to a subjectivist systemic view - has occurred methodologically in a matter of decades.
Changes in society have always been constrained by current abilities and worldviews of the individuals who
constitute that society [68]. As these abilities and worldviews change, so whole new vistas of what is possible
emerge.
It seems that the design community considerably lags others in applying complexity theory to its
practice. Interest at the confluence of design and complexity theory has been spasmodic at best and is of a
mostly superficial nature. Whether this is a conscious decision by the design community is unclear; it may
reflect a reluctance to interact with the sciences. Whatever, a systematic exploration of what complexity
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theory can offer the design disciplines - in part based on what it has already offered other areas of society now seems overdue. Such a study could energise the design community to fast-track its commitment to the
new sciences.

4.0 General evolution theory(GET)

and as men demonstrate competence
and responsibilities as initiators
of comprehensive, anticipatory design science
they gear mens conscious efforts
into natures ceaseless evolutionary processes
thereby, progressively converting these inevitable
and heretofore misapprehended
and ofttimes vainly fought processes
from painfully dissynchronous
to happily synchronous events,
Buckminster Fuller (1971)
4.1 Historical perspectives
Buckminster Fuller repeatedly referred to the nexus between design and evolution in his writings. His
views seem to have been intuitive, for he did not subject them to theoretical scrutiny.
While humans have been interested in evolution at least since the ancient greeks, the use of complexity
theory to understand this phenomenon is, of course, recent. Ervin Laszlo published his explorations of a
nexus between evolution and complexity theory as Evolution: the grand synthesis in 1987 (revised in Laszlo,
[49]). He proposed a common model of evolution for all dynamic systems: In its new meaning evolution is
not only the evolution of living species but the evolution of all things that emerge, persist, and change or
decay in the known universe [47]. Laszlos work was a response to sciences search for a unitary principle.
The unifying principle is, in his view, one of process rather than form, one of becoming rather than of
being. His evolutionary theory is, in terms of complexity theory, the pattern of irreversible change
manifest in all systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium [47]).
Laszlo [48] elsewhere describes evolution based on complexity theory more fully: Evolution is
triggered when a critical fluctuation pushes a far-from equilibrium system into a structurally new
thermodynamic regime. The new order arises in the interplay of critical fluctuations during the crucial phasechange of an instability. If the system is to evolve rather than devolve, at least one out of the many possible
fluctuations must nucleate that is, diffuse rapidly throughout the system. If and when it does, the whole
system undergoes a bifurcation: its evolutionary trajectory forks off into a new mode.
If, following a bifurcation, the system achieves a new dynamic regime, that regime is likely to be
more resistant to the perturbation that triggered the bifurcation than the previous regime. In consequence
destabilized far-from-equilibrium systems do not fall back to their previous modes of organization but grow
in structure and in complexity. Their dynamic regime defines the norm around which their typical values will
thereafter fluctuate.
A benefit of General Evolution Theory (GET) is that all dynamic systems physical, biological,
biosocial, sociocultural, technological are interpreted via a common model, even though the manifestations
of that model differ widely between systems. Importantly, Laszlo believes that the basic dynamic and
formative features of this evolutionary process are invariant across all these dynamic systems.

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4.2 Complexity and evolution
A recent search (October 2004) of Global Books in Print with the keywords Evolution and
Complexity elicited 116 citations of which 77% had been published in the last decade. These texts address
key issues in the nexus between complexity theory and evolution; a selection is given below.
Table 3. Selected monographs on evolution and complexity theory
Year
Title
1996 How the leopard changed its spots: the evolution of
complexity
1996 Evolution: foundations of a general theory
1996 Evolution, order and complexity
1996 The radiance of being: complexity, chaos and the evolution
of consciousness
1999 The evolution of complexity
2001
2002
2002
2003

Cosmic evolution: the rise of complexity in nature

The emergence of everything
The narrative universe
From complexity to life

Author
Goodwin, B.
Laszlo, E.
Khalil, E.L. & Boulding, K.E.
Combs, A.
Heylighen, F., Bollen, J. & Riegler,
A.
Chaisson, E.J.
Morowitz, H.J.
Bocchi, G. & Ceruti, M.
Gregersen, N.H.(Ed.)

It is clear that the emergence of a literature on evolution from a complexity theory perspective is very
recent, mostly within the last decade. Behind this though is a vast literature on evolution itself. There are
over 22,000 monographs on evolution in Global Books in Print alone, with a serials literature at least an
order of magnitude greater. Evolutionary literatures now exist for almost every facet of socioculture,
although they have been written from various epistemological perspectives. There is now a pressing need to
critically synthesise the many positions present in this huge literature in a form that would give substance to
the theoretical framework proposed by Laszlo almost two decades ago, and provide a firmer basis for practice
as well. Cumulatively, these studies could provide an ecology of culture.
4.3 GET and design
In respect of a more specific relationship between design and evolution, a recent search (October, 2004)
of Global Books in Print, using the keywords Design and Evolution, elicited 279 citations. Perhaps 40 of
these seemed relevant to design. A review of half these latter revealed that most were purely descriptive
accounts, with little or no consideration of underlying evolutionary theory. Those which provide a theoretical
perspective are listed in Table 4, together with others known to the author.
Table 4.
Date
1975
1979
1990
1994
1996
1998
2000
2001
2003

Monographs which relate design to evolutionary theory (Full citations in Reference section)
Title
Author
Design for evolution
Jantsch, E.
The evolution of designs
Steadman, P.
The pencil: a history of design and circumstance
Petroski, H.
The evolution of useful things
Petroski, H.
Designing social systems in a changing world
Banathy, B.
The evolution of allure
Hersey, G.L.
Guided evolution of society: a systems view
Banathy, B.
Simulating the evolution of language
Cangelosi, A. & Parisi, D.
The psychology of art and the evolution of the conscious brain Solso, R.L.

Essentially all the critical concerns of design aesthetics, communication, uncertainty, creativity,
spirituality, decision making, behaviour, cognition, knowledge, management, methodology, philosophy,
practice, processes, strategy, theory, technology, drawing, epistemology, evaluation, innovation, intuition,
logic, perception, problem solving, analysis, psychology, reasoning have evolutionary literatures, albeit
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rarely in the context of design itself. An evolutionary systems perspective may better integrate these diverse
considerations than has been possible to date.
4.4 Patterns and propositions
Buckminster Fuller sought patterns in the world around him, to better inform his design. Patterns are
the substance of evolution, they provide form to seeming chaos. They are used by many, perhaps most,
people to navigate through their daily lives. These patterns cumulatively, across populations, determine
evolutionary futures. That is not to say that all patterns are a part of evolution, as patterns can be
devolutionary. Patterns can be helpful to designing. One benefit of any rationalization of the diverse
evolutionary literatures now accumulating would be a greater understanding and validation of recognized
patterns with a consequent greater confidence in their practical use, e.g. in design.
Patterns are well recognized in the physical and biological sciences [59] as well as the social sciences
[69][67]. To illustrate their usefulness to design practice, we can consider the design implications of
propositions made by Sanderson [67] after an extensive study of human history. Sanderson identified 33
propositions, among them:
I.3.

World-historical transformations are not the unfolding of predetermined patterns Instead, they
represent the grand aggregation and multiplication of the actions of individuals and groups in concrete
historical circumstances as these individuals are responding to a multiplicity of biological,
psychological, and social needs
From a design perspective, it is very clear that the careful monitoring of consumer/user needs is
essential to successful outcomes. Such monitoring must suitably capture the true complexity of
whatever is of interest.

II.5. The differences between social and biological evolution are great enough to require that social evolution
be studied as a process in its own right, and not merely along the lines of an analogy with biological
evolution
The common tendency to apply Darwinian principles to social evolution is unlikely to lead to successful
design outcomes.
III.1 The principal causal factors in social evolution are the natural conditions of human existence, i.e., the
demographic, ecological, technological, and economic forces at work in social life
Design interacts substantively with all four causal factors and, in so doing, can significantly influence
the course of social evolution in the communities it serves.
IV.8. Individuals who originate(inherit, borrow) adaptations are not necessarily engaging in a process of
attempted optimization. Individuals are frequently content with a satisfactory, rather than an optimal,
way of meeting their needs and wants. In other words, adaptations are often (probably most often) the
products of satisficing rather than optimizing behaviors
A clear understanding of whether users are engaged in optimizing or satisficing behaviors is essential
to establishing suitable design responses.
V.3. The social structures and systems that individuals create through their purposive action reflect back on
these and other individuals in the sense that they create new sets of constraints within which
individually purposive action must operate
Designers should be very aware that their work might alter the dialectic between human agency and
social structure.

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VII.1. Both gradualist and punctuationalist forms of change characterize social evolution. The pace of
social evolution varies from one historical epoch and evolutionary stage to another, and is a matter
for empirical study
Clearly designers must be aware of the phase of the societies for which they design, as this will
significantly influence their strategy. Kondratieff Waves are a specific example of this phenomenon
with major implications for strategy [13].
Other treatments of these and related issues are provided by Broadbent & Denison [14] and Broadbent
& Harfield [15].
To the extent that design also is a complex dynamic system, it too should have patterns through which
it can be better understood. In this regard, Buchanan [17] has developed four generative principles for
design:
{ Design which is shaped through experience and environment, these latter interactively influencing
action in complex ways to generate multiple causes for that design. A pluralist process of ongoing
reconstruction takes place during which environment and experience are themselves continually
altered (Relates to Sandersons Proposition III.1)
{ Design as an agent-driven process, which is ongoing and continuously interactive with other
influences, this leading to new ways of designing, new intentions, and new products(p.80).
Exemplary in that it draws on successful models from the past or present to inspire the
future(Relates to Sandersons Proposition V.3 and to other propositions not presented here)
{ Design which is strongly influenced by trends in social and cultural life, including issues of taste and
preferences for aesthetic pleasure
{ Design which is strongly influenced by transcendent ideals, which may be spiritually, philosophically,
or culturally derived. In doing so, ethical and moral values are addressed as well as issues of, say,
usability and functionality. A largely prospective role.
Cumulatively, Buchanans propositions describe a complex dynamic system and, to a point, its
evolution; they emphasise the important role that designers should consciously have in these evolutionary
processes. Further, it is possible that the design-related evolutionary literatures mentioned already could
together create Buchanans Ecology of Design Culture(p.76).
The propositions of both Sanderson and Buchanan are probabilistic rather than deterministic. One
reason for this is that these propositions are highly interactive, thus engendering the complexity of the
systems in question. Nonetheless, propositions derived from General Evolution Theory should help us to
better understand and work with the complex systems which already comprise our natural world and which
will increasingly constitute our artificial world.
4.5 Discussion
General Evolution Theory(GET) is an extension of Complexity Theory. A primary benefit, though, is
that it emphasizes the patterned nature of evolution. This may make both theories more relevant and
accessible to the design community. Regardless, the further development of GET seems a prerequisite to its
use in design practice.

5.0 Methodological considerations

That there should be cycles of development to come,
with the death of each cycle looking like a minor catastrophe at the time,
ought not to have surprised us, but of course it did, and does

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Cross (1972,185)
5.1 Introduction
Preceding sections have considered developments historically in respect of traditional design science,
and both historically and currently in the emerging fields of complexity and general evolution theory.
Methodological considerations have been raised briefly along the way, but could benefit now from more
formal consideration. It has been suggested elsewhere [12] that each new generation of methodology
overlays rather than supplants its predecessor, thereby creating a system of methodologies which, being more
inclusive of the real world, should also be more useful to practice. If this is so, then it may be helpful to
develop a framework a metamethodology which formalises this situation.
5.2 Essential criteria
Several issues should be addressed in generating a metamethodology which incorporates the
methodologies of traditional design science, complexity theory, and general evolution theory, it should:
{ have an evolutionary capability; in other words, have the capacity to remain aligned with the
system(s) to which it is being applied
{ be able to bring about evolutionary change in the system(s) under study; that is, such change should
be sustainable
{ integrate diverse methodologies and epistemologies
{ incorporate a critical awareness
{ be realistic in terms of project timelines, financing, etc
5.3 An existing model
The search for an existing, suitable metamethodology started with a review of the qualitative methods
described by Denzin & Lincoln [22]. Participatory Action Research (PAR) seemed to most closely satisfy the
above criteria. It has an evolutionary history, in that it has been enriched by several theoretical perspectives
over time. Its inherently evolutionary nature is evident not only in its repetitive four-phase cycle of planning,
acting, observing and reflecting but also in the desire that action research remain developmental that is,
open to ongoing research and change [4]. Indeed, the open-ended nature of PAR renders it particularly wellsuited to further evolution. PAR intentionally brings about evolutionary change in the systems to which it is
applied, through its critical awareness.
These desired attributes are well-embodied in the metamethodology proposed by Kemmis &
McTaggart [44], who have structured the practice of PAR into a taxonomy of three envelopes which
embrace each other like Russian dolls (Table 5). Simplifying their model somewhat:
Table 5. Taxonomy of Participatory Action Research methodologies (based on Kemmis & McTaggart,[44])
Influence
Positivism/
Post-Positivism

Methods
Quasi-experimental-correlational/ use of
descriptive-inferential
statistics/psychrometric- observational

Constructivist/
Interpretive

Qualitative methods/idiographic,
autobiographical,
phenomenological/limited use of
statistics/ethnographic/interview/
questionnaire/diary/journals/self
report/introspection/discourse and
document analysis
Reflexive, as in critical social science,
collaborative action research, memory
work/ dialectical analysis

Critical

35

General features
Objective-instrumentalist/ technical/ regulation-control/
external to observer/individual or social/behavioristcognitivist/ structural-functionalist/structure & agency/
process-oriented
Subjective/practical/individual or social/participatory
observer /involves values, intentions,
judgements/motives/acknowledges realworld
complexity/historically contextualised/structure & agency/
problem oriented

Reflexive-dialectical; seeks change & evolution/

political/overarching/dynamic & action-oriented/historically
contextualised/creative/ emancipatory,transformative, seeks
improvement in theory & practice/ collaborative &
participatory/links past & future/theorizing

Number 5, Chaoyang Journal of Design

{ The innermost envelope is objective and technical. In our terms, it employs reductivist, hard
systems methods in pursuit of its goals
{ The middle envelope is seen as subjective and practical. For our purposes, it is engaged with
complex dynamic systems, for which soft system methodologies seem appropriate
{ The outermost envelope they refer to as reflexive/dialectical and critical/emancipatory and relates
to the critical systems practice of Jackson [35]. This is the element most concerned with change and
evolution.
The Kemmis-McTaggart taxonomy, which they refer to as a science of practice (albeit in human and
social science) would seem to satisfy the essential criteria listed earlier. It is integrative to the extent that it
incorporates hard and soft systems thinking into a framework mediated by critical systems thinking. It also
has a capacity to accommodate diverse cosmologies from the specific to the most general, through its critical
theory component. It has an intrinsically evolutionary nature.
5.4 Core module
The metamethodology of Kemmis & McTaggart [44] can be readily reformulated to accommodate past
developments in design science and those mooted here for the future(Table 6).
Table 6. Core module for a design-science meta-methodology (based on Pugh [64], Cross [20], Jackson [35],
Broadbent[12])
Influence
Methods
General features
Positivism/
Objective tree method/function
Grounded in natural sciences/
Post-Positivism
analysis/specification/QFD/
reductionist/objective/functionalist/
morphological charts/weighted
inductive/suitable for tame problems/real
world/linear/ surprise-free/methodologyobjectives/value engineering/
manufacture/marketing/design
driven/ optimizing/static/intervention-based/
management
external/systematic/explicit
Constructivist
/Interpretive

Critical

Strategic Assumption Surfacing &

Testing(SAST)/Interactive Planning/
Soft Systems
Methodology(SSM)/Critical Systems
Heuristics(CSH)/Team
Syntegrity/Viable System Model
(VSM)/Total Systems
Intervention(TSI)/System of Systems
Methodologies(SOSM)/ Participatory
Action Research
Critical Systems Practice(CSP)

Grounded in social sciences/

holistic/subjective-experiential/
judgmental/abductive/intuitive suitable for
wicked problems/ models real world/nonlinear; emergent/satisficing-pluralist
outcomes/evolutionary/interactive/
internal/systematic and systemic/ implicit

Overarching/dynamic/creative/
emancipatory/transformative/
collaborative/reflexive-dialectical/ seeks
change and evolution

The Russian doll model recognizes the continuing importance of traditional design science practice,
but within the broader context of complexity theory. Thus, traditional hard system methods help inform the
wider system view developed through constructivist/interpretive methodologies. The outcomes of these two
phases in the design process engage with critical theory to clarify deeper sociocultural issues; for example,
cultural imperialism may devalue designs from regions which seek to establish their own cultural and hence
design identities.
The core module greatly enriches and broadens information flows from science into design, by
engaging with not only the natural but also the social sciences. In doing so, it should result in designed
products and services better suited to their user needs.
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5.5.Evolutionary systems module

Inayatullah [33] has noted that it is important to acknowledge patterns in socioculture, past and
present, even if post-structuralism dislikes such universals. He believes that grand narratives and
macrohistories give insights into patterns of the past and present, and how to look for them. In similar vein,
Wilber & Harrison [76] recommended that practitioners and scholars alike should allow the subject to
impress upon them its norms and to instill within them its categories. These considerations have been
rehearsed already.
An appropriate response may be a module which supplements the core module, and subjects the
relevant system to review from an evolutionary systems perspective. A framework for such a module is given
in Table 7.
Table 7. An evolutionary systems module
Influence
Methods
Positivism/
Evolutionary-genetic
post-Positivism
algorithms/Agent-based
modeling/Probabilistic
forecasts(Martino, [52]) /Multicriteria optimization/ Viable
system diagnosis
(Flood & Jackson, [25])
Constructivist
Strategic Assumption/
/Interpretive
Surfacing and Testing
(SAST)(Flood & Jackson, [25]/
Grand narratives
/Macrohistories
/Macrothinking
Critical
Evolutionary critical
dialectics(Abel & Sementelli, [1])

General features
Predictive/expert-based/ objective/ seeks
simplicity/hard systems/ empiricalanalytical/preferably quantitative, with emphasis
on precision, accuracy, & reliability/ functionalist

An evolutionary systems interpretation,

emphasising the changing meanings of symbols,
practices, behavior, institutions, norms and
roles(Abel & Sementelli, [1])/ can be
cyclical/emphasizes consultative, group-processes,
consensus/soft systems/ subjective
Enabling a non-teleological, non-determinist
evolutionary social
constructionism/complementarist/
emancipatory/sociologically aware

5.6.Futures module
Participatory Action Research, the basis of the metamethodology under consideration, seeks to establish
what ought to be [74]. It is a methodology to generate and realize desired futures. Yet, in most applications
there is no structured consideration of these futures.
Bringing an explicit futures focus into PAR is important because it should:
{ ensure more sustainable change strategies
{ engage PAR with higher levels in systems of interest
{ permit inclusion of future generations in contemporary decision-making [77][31]
This proposal is not novel. Banathy [8], for instance, adopted elements of Ackoffs [3] interactive
planning approach which, in turn, shares the participatory and change-initiating aspects of PAR. In essence,
interactive planning is about conceptualizing a desired future and then determining how to realize it. Banathy
placed these principles of interactive planning in an explicitly evolutionary context, to create a conscious,
self-guided evolutionary process.
Inayatullah [33] also acknowledged that action learning seldom questions the future, and proposed
anticipatory action learning as a questioning process wherein the future is explicitly explored (p. 297).
He regarded anticipatory action learning as a merging of classical participatory action research and action
learning with futures studies.

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Earlier, Inayatullah [30] provided a typology of futures studies methods, on which Table 8 is based.
This typology anticipated those of Denzin & Lincoln [22] and Kemmis & McTaggart [44]. As with these
authors, Inayatullah recognized the complementarity of the different methodologies he considered, and hence
the multi-methodological/multi-epistemological nature of his metamethodology. He also realized that poststructuralism problematizes the validity of futures studies (p.130), but noted a symmetry between the
examination of past practices for insights and the establishment of more effective future practices.
The role of post-structuralism in Inayatullahs taxonomy of futures studies can be seen to bring
evolutionary perpectives to this activity, through the creation of diversity. Further, a high level of
complementarity is apparent between the metamethodologies of PAR and futures studies, making possible the
systematic and indeed systemic incorporation of futures studies into PAR and permitting the explicit
exploration of futures options.
5.7 Discussion
Table 8. A futures module (based on Inayatullah 1990,1998,2002a&b:Wildman&Inayatullah, 1996)
Influence
Methods
Comments
Positivism/
Post-Positivism

Constructivist/
Interpretive

Extrapolation; scenarios/
multidimensional scaling;
Delphi; regression analysis;
cross-impact analysis;
simulation modeling
Images of the future;
stories/narratives

Critical

Critical dialectics

Post-structural

Causal layered analysis

Linear; predictive; expert-based; seeks to domesticate

time; objective; seeks simplicity

Concerned with the meanings given to data and their

cultural boundedness; dialectic; pluralist;
participatory; phenomenological/hermeneutic;
generates open, negotiable futures; engages with
complexity; subjective; seeks mutual understanding
Deconstructs power; challenges
worldviews/mindscapes; critiques dominant
conceptualizations
Concerned with what is missing in any nomination of
the future; transdisciplinary/transcultural; encourages
examination of other practices, past or present;
problematizes time; engages with epistemological
pluralism; transformative

Metamethodologies have emerged in the last decade or so in response to a growing need for
methodologies which span several epistemologies. This approach is taken here for a metamethodology of
design science which encompasses positivist, systemic, and critical methods. Clearly, the benefits of using
such a metamethodology must be established in practice; in doing so, it is very possible that present
conceptualizations will experience further development.

6.0 General discussion

A science that aims to support and strengthen practical reason
addresses actors as persons knowing subjects
who could make wiser and more prudent decisions in the light of
a richer understanding of the situation in which they find themselves
Kemmis & McTaggart (2000,584)

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A Future for Design Science?

I have described ways in which design science could develop in coming years. These expectations are
based on trends already evident in science.
The acceleration of humanity into more complex systems is one of the most striking features of
contemporary civilization. Yet it is well to remember that the human body has some ten quadrillion (1015)
cells, each with well over a billion(109) molecules [16]. This amazing system operates without fatal error for
some 79 years on average in Australians(a figure likely to approach 95 years by 2050). In light of these
observations, two points should be made about complex systems:
{ the term complexity is a relative one; what seems complex at a point in time is likely to be seen as
progressively simpler thereafter
{ complexity in human systems is still dwarfed by that in biological systems; we might reasonably
expect human systems to become significantly more complex with time
These two points lead one to conclude that we shall continue to improve our capacity to create complex
systems and to need new methodologies for their design and management into the foreseeable future.
The reluctance of the design community, design scientists especially, to engage meaningfully with the
sciences of complexity is perplexing. Perhaps it simply needs someone to explain carefully and
comprehensively why they should do so. Perhaps this community is content to solve tame problems. Or
perhaps the problem is more deep-seated, for example in the bruising design methods debates of the
1960s/early 1970s. Whatever the reason, there seems an imperative for that engagement to occur without
further delay.
The lack of resonance of the design community with evolutionary systems theory is more
understandable. The theoretical developments are more recent, less substantive, and their contribution to
human wellbeing less evident. On the other hand, the affinity between design and evolution seems so strong
and obvious at least it was to Buckminster Fuller! Here, though, we may be touching on a very deep
systemic problem with contemporary design. While all the evidence points to a much more central role for
design, as an evolutionary guidance system for humanity [6], the reality of today is scarcely a shadow of this
prospect.
Design science must continue to evolve. It is no more fixed in time than any of the other complex
dynamic systems which inform design itself and, more widely, create the world we live in. It must also keep
pace with accelerating technological and sociocultural change. Methodologies will always be found wanting
because, in further exposing the complexity of the real world, they provide the rationale for the next
generation of methodology. Nonetheless, the gap between reality and need should never become too great, or
evolutionary fitness is lost.
The proposals made here all entail a significant complexification of current practice, well beyond the
real world constraints which many see around design today. This conservative view of design must be
challenged if design science and, more widely, design itself are to realize their sociocultural potential.
Also militating against significant change is the lack of even an approximation of the costs of
inadequacies in current design practice, both economically and socioculturally. These costs are probably very
large and are both part of the problem design is seen to poorly serve sociocultural needs as well as the
solution a recognition of the real costs and hence a determination to do something about them.
The proposals made here may also seem daunting because many in society-at-large seem unaware of
the very rapid and substantial developments in science today. Here, the failure of our educational systems
generally to keep abreast of the accelerating rate of knowledge acquisition may be at issue. Professor
Findelis mission to bring complexity theory into design education could be a breakthrough in this regard, and
should be closely followed by other design schools as a possible model for their own futures.
Finally, global dynamics may be playing a role in our reluctance for change. Western societies, the
recent fountainhead of design, are mostly on the defensive in many ways. This seems to have triggered a
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Number 5, Chaoyang Journal of Design

wave of conservatism, with an attendant reluctance to experiment with the new. My limited experience of
east Asian societies is of an enthusiasm and capacity for change on a scale which is scarcely imaginable in the
West today. Perhaps its time for a baton-change?

7.0 Acknowledgment
I thank Professor Ken Friedman for posting a concise summary of studies into the failure rates of new
products and services on the PhD Design list, information used in my introductory comments.

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