(Lugano / Switzerland) - Call for Papers

Swiss Design Network Symposium 2009 - Call for Papers

Multiple Ways to Design Research

- Research cases that reshape the design discipline

12 + 13 November 2009

Lugano - Switzerland

The Fifth Symposium of the Swiss Design Network wants to highlight
research cases informed by knowledge of other disciplines to
understand their relevance for design theories, methods and practices.

According to this goal, the conference aims to present a
multidisciplinary overview on research projects - from those ones
originated within the design field to those ones originated within
other fields - that produce design research outcomes useful to outline
those theories, methods and practices which influence and reshape the
design discipline.

The framework of the conference is based on the assumption that the
evolution of sciences and technologies, and their impact on society,
suggests new research questions that constantly tend to expand the
ways to design research - in term of topics of interests, approaches
and contaminations - research questions that can be relevant for the
design knowledge, practice and education.

Delivering both panoramic overview and deepening, the conference
keynotes and the parallel project sessions are addressed to a wide
range of attendees: senior researchers of academia and of companies'
R&D units, PhD and master students coming from different disciplines,
industry exponents involved in the design development and production.

Questions of interest are...

- How do theories, methods and practices from other knowledge domains
inform the design research today? And, which kind of exchange exists
between them?

- How does design research evolve in contact with other disciplines or
contexts?

- How does design research informed by other knowledge suggest
fundamental questions for the design discipline?

- Which specific research experience and/or topic outlines relevant
design research areas?

- How does the context of technological innovation and industry drive
design research methods and practices and vice versa?

- Which scientific and artistic fields are producing research outcomes
that could be a point of interest for design research and discipline?

and conference contributions might have their origin in ...

- Design Research related to specific and focused design topics with a
strong impact on the discipline by integrating theoretical and
practical competencies coming from other fields.

- Multidisciplinary research that faces complex questions and shows
how design knowledge is influenced by and/or has influence on the
multidisciplinary context.

- Research originated by fields and disciplines outside the design
domain, like technical and humanistic domains, as well as arts, that
produces design research outcomes and/or design typical outputs.

- Fields of investigation and ongoing research outside design domains
that could represent, in the middle-long term, future directions for
design research and practice.

According to the conference framework, contributions might regard:

1. The Theoretical Level

- The epistemological reflection on design research

- The problem of the design discipline foundation

- Design research strategies and policies

- Design approaches in scientific research and scientific approaches
in design research

- New knowledge domains and the reconfiguration of the design education

2. The Methodological Level

- Design research practices within a multidisciplinary research context

- The adoption of methods originated outside the design practice, like
the situated action, the action research, qualitative and quantitative
methods like focus groups and usability testing, virtual and factual
modeling tests etc.

- The use of specific design research methods like the strategic
design, the participatory design, the scenario building etc.

- Scientific research influenced by design approaches and procedures

- Case studies where design research adopts scientific approaches and
procedures

- Case studies of typical design research that have a strong impact on
corporate R&D' methods

3. The Practical Level

- Design research projects in connection with scientific domains and
disciplines like computer sciences, artificial intelligence, robotics,
nanotechnologies, medicine, biology, anthropology, sociology,
psychology, semiotics, economy, arts etc.

- Design research projects based on emerging topics and/or technologies

- Design research outcomes within multidisciplinary research projects

- Design research projects from corporate R&D departments

- Basic research projects in the field of design

The Submission categories

- Full Research Papers

- Short Papers

- Interactive Posters / Demonstrations / Panels

Submission Deadlines

23 February 2009 - Call for papers

2 March 2009 - Submission of abstracts open

6 April 2009 - Submission of abstracts closed

18 May 2009 - Acceptance notice for all conference formats

13 July 2009 - Deadline Full and Short Papers, deadline other
conference formats

27 July 2009 - other conference formats accepted / revised

17 August 2009 - Papers accepted / revised

Submissions and review

Submissions should report original work and must not have been
published previously.

Abstracts

Written abstracts should not exceed 7'500 characters plus references.
The abstract should indicate the context of the research including the
main findings and conclusions. Detailed instructions on the format and
the submission procedure will be available on the symposium web site
soon.

Review process

The process for review is in two stages: abstracts and complete
version for one of the conference formats as Full Papers, Short
Papers, Interactive Posters / Demonstrations / Panels.

Both stages in the submission of Full and Short Papers will be peer-
reviewed by an international panel of experts. For each abstract and
paper, two reviewers will review in a double blind process, that will
retain the anonymity of authors and reviewers.

Complete submissions for posters, demonstrations and panels in the
second stage will be reviewed by the program committee.

Program committee

- Organizing committee

Giovanni Anceschi/ Italy/ Università IUAV di Venezia
Polly Bertram/ Switzerland/ SUPSI, School of Applied Sciences and Arts
of the Southern Switzerland
Massimo Botta/ Italy/ SUPSI, School of Applied Sciences and Arts of
the Southern Switzerland
Maria Grazia Mattei/ Italy/ MGM Digital Communication

- Scientific committee

Pier Luigi Capucci/ Italy/ University of Urbino
Gillian Crampton Smith/ United Kingdom/ Università IUAV di Venezia (to
be confirmed)
Jorge Frascara/ Argentina/ Professor emeritus of the University of
Alberta (Canada)
Hans Höger/ Italy/ Libera Università di Bolzano
Tomás Maldonado/ Argentina/ Professor emeritus of the Politecnico di
Milano (to be confirmed)
Ezio Manzini/ Italy/ Politecnico di Milano
Alvise Mattozzi/ Italy/ Università IUAV di Venezia
Silvia Pizzoccaro/ Italy/ Politecnico di Milano

The Submission categories

Papers

Authors are invited to submit a paper upon the approval of the
abstracts. This invitation will include comments and most probably
suggestions of the reviewers. The abstract reviewer will read and
comment also on the paper draft.

- Full Papers may address any of the areas identified in the
conference topics and should take cognisance of the conference theme.
Full papers would be expected to be about 40'000 characters long,
maximum 50'000, references included.

- Short Papers may focalize on late-breaking reserach results and on
work in progress or innovative ideas.

Short Papers should not exceed 15'000 characters references included.

Both full and short papers will be published in the SDN 2009
proceedings.

Interactive Posters / Demonstrations / Panels

The program structure of the first conference afternoon schedules a
series of parallel sessions addressed to smaller audiences. This
allows to submit abstracts for various formats as mentioned above.

- Interactive poster submissions should consist in a two pages
abstract including references plus a visual draft on one page A4.

- Demonstrations of procedures and prototypes should be submitted in a
two A4 pages description which highlights conceptual or tecnical
advances of the research finding, including the description of the
live demonstration in the congress.

- Panel proposals should promise stimulating debate on forward-looking
and/or contentious issues. They can be submitted by individuals
interested in developping a panel session as well as by a group of
participants with a common interest. Submission of abstract should
consist in a two A4 pages description. Panel submissions are not
anonymous.

Conference dates

31 August 2009 - Registration conference open

26 October 2009 - Registration conference closed

12/13 November 2009 - Symposium

Conference venues

Plenary sessions Cinema Corso, Parallel sessions Ex-asilo Ciani, Lugano

For travel informations and hotel facilties consult www.multipleways09.ch
<http://www.multipleways09.ch/>

Polly Bertram
Massimo Botta
SUPSI | Laboratorio Cultura Visiva
Campus Trevano
CP 105 | CH-6952 Canobbio
T +41 58 6666 394 | F +41 58 6666 399

infomultipleways09.ch <mailto:infomultipleways09.ch> |
www.multipleways09.ch
<http://www.multipleways09.ch/>