How design can contribute to materials research - Explorative prototyping as a method for collaboration between design and materials science

Abstract

This thesis examines how design, particularly industrial design practice, can contribute to the research and development of materials and their applications in collaboration with materials science. The topic is approached through the notion of constructive design research, which refers to the utilization of concrete design outputs as a means for research.

The scientific community is struggling with increasing demands for the generation of impact through research, this being the case also in the field of materials science. The integration of design into materials research and development processes is seen as potentially beneficial for innovation. For such endeavours have yielded positive results in industry, but have still remained rare in academia. There is, however, no established view on how the collaboration between design and materials science should exactly function.

The theoretical research inspects these question through literature and interviews. It also examines how design and science relate, thus deriving abductive reasoning and practical knowledge as the core reasoning strategies of design. These are used to further inspect the approach and processes of design, by concluding with explorative prototyping as a method for design to contribute to materials research and development processes.

The practical research examines three case studies, in which explorative prototypes are used in different ways for different purposes. The first case describes the development and prototyping of a biomimetic structure, the second depicts a concept design process for nanomaterials, and the third a process, in which a material is tested and developed using physical prototyping.

The thesis concludes that design can, through explorative prototyping, create ideas for how materials could be applied and further developed. Explorative prototyping is thus utilized for understanding the context of use of materials, which requires a holistic perspective and the integration of knowledge from different fields. Thereby design uses and creates essentially contextual knowledge, which is vital for the generation of impact through research.