We have a number of research projects and initiatives that explore the impact and value of design across our five universities.
The efficacy of design methods for public and social innovation sector innovation in Western Australia
Design methods and methodologies are applied widely to the development of products and services provided by public and social sector innovators on a global scale. This mixed-methods study is exploring the reach and impact of design methods and the evaluation of design-led project outcomes. The goal is to identify design methodologies, methods or approaches that can be transferred to other domains and problem situations likely to improve the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of West Australians.
The research is being conducted by Shari Freeman, supervised by Dr Philip Ely and Dr Louis Geneste at Curtin University and is funded by the Australian Government’s Research Training Program (RTP).
A framework for understanding the value of design
Philip Ely and Louis Geneste presented at the international Academic Design Management Conference in August 2020 on the topic of the value and impact of design. Their paper, Spinning in Helices: Design and the Question of Value presented the framework of the design value helix which allows design leaders to analyse design projects to determine their positive impact on planet and society. Selected as one of the top papers in the conference, the paper is now published in the Design Management Institute’s journal Design Management Journal at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dmj.12059
The State of Design 