Teaching Research Methods for Design. Experiences in Progress.

Based on the last three-year teaching experience for the “Research methods for design” course within the programmes of the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano, this contribution offers a reflection from a personal perspective on difficulties met when introducing design research principles and methods to students at the beginning of their design curricula at University. In the context of Politecnico degree and higher degree programmes in design, the area of research methods for design is still in a formative stage as an academic discipline and perspectives on the form and nature of design research curricula are in progress. Although a community of enquiry has formed and it is moving ahead to consolidate what is known in an increasingly grounded form, there is uncertainty and open debate about the nature of design research, the institutional framework that should support it and the scholarly models of design research education. In the last five years there has been an increasing introduction of design research theories, principles and tools within the design programmes at the School of Design, where design research, either as a topic or a set of methods and tools, is now part of required courses, design studios and complementary or elective activities. This paper first outlines in short the status of the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano, which has been formally integrating design research education within design curricula at the higher degree and Ph.D. level. Then it pinpoints some criteria and conceptual frameworks that may flexibly shape the contents of an introduction to design research for novice students in the product design curriculum. It finally addresses - from a personal perspective - some persistent difficulties encountered when exposing local higher degree first year students to a tentative generalized body of theories, methods and tools for design research.