Applied Design Research as Catalyst of Change

We often gain the best insight into a specific issue by simply engaging with it, as a form of learning by doing. That was the rationale that led to the first exhibition organised by NADR during the Dutch Design Week in 2016. By displaying the design and research projects we were working on, we were able to provide an initial answer to the question of what we mean by Applied Design Research. The title of the exhibition – Work in Progress – reflected our position. With the second exhibition in 2017, we tried to gain a greater understanding in the form of a review by design expert Gert Staal. This resulted in a critical reflection regarding the raison d’être of our projects. We have now reached the third edition of the Work in Progress exhibition, which consists of eleven projects that were on display from 20 to 28 October 2018, addressing the question of what Applied Design Research is by asking four questions about each of the projects that have been submitted for the exhibition:

• What has been designed in the project?
• What has been investigated in the project?
• What was the realised or intended change?
• What was the role of the Applied Design Researcher during this process?