Conditions and Constraints of Collaborative Designerly Work

As the problems we face today become more complex and larger scale, designers need to investigate what people actually do, what they value, and how they understand things. This human-centred approach to solving complex problems requires greater breadth and depth of expertise, than any single designer can possess. Therefore it becomes necessary for designers to work in collaborative situations to share knowledge with different stakeholders and understand the interaction between people and their environments. Drawing on a recent series of interviews (n=14), this paper provides insight into what collaboration means from the point of view of professional designers. The paper focuses on designers’ experiences of the conditions and challenges of new product development.