Joyce Yee

Northumbria University · Northumbria Design

Participatory design (PD) often prioritises being vocal and equal as signs of empowerment in enabling social change. But what can such preference inadvertently ignore, like silence and passivity? What relationships might be prevented or put at risk when hierarchies are flattened? This paper examines the subtle and relational power dynamics experien...

While designing social innovation (DSI) is increasingly considering the role and value of relationships, little attention is placed on the complexity of relationality and the specific, situated dynamics of dealing with relational entanglements. In particular, as design’s ontological background comes into question, the designers’ identity and the pr...

Rooted in the places, cultures, histories and wisdoms of the diverse Asia-Pacific region, this Book Introduction chapter introduces heterogeneous practices of designing social innovation that address various social, political and environmental challenges. In contrast to dominant notions of design from the Global North that evolved through industria...

From social expectations and obligations, women in Southeast Asian countries tend to face gender inequality and have less support for their personal and professional development compared with their male counterparts. This chapter draws from our pilot project, Designing Entangled Social Innovation in Asia-Pacific (DESIAP) Young Women Mentoring Progr...

This chapter looks at the role of relationships in designing social innovation (DSI) by surfacing relational entanglements present in a vibrant creative ecosystem located in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. These relationships become more visible and active, coming to the fore in a yearly festival where local creatives return to reconnect, make, share, and...

This chapter charts the development of an online leadership programme for young Cambodian entrepreneurs and managers. Culturally-grounded practices are enacted in a designing social innovation context, paying particular attention to local practices, cultures and knowledge. The importance of anchoring leadership practices to familiar cultural and sp...

The democratisation of the creative process in design and social innovation has brought the position of the designer into question. Therefore, a shift is necessary from the traditional role-based approach towards one that is value-based. This paper introduces the sociable designer, who is driven by being social, rather than doing social. Based on i...

"How is society’s capacity to innovate furthered by design? This substantive question is at the core of this roundtable discussion and, in many ways, underpins one of the chief motivations for this publication." This conversation moderated by Mariana Amatullo (Parsons) with Stuart Candy (Carnegie Mellon), Chris Larkin (IDEO.org), and Joyce Yee (Nor...

We report findings from our two-year research study to investigate the practices, processes and roles of professional creatives working on interaction design and wider digital design projects. The study contributes insights from interviews conducted to support the development of 13 high profile industry case studies involving 21 of their creators....

Evaluating benefits for society is a common requirement for most social innovation programmes, yet evaluating social impact is one of the most challenging tasks. This challenge has salience for service design and designing social innovation-both fields that seek to make social impact. This paper shares insights from researching social innovation pr...

This report by the DESIAP team presents insights into four creative districts in Thailand, to better understand the unique features of their creative ecosystems and focusing on the interlinks between hubs and the neighbourhoods. We focused on each place’s unique hard and soft infrastructures and its social capital to understand the development and...

Although the importance of interpersonal relationships to processes of design and social innovation (D&SI) has been acknowledged, there is limited research in identifying what constitutes a relational approach in D&SI. In spite of their importance for relationship formation and maintenance, questions of respect, reciprocity, power and trust-and the...

Design and social innovation is a developing field of study. The current lack of critical analysis of initiatives and the dominance of insights and methods from European cases in academic literature are not sufficient to construct an image that could be considered as comprehensive. This paper aims to address both issues by introducing Activity Theo...

Measurable impact is an often expected and required outcome of innovation programs, and yet is particularly challenging for trying to understand social impact. The overt focus on economic value often overshadows other, more impactful social outcomes, such as learning, that emerge as a result of the work. In this paper, we use transformative learnin...

This Special Issue (SI) for Design and Culture is an outcome of many conversations over several years, catalyzed by a series of international symposia on Design and Social Innovation in Asia-Pacific (DESIAP), which the editors (Yoko Akama and Joyce Yee) co-facilitated in Singapore in 2015, Bangkok in 2016 and Malaysia in 2017. The symposia series i...

The Routledge Companion to Design Research offers a comprehensive examination of design research, celebrating the plurality of design research and the wide range of conceptual, methodological, technological and theoretical approaches evident in contemporary design research. This volume comprises 39 original and high quality design research chapter...

Our knowledge of how design and social innovation works outside of the Europe and the US is still insufficient, due to the limitations that are inherent to the prevailing perceptions, methods and tools, developed in and for this context. Although the importance of social relationships has been acknowledged, how social hierarchy, which is firmly roo...

Interaction Design explores common pitfall, effective workflows and innovative development techniques in contemporary interaction design by tracking projects from initial idea to the critical and commercial reception of the finished product. The book is divided into six chapters, each focusing on different aspects of the interaction design industry...

Design is now the key driver of innovation and change within organisations across the globe. Learn how, when and why to use design to drive change in your organisation. TRANSFORMATIONS: 7 Roles to Drive Change by Design documents how design is being used to support change across different organisations, countries and sectors, sharing the stories of...

Design and social innovation is a developing field of study. The current lack of critical analysis of initiatives and the dominance of insights and methods from European cases in academic literature are not sufficient to construct an image that could be considered as comprehensive. This paper aims to address both issues by introducing Activity Theo...

Yee draws from her experiences as a practicing interaction designer who undertook a doctoral study in the subject of design, highlighting the challenges faced when attempting to reconcile a research paradigm with a professional practice. She presents a hybrid practice that illustrates how a research lens can inform design practice and similarly how...

A seminal post-colonial scholar, Deborah Bird Rose (2004, 154) exclaims, 'the west collectively is the leader; it is closest to the future, and the rest of the world follows along behind'. Similarly, Design and Social Innovation is largely populated by case studies in Europe and the US, further reinforcing global hierarchies and certain paradigms....

Service design is now firmly established as an important approach for driving innovation and change in the public sector. This is evident by the growing number of public sector service design projects, by the emergence of innovation labs in governments around the world1, by dedicated events such as the ‘Service Design in Government’ conference in t...

This paper explores the current situation of design research with a particular emphasis on how emerging forms of design research are framing and addressing contemporary global issues. The paper examines how design research can be a creative and transformative force in helping to shape our lives in more responsible, sustainable, and meaningful ways....

What are the most important conditions necessary for a design-led approach to innovation or transformation to flourish in an organization? This paper introduces and discusses three ‘just right’ conditions for design to achieve the desired impact in the context of public and third sector projects, where third sector refers to a broad range of commun...

Context: Practice-based design research is becoming more widely recognized in academia, including at doctoral level, yet there are arguably limited options for dissemination beyond the traditional conference format of paperbased proceedings, possibly with an exhibition or "demonstrator" component that is often non-archival. Further, the opportuniti...

How do different stakeholders in service innovation programmes value design? This paper presents insights from a short (six-month) Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project aimed at identifying and mapping the impact and value of design in public and third sector organisations. As the role of design expands from its traditional rol...

This is the project report for Valuing Design, an AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) project aimed at mapping design impact and value in public and 3rd sector organisations. The project ran from April 2014 to October 2014. Our research insights have been derived from six case studies that were co-created with participants of service innova...

This paper presents the process and initial results of a research through design project attempting to understand the poetic qualities of design objects. This exploration forms part of a PhD study addressing design artefacts as poetic objects- objects that both embed and conjure memory, association and imagination. The research examines the ways in...

The Routledge Companion to Design Research offers a comprehensive examination of design research, celebrating the plurality of design research and the wide range of conceptual, methodological, technological and theoretical approaches evident in contemporary design research. This volume comprises 39 original and high quality design research chapter...

Research through design as a form of research inquiry is becoming a more common approach within HCI and Design. However, questions as to how research generated through this approach is validated, disseminated and perceived are of current debate. This paper describes the ethos and approach of a recent conference (Research Through Design (RTD)), whic...

This paper describes transitions currently happening in design practices engaged in service innovation, service design and service futures. It is the result of an empirical research investigation into how design practice is changing and offers insights into four key transitions that have emerged arising from the research. The research imperative is...

Design Transitions presents 42 unique and insightful stories of how design is changing around the world. Sixteen countries are represented from the perspectives of three different communities: design agencies, organisations embedding design; and design academics. Our journey has taken us across the globe in search of the most innovative design prac...

We introduce four short films to analyse, display and make sense of mobile experience and mobile context for design purposes. The films were scripted and produced on the basis of diary and interview data looking at mobile texting and mobile social media use. We experience the making of the films as a way to understand, frame and focus the design sp...

This study employs a research through design approach. It reflects upon the design, making and application of a probe-based design method within a National Health Service (NHS) context. Creative Prompts take the form of physical artefacts and act as vehicles for exploration by supporting patients to self-reflect, articulate and express their though...

This paper describes lessons learned through the use of a Social Return On Investment (SROI) approach to evaluate a completed Service Design project with a large vocational training company. It is written by the Service Design team that led the original project and who subsequently used SROI to evaluate its impact. Experiencing the SROI evaluation...

It is commonly recognised by the design research community that there is a ‘designerly’ way of knowing articulated by Nigel Cross (1982, 2006), that is distinct from other types of knowledge. This concept of designerly knowing can be extended to the field of academic research as evidenced by research into a designerly way of inquiry as well as the...

Mobile user experience (UX) research can benefit from unexplored opportunities from theory and practice. Contemporary sociology has developed sophisticated understandings of mobilities that can expand the scope of mobile HCI research. At the same time, we need to extend the scope of mobile experience beyond its current main foci on the portable dev...

This paper discusses the development of online teaching resources that enable design educators to foster collaborative learning amongst students in the design disciplines. These online teaching resources will be made available through the Design Collaboration website (http://www.designcollaboration.org). This website was recently set up by Northumb...

This paper explores an approach to design research that is becoming more prevalent in practice-based doctoral studies and examines what it tells us about the current state of design research. A previous examination of design PhD case studies has shown that the bricolage approach is evident in a majority of contemporary practice-based design PhDs [1...

This article presents a selective review of recent design PhDs that identify and analyse the methodological innovation that is occurring in the field, in order to inform future provision of research training. Six recently completed design PhDs are used to highlight possible philosophical and practical models that can be adopted by future PhD studen...

This paper discusses the principles and practices of a joint programme of MA Design and Design Management studies at a UK-based university that has encouraged students from different design disciplines to develop a community of practice (COP). It describes the structure of the current MA programmes and how a series of staff initiatives in response...

This paper discusses the development of online teaching resources that enable design educators to foster collaborative learning amongst students in the design disciplines. These online teaching resources will be made available through the Design Collaboration website. This website was recently set up by Northumbria University, a UK based institutio...

Summary This paper presents reflections from a service design case study and uses it to investigate the emerging roles of a designer. Skills, methodologies and values are drawn through the case study and used to communicate how this contributes to the continuing expansion of the profession today. Seven roles are discussed in this paper: designer as...

The pace of commercial graphic design practice presents very few opportunities to conduct user research after a project’s launch. This makes the design team’s ability to anticipate and address risks during the design development phase even more important, recognized in the astute observation from Tim Brown, CEO of leading international design group...

This paper presents a preliminary review of recent Design PhDs that identify and analyse the methodological innovation that is occurring in the field, in order to inform future provision of research training for Design PhDs. Six recently completed Design PhDs are used to highlight possible philosophical and practical models that can be adopted by f...

In this paper we examine two industrial projects currently running in an SME company specializing in pipeline maintenance equipment, in order to understand how visualisation methods originating from design can contribute to decision making processes. We first describe the range of visualisation methods and how they are used in relation to decisio...

This paper presents a pedagogic framework that offers a new approach, structure and content for the teaching, understanding and application of typography in cross-media communication environments. It presents outcomes from a PhD research undertaken to investigate the current model of typographic knowledge and its relevance to screen-based applicati...

This short paper describes the development and implementation of tools and methods used to consult stakeholders in the development of a brand identity for a software development company, and the further refinement of those tools for use in the redesign and branding of a beauty treatment product and its packaging. A cultural probe approach was used...

The development of digital media has enabled the convergence of different technologies and forms of communication into a single distribution network, while also leading to the diversification of media forms. These convergent and divergent phenomena have affected the way in which products and services are created and delivered. This paper explores t...

The proliferation of research degrees in the subject of design reflects the growing importance of research-based approaches in this discipline. However, it is not unreasonable to suggest that design (being a creative, subjective and artifact-based activity) does not naturally lend itself to the scientific, objective and knowledge-based activity of...

It is often difficult for practising interaction designers to engage with real end-users because of the competing economic pressures on projects. Preliminary research with end-users (a particularly rich source of information) may be squeezed in favour of more tangible, later-stage project deliverables. This case study paper presents a pragmatic app...

This paper explores the process of undertaking a PhD within the framework of the UK design education system, by examining it from two different perspectives. The authors come from different educational backgrounds, representing emic and etic perspectives respectively. Their viewpoints are triangulated and used as a basis for discussion around the f...

This study presents a pedagogic framework that offers a new approach, structure and content for the teaching, understanding and application of typography in cross-media communication environments. Current theory and vocabulary used to describe typographic practice and scholarship are based on a historically print-derived framework. As yet, no new p...

This study presents a pedagogic framework that offers a new approach, structure and content for the teaching, understanding and application of typography in cross-media communication environments. Current theory and vocabulary used to describe typographic practice and scholarship are based on a historically print-derived framework. As yet, no new p...

In this paper we describe observations of a contrast in thinking styles between a user-interface design team and a software engineering team developing a new software product. Presented in case study form, it is a first hand account by the interaction designers of work-in-progress. It concludes by identifying some key roles for the interaction desi...

This paper represents a key stage of Yee's PhD research. It outlines the data gathering that utilised a combination of empirical methods and action research projects to form a new conceptual framework for the understanding and practice of screen-based typography. It focuses on the research undertaken, the methodology used and the findings from two...

1989: The German Democratic Republic (GDR) still existed and the Berlin Wall was still standing. Communism was alive in Europe. Hard to believe now, yet only fifteen years ago, a reality. By 1990 the GDR was gone, but it lingers on in the memory of many people now as a dull, repressive, unimaginative place full of cheap plastic, grey concrete, goos...

Current theory and vocabulary used to describe typographic practice and scholarship are based on a historically print-derived framework. As yet, no new paradigm has emerged to address the divergent path that screen-based typography is taking from its traditional print medium. Screen-based typography is becoming as common and widely used as its prin...

This paper chronicles the development of a visual map representing a literature search on key theorists and thinkers in two principal topics: Typography and New Media. Its aim is to visualise and facilitate conceptual connections between key ideas and philosophies across disciplines. This literature map was drawn up by reviewing available influenti...