Pol, S., Ely, P., Geneste, L., 2024.

Using space and knowledge to confront power in design

This paper considers the disputes and questions arising from a systematic review of the social design literature and establishes three prominent contestations relating to the ideas of 'power', 'systems thinking' and 'criticality'. These ideas are tightly connected, with systems thinking and criticality emerging in response to the omnipresence of power relations in social design. With the acceptance that social design is inherently political, and the provision that both 'space' and the 'uncovering of knowledge' can work to confront such power and enable social innovation, we see the need for both an expansion and nuance of future social design efforts. Our analysis suggests this is possible through the enacting of mechanisms that work to unveil and confront notions of power directly in design. We see these opportunities through acts including employing systematic design practices; practicing reflexive and situated design; and pursuing prototyping and infrastructuring in design.