Micklethwaite, P., 2003.

Design means different things to different people

Paul's undergraduate studies in Philosophy and English Literature were complemented by a more practically-focused Masters Degree in Innovation Studies. He has recently gained a PhD, in which he applied social science research method to the field of design. This unique and wide-ranging academic background provides a strong multi-disciplinary base of experience and expertise, which Paul is now applying to the field of sustainable design as a member of the Designing for Sustainability Research Group ABSTRACT This paper introduces completed PhD research investigating the question 'What is design?' (Micklethwaite, 2002) 'Design' is an ubiquitous yet ambiguous term. The origins of the study introduced here are located in the observation that 'design means different things to different people'. The study empirically investigates how 'design' is understood by a theoretical sample of 31 interview informants, drawn from five design stakeholder groups: Business; Designers; Education; Promotion; Users. A total of 41 interrelating conceptions of design are identified, the examination of which illuminates the richness of the term 'design' as it is understood within the interview data. The generated map of meanings of 'design' enables each of us to consider 'design' with more objectivity, and less implicit subjectivity, than might otherwise be the case. Some ways in which the current study may be developed are discussed.