Introduction: Opening our minds for open design

Abstract

At the HKDI Desis Lab ‘open design’ is a way to approach a complex design context such as design for healthcare, residential communities, politics, work, homelessness etc. wherein both humans as well as artefacts are involved (Latour, 2005; Akrich, 1992; Ehn, 2008). The lab’s approach is closely related to how openness is approached in Participatory Design (PD). Participatory design was introduced in the 1970s. Users and designers would collaboratively work together to create better products. Participatory design thus searches ways to enhance and share power in decision-making in the design process with those who are affected by the design, thus opening the design process for their input (Ehn 2008). Likewise, the lab has strong relations to the approaches of Social Design and Design for Social Innovation1 , wherein design is used to achieve societal goals. This involves sharing and thus open up social resources (e.g. competences) that may or may not already exist in a certain community among citizens and designers, to reach a certain goal. An example of this, is the lab’s research into how people without homes in Hong Kong and designers learn from each other’s experiences and competences in building temporary street homes and - by extension - an alternative future for their city.