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Design+ Transposing human action research to design

to as design cues). 37,38 Here, we focused on a particular form and it helped account for creative choices made (report on
of analogical design prompt, which could be described as the design process). These purposes were accomplished
an amalgamation of formal analogies and the Indian Rule of with visual representations of the design prompt in the
Three. The formal analogies are of the form A is to B as C is generalized form of the Indian Rule of Three as shown on
to D, which is to say that the relationship between A and B the left of Figure 1.
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resembles that between C and D. For example: “A fish is to This form of the analogical prompt is applicable
water as a bird is to air.” The Indian Rule of Three is a long- not only in the practice of design but also in academic
term staple of middle school mathematics education used design research. More specifically, among three kinds of
to solve proportionality problems. A typical example is “If design research distinguished by Frayling and Findeli,
20
21
6 mangoes cost 8 copper coins, how much will 15 mangoes it is particularly applicable in research into/about design
cost?” or, in a generalized form, where it can be used to transpose existing purposeful
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A ≙ X human action theory and task performance research
from non-design contexts into design contexts. This can
B ≙ ? (I) help refute or verify, as well as differentiate or correct,
While the Indian Rule of Three prompts for single, previously established insights. In such transpositions,
correct solutions of quantitative proportionality, the said analogical prompts can serve both as an operational
form of the analogical design prompt discussed here heuristic (enabling the identification and structuring of
aims to stimulate divergent explorations of unexpected, opportunities for research and theory formulation) and as
qualitatively rich possibilities. It has the general form “If a post facto explanatory rationale (reporting and justifying
this kind of x is like that kind of y, then what kind of x is motivations and frameworks of research and theoretical
like that kind of y?” A prompt of this kind was used in the propositions). Generalized, said transpositions have the
design of a project titled Com£puter by a bachelor’s student following form: “If insight x arises from inquiry y in non-
of industrial and product design, Kuen Yee Pierre Pang, in design contexts, then what insights arise from applying a
2007 at the School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic suitable analog of inquiry y in design contexts?” The second
University. Com£puter is shown on the right of Figure 1. half of this analogical prompt can then be used to craft an
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Pang embarked on this project with an interest in technical if-then statement pertinent to the design context to serve
objects and interfaces, a collection of steampunk and as a hypothesis to be tested empirically.
junk art references, and an ambition to “challenge the
consumerist denial of the beauty of life.” To give the project 3. Results
a more specific direction, the project’s supervisor prompted We presented two research into/about design studies based
Pang: “If a Mac Mini computer is like an aerodynamic speed on such transpositions, one being a test of a theoretical
skater, then what kind of computer would be like Captain distinction in purposeful human action theory by Kirsh
Jack Sparrow?” In the following weeks, this question was and Maglio, which is currently being conducted as a
found to have served three distinct purposes: It helped the PhD project, and the other being a possible test of a task
teacher formulate a creative challenge (prompt and give performance study by Bavelas, outlined at a preliminary
direction to the design process); it facilitated explorations level. We had chosen these two bodies of work for the
in response to the challenge (guide the design process); purposes of this discussion because they were based on two

Figure 1. Detail of final presentation board (left) and functional prototype (right) of Com£puter designed by Pierre Pang under the supervision of Thomas
Fischer

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 4 doi: 10.36922/dp.4875