Pluralising Evaluations of Design Impact: a Design Culture Studies Approach

This paper proposes a Design Culture Studies contribution to the evaluation of design impact. The existing methods of evaluating design impact predominantly focus on economic and quantitative metrics, which fail to capture the many ways, according to diverse groups, in which design can and should shape the world. As a humanities field employing interdisciplinary qualitative methods, Design Culture Studies is well positioned to respond to this challenge. To clarify the needs and opportunities for more inclusive evaluation approaches, we conducted a cross-national needs analysis combining literature review and empirical research with students, graduates, educators, design organisations, industry stakeholders, and policymakers. The analysis identified five critical requirements for inclusive evaluations of the socio-cultural impacts of design: inclusivity and diversity, rigour, practical guidelines, educational tools, and the integration of digital tools. Drawing on these insights, in this paper we propose a Design Culture Studies-led conceptual framework for pluralising the evaluation of the socio-cultural impacts of design, with an emphasis on the context of design education, on students and graduates. We argue that such a framework can foster more reflexive forms of evaluation by acknowledging how assessing design impact also participates in shaping the meanings, values, possibilities – and futures of design cultures.