Welcome to the International Design Research Symposium, Insight 2018, at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad!

Insight 2018 is an international design research symposium for design educators, practitioners, design researchers and advocates of design. It brings together, on a common platform, design educators, practitioners, design researchers and advocates of design to reflect upon, discuss and debate what constitutes design research and design epistemology, its multi-faceted nature and forms, research ethics, issues in contemporary design research and its implications for design education and practice. The symposium seeks to share knowledge and perceptions on design research culture, methodology, framework, practice, collaboration and its dissemination.

Design, conceived as a problem solving activity and profession has evolved into a strategic thought process currently influencing most domains of knowledge and practice. While knowledge domains related to the arts, science, technology and management have a structured and established framework for research, design by virtue of its nature and purpose has been evolving its approaches contextually.

INSIGHT 2018 includes the following six tracks
Design Research in Academic Practice

The goals, nature and culture of good design research in academia, design research as unique intellectual culture, research in design education, pedagogy, curriculum, formulation of student exercises in skill/studio/project based courses, new program design, evaluation techniques; domain specific area of interest (e.g. Communication Design, Industrial Design, Interaction & Information Design, Service Design, Textile and Apparel Design), implications/ challenges of design research for design education, the ethics of design research in education.

Design Research in Professional Practice
The goals, nature and culture of good design research in academia, design research as unique intellectual culture, research in design education, pedagogy, curriculum, formulation of student exercises in skill/studio/project based courses, new program design, evaluation techniques; domain specific area of interest (e.g. Communication Design, Industrial Design, Interaction & Information Design, Service Design, Textile and Apparel Design), implications/ challenges of design research for design education, the ethics of design research in education.
Innovations in Design Research Methods
Appropriate approaches to developing an understanding of design, creativity in design research methods, innovative tools & techniques, smart research, technologies in design research, and the web.
Contemporary & Evolving Models of Design Research
Interpretations of design research in various design domains, developing unique customized approaches and models, visual representation of design research.
Research as Design and Design as Research
Research and design as circular processes, exploring research as a design activity, exploring design as a research activity, the locus standi of research as design, the case of design as research.
Multi-disciplinary Research in Design
Research in fields of humanities, social sciences, technology supporting or impacting design solutions, cross-disciplinary collaboration and teamwork, creative approaches in design research, examples of multi-disciplinary research in design, dissemination of design research.