Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure Kirsikka Vaajakallio

6.2.1
Reflection
on
research
aims
In Chapter 1, two research aims were presented: 1) to explore and develop
a framework with a practical and theoretical foundation and relevance;
2) to develop a set of design games that underline different aspects of codesign
and illustrate the implications of the developed framework.
Exploring and developing a practical and theoretical framework
I have constructed the Play framework based on the findings from the
explorative research journey, which included several case studies, both
short and longer ones in various contexts, such as co-designing with children,
understanding people flow in senior houses and developing new
service models for a bank, just to mention few. Based on the existing literature
and the empirical cases, I identified several aspects of design games
that relate to the specific needs of co-design and influence the spirit and
outcomes of co-design gatherings.
1
Due to the multidimensional practical design context, as well as the
ambiguous game terminology, I was not able to provide a clear definition
for design games, but instead ended up with a praxis-based
and rather circular definition. According to this definition, design
games are tools for co-design that purposefully emphasise playqualities
such as playful mindset and structure, which are supported
by tangible game materials and rules. The main contribution of this
research and the Play framework is in illustrating various characteristics
and aspects of design games. These findings are strongly related
to the way in which design games appear as a tool, a mindset or
a structure, according to people’s distinct roles in the design project.
These cannot be clearly separated from one another; instead, they
emphasise the dynamic relationship between design and games. Design
is the practical ground with general and context-specific design
objectives; in order to reach these goals, design games depend on
games, play and performance as liberating means for role immersion
and a play spirit, which I consider important in co-design. This
empathy-based approach to design games considers imagination on
par with factual information as a source of design ideas. Accordingly,
design games consist of creative exercises and role-playing activities
that stress personal engagement with the topic.
2
The four aspects that were discussed in Chapter 5: a shared focus of
attention, leaving visual traces, binding inputs from various people
and transporting participants into another world emerged from the
data collected during the Extreme Design project. They extend the
perception of design games by providing concrete examples of how
the setting and the materials in it answer the general needs of co-design:
organising dialogue, supporting empathic understanding and
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