Research through Design as well as Research on Collaborative and Participatory Design Processes

Research through Design

Within the field of design research, Tom Duscher and his team are addressing current issues of the discipline in order to rethink visualizations in science communication. To this end, they are investigating how we can create visualizations that are innovative, informative, efficient and aesthetic at the same time. The team is also exploring which new technological formats are suitable for communicating scientific findings in an appealing way and how experience design can contribute to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. To this end, the very practice-based design research tests various evaluation methods with which we examine the influence of visual design and aesthetics on the understanding of scientific information and content.

Quality in Visual Design

Quality in visual design in the context of science communication is the subject of Julia C. Ahrend’s dissertation. Here, particular attention is paid to the perspective of designers. She looks at whether and how they pursue certain design principles. Her analysis and reflection of visual products with experts in turn provides information on which design features contribute to the quality of visualizations and how.

Design for Research

In our projects and in our research, we face the challenge of incorporating the interdependence of content, design and research into the process. This is why our visualizations are created in close cooperation with our designer Björn Döge. In this way, we develop visual formats that we are able use for our research and for scientific communication purposes at the same time. He also tests innovative technological approaches, for example for the personalization of information or the use of generative AI in data visualizations.

Collaborative Design in Science Communication

How do transdisciplinary teams in the field of science communication jointly shape design processes? That’s the issue Carolin Enzingmüller and her team are addressing in the KielSCN. Using a mixed-methods approach, they identify key factors that characterize successful and effective design processes. Their findings are also incorporated into practice-oriented resources such as guidelines and toolkits. This way, we want to support science communicators in developing visual communication products.

Participation in Design Processes

In her dissertation, Jane Marta Momme investigates how participation in design processes influences trust in science communication. To this end, she analyzes the influence of the involvement of target groups in the development process on their perception of trustworthiness and credibility. The findings are intended to provide a sound basis for better evaluating and promoting participatory design approaches in science communication.