Briefing and reframing: A situated practice

TitleBriefing and reframing: A situated practice
Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsPaton, Bec, and Kees Dorst
JournalDesign Studies
Volume32
Issue6
Pagination573-587
ISSN0142-694X
Abstract

The ability to reframe a problematic situation in new and interesting ways is widely seen as one of the key characteristics of design thinking. In this paper we study how experienced designers have professionalised the crucial art of frame communication and new frame adoption with their clients. During briefing, professional designers elicit a client’s frame, reframe it to be more workable and desirable, and reflect it back. In this study fifteen experienced visual communications designers were interviewed and asked about briefing activities for what they deemed to be ‘typical’ and ‘innovative’ projects. This yielded rich descriptions of strategies that these professional designers used to enable reframing of the situation with clients, insights into possible difficulties and patterns of briefing practices.

URLhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X11000561
DOI10.1016/j.destud.2011.07.002
Short TitleBriefing and reframing
Alternate JournalInterpreting Design Thinking
Collection: