Place-based methodologies for design research: An ethnographic approach

The debate about place has long intersected with design studies. Our contribution to interdisciplinary design is to facilitate a dialogue between design and human geography. Grounded in Doreen Massey's conceptualisation of place as the interrelations of diverse powers, processes and practices, this paper combines ethnographic methods and examples into a succinct place-based methodology for design researchers. We argue that this interpretation of place can provide designers and design researchers with an approach to understanding the multiplicity of place to locate themselves and their work better. We maintain that taking place-based methodologies seriously can support design researchers working in transdisciplinary teams, help avoid the pitfalls of homogenising and solution-based outcomes, and make space for Indigenous voices, feminist fabulations and pluriversal futures.