Research by design : a research strategy

The idea of an expressive component in research is important to the architectural industry. The expressive element - the possibility of expressing the qualitative aspects of the world and adding something new to the existing through experiments and proposals - is characteristic for the field. All research environments, in the science tradition and in the humanities, have their characteristics. On the one hand, they live up to certain common scientific and methodological criteria - originality and transparency – and on the other hand, they have different practices, using different methods. Research is ‘coloured’ by traditions and professions, and research in architecture should be coloured too, taking into consideration that the practice of architects stretches from natural science and sociology to art and that the most important way in which the architect achieves new cognition is through work with form and space – drawings, models and completed works. Probably all good design is informed by some kind of research – research- based design. But can research arise from design?

''Cashless'' transactions : perceptions of money in mobile payments

A limited number of ‘cashless transaction’ studies addressed the issue that the mode of payment affects perceptions of money and purchase behaviour, the majority of the research is in the area of the credit card payment mode. Credit card based research has shown that when a credit card based payment is used, the volume, value and type of products purchased increase. Whether this is due to the credit element or to the ‘cashless or mobile’ element of the transaction is not known. The notion that the tangibility of cash influences perceptions of money is not novel, but it is untested. This discussion paper suggests that under conditions of cash, there is awareness (conscious/unconscious) that a possession of value transferred and this perception may well have a direct impact on people’s perception of money and their spending behaviour.

A avaliação da prática discente no ensino fundamental: os aspectos qualitativos e quantitativos

O desenvolvimento deste estudo tem como foco principal a avaliação da prática discente nas escolas públicas de ensino fundamental com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa dos aspectos relacionados ao processo ensino-aprendizagem, que retratam a realidade das atividades desenvolvidas pelos alunos e que os conduzem ao processo avaliativo. Este estudo de cunho científico busca contemplar questões e definições de Avaliação da prática discente e se desenvolve de forma sistematizada com vista à realização dos objetivos propostos e alcance dos resultados esperados. Assim, busca-se na primeira etapa de desenvolvimento deste trabalho, identificar as possíveis causas de insucesso escolar dos alunos em suas práticas e atividades escolares, fato demonstrado através dos resultados negativos dos processos avaliativos e, espera-se ao final deste estudo, contribuir com novas propostas que resultem na melhoria dos procedimentos relacionados à avaliação com aspecto qualitativo, com sugestões, referências e apresentações à luz do professor e observações relacionadas às experiências profissionais e às relações com os alunos. Quanto ao delineamento da investigação e sua natureza metodológica, a opção foi pela pesquisa exploratório-descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa, que utilizou como meios para a coleta de dados, o trabalho de campo, com questionários e entrevistas estruturadas. O universo de abrangência incidiu sobre dois estabelecimentos públicos de ensino fundamental, da região urbana do município de Teresina Piauí. Para amostragem, por acessibilidade, da população desse universo designou-se 20% dos seus professores, que integraram a pesquisa, respondendo os instrumentos propostos. Os dados obtidos serão analisados e discutidos com vista à demonstração dos resultados.

Research based design: competition proposal for the Cyprus news agency

The paper attempts to explore the interrelation between a) the architects’ individualism and “pre-structures” b) research- based findings during the design process through experimentation and c)an integrated design approach, where morphology, construction and bioclimatic design are integrated from an early design stage. Through a thorough presentation and analysis of a competition proposal for the Cyprus News Agency, we discuss a number of important findings in relation to the present and possibly future form of the design studio. We suggest that the designer’s “prestructures” may not only be the basis for creative action, but also the basis for understanding and interpretation. Design informed and enriched at every stage by a research-based process, might well be the transmission and transformation of “prestructures”, a process of elaboration and discovery which facilitates and enhances design creativity and possibly allows for a multiplicity of approaches through a range of possibilities. Furthermore, an integrated approach from the early stages of the design process facilitates innovation in materials and systems.