Developing Knowledge for Design by Operationalizing Materials

There is a material side of design that we cannot
address through the studies of use and social
practice—the properties and potentials of
materials, forms, and structures must be explored
through another kind of studies. Based on two
cases of experimental design research we analyze
of what such studies could consist—how we can
operationalize material objects by engaging them
in situations that give us access to their properties
and enable us to explore their potential.