About
Decipher is a hands-on design research conference brought to you by the AIGA Design Educators Community in partnership with the new DARIA Network (Design as Research in the Americas). Decipher will address crucial themes of defining, doing, disseminating, supporting, and teaching design research.
Decipher tackles the complexity of the problems we seek to address through design research in order to create a better future. Decipher also applies to our collective efforts to elucidate what “design research” actually means, shaping a stronger foundation through teaching research at various levels, and clarifying how we share our capabilities with other disciplines. The discussions and actionable outcomes of this event will help us work together to move design research forward.
Hosted by the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, Decipher will:
- Connect emerging and experienced design researchers in academia and beyond
- Gather and share best practices, resources, tools, and exemplary research matter
- Help participants hone research plans and writing skills
- Create opportunities for dialogues that foster mentorship and collaborative connections
Mission Statement
Designers increasingly work to understand and address complex interconnections while creating new things, especially when taking on challenges like social or environmental concerns. People interpret the word “design” in many ways; when “research” is added to the mix, the ambiguity increases. Decipher will bring together design researchers, practitioners, and educators at all stages in their careers to explore the fusions of research and practice through the ways we accomplish, talk about, and teach design research.
How Do I Participate?
Decipher 2018, our Design Educators Research Conference, kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 27 at University of Michigan. Due to an overwhelmingly positive response to the conference and our various design research themes, we have reached capacity and had to close registration earlier than expected.
We are a small team working diligently to make final preparations for next week! If you have questions for us, please kindly read through this website and the contents of the email sent to all registered Decipher guests on Sept. 20, 2018 BEFORE emailing us with your questions. Please also check the FAQ post on the DEC blog to see if your query has already been addressed there.
Questions not addressed in our FAQ can be directed to
If you missed the opportunity to attend, we hope you will continue to follow Decipher at our conference website and via social media (look for the #Decipher2018 hashtag via Twitter and Instagram during the conference). We hope that following the conference, we will have many interesting ideas, resources, and outcomes to share with you. We estimate that the proceedings will be published sometime in Spring 2019 and are excited to work with Michigan Publishing, our new partner for publishing DEC conference proceedings. All AIGA DEC digital proceedings will be free/open access.
Thanks to everyone who submitted facilitation and participation proposals! We look forward to seeing you in Ann Arbor soon!
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CONFERENCE STRUCTURE
What are activity groups?
An activity group is an intensive hands-on session in which all participants collaboratively discuss and ideate from their submissions to discover emergent themes and issues, develop best practices and guidelines, and gather resources. Accepted activity group facilitation and participation submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. Outcomes will be documented and disseminated to the larger community through presentations and publications by selected group facilitators; activity groups occurring on the same day will present these outcomes to each other. Documentation and synthesis generated by the designated facilitator(s) will become part of the official proceedings and be considered for possible publication in a special issue of Dialectic. More than one facilitator may be selected to guide an activity group and to document, present, and publish outcomes.
What are conversations?
A conversation is a more relaxed environment to allow participants to discuss the intersection of their contributions through the lens of the conference topics as well as the AIGA 2025 trends. Accepted conversation facilitation and participation submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. Insights from conversations will be synthesized and documented through a written submission by designated conversation facilitators. Written outcomes will become part of the official conference proceedings and be considered for possible publication in a special issue of Dialectic.
What are workshops?
Workshops are intensive learning sessions in which one or more facilitators leads participants to engage in a topic within the conference themes through an intensive, hands-on learning experience. Accepted workshop facilitation and participation submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. As with activity groups and conversations, workshop facilitators are expected to document and share findings from their sessions. Documentation and written outcomes from sessions will become part of the official conference proceedings and be considered for possible publication in a special issue of Dialectic.
Graduate Student Forum
Decipher’s graduate student forum is an opportunity to share graduate work with our design research community. We welcome current students concerned with research on and through design, regardless of their disciplinary label and degree. We encourage recent graduates (2016–2018) to apply as well. Work will be displayed as posters during the conference and included in the digital proceedings. You can submit posters that discuss any course, process, methods, project, or thesis work. Works-in-progress and final works are welcome.
FAQ
We are a small team working diligently to make final preparations for next week! If you have questions for us, please kindly read through the website and the contents of the email sent to all Decipher guests on Sept. 20, 2018 BEFORE emailing us with your questions. You can also check the FAQ post on the DEC blog to see if your query has already been addressed there
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THEMES
Defining
Defining design research is concerned with the nature of and knowledge produced by design research: what is design research? What is not design research? What are the types of knowledge design research generates? What is the nature of this knowledge?
- Conducting research to inform the things one makes vs. making things as a form of investigation
- Defining practice-based research across design disciplines
- Production, documentation and transfer of knowledge generated by design research
- Incorporating culturally significant ways of thinking and making
Doing
Doing design research involves exploring the theories, methods, processes and creative outcomes that support design as a form of inquiry, and how we “do” design research.
- Developing an academic design research agenda: identifying and framing opportunities, contexts & variables
- Pivoting to a new research agenda
- Tacit and explicit knowledge and skills needed to be a successful design researcher
- Leveraging the AIGA Designer 2025 themes in your research
- Diversification of the design discipline through research (in terms of cultural perspectives, disciplines, access)
Disseminating
Disseminating design researchincludes the ways we share this work, such as writing about projects or ideas for publication, and how we communicate the value of design research to other disciplines.
- Writing effectively about design research / Evaluating design research for dissemination
- Advocating for design and design research agendas within the context of larger interdisciplinary projects or research groups
- Sharing design research across channels that engage diverse audiences (in terms of cultural perspectives, disciplines, access)
Supporting
Supporting design researchis concerned with the resources and procedures to sustain financial, institutional, industry, and peer support for design research projects and initiatives, including writing successful grant proposals.
- Writing effectively to fund design research & proposal evaluation
- Anticipating outcomes and assessing design research
- Gaining institutional, peer & industry support for research
- Expanding opportunities for who gets to participate in research
- Grant recipients may share reflections/insights
Teaching
Teaching design researchcultivates an inquisitive mindset in students at the k–12, undergraduate, master’s and PhD levels, and includes sharing methodologies, theories and processes that engage making as a form of knowledge production and understanding.
- Bringing research to the classroom by connecting one’s design research agenda to curricular activities
- Teaching design research at various levels (k–12, undergrad, master’s, PhD, other)
- Research intersections between academia and industry
- Challenging the design research ‘canon’ in the classroom
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SUBMISSION FORMATS & GUIDELINES
Will I get published?
Whether it’s your first or fiftieth time, we feel that it’s important to share your design scholarship with the larger community. Accepted submissions for facilitation or participation in activity groups, conversations, workshops, and the graduate student forum will be included in the conference proceedings. There may be opportunities to further develop some of the initial submissions. Those selected as Activity Group, Conversation, and Workshop facilitators will document and synthesize findings from their sessions to be considered for possible publication in a special issue of Dialectic.
How do I become a facilitator?
If you indicate interest in being considered to facilitate an activity group, conversation, or workshop, you should be prepared to submit additional information regarding your intended audience(s) and possible outcomes as part of your online submission form. Your important role will add lasting value and meaning to our research community by making the outcomes of your session accessible beyond the conference. (See additional submission details for facilitators below.)
Submission Considerations
Only one submission is required to participate in Decipher. The additional information you share in your submission form will help us understand your level of interest in the themes and develop the conference structure accordingly. If selected, we will ask you to take part in a specific session organized with your designated cohort. Beyond your designated session, you are free to join any other cohort as a participant as long as there are available seats. While you are welcome to enter as many submissions as you wish, multiple submissions are not necessary to participate in the various tracks and themes of the conference.
- Submissions should be saved as a PDF based on Decipher’s .doc template.
- You will need a free EasyChair account to complete your submission.
- Contributions can range from discussions of in-progress to completed works (frameworks, methods, design outcomes, etc.), research articles, as well as reflections and positions within Decipher’s key theme and topic areas.
- Contributors are strongly encouraged to include at least one annotated image in their submissions; these may be selected for conversational activities during the conference.
- References and annotations are excluded from the word count.
To participate in activity groups and conversations, your submission should include:
1. A 250-word document that underpins your interest in one of our thematic areas.
2. A 140-character summary of your written document. This text will be requested as part of the submission form.
3. A 150-word bioThis text will be requested as part of the submission form.
4. A headshot In color, 500 x 500px at 300ppi, JPEG; upload as part of the submission form.
To participate in workshops, your submission should include:
1. A 250-word document that underpins your interest in one of our thematic areas.
1. A 250-word document that underpins your interest in one of our thematic areas.
2 . A 140-character summary of your written document. This text will be requested as part of the submission form.
3. A 150-word bioThis text will be requested as part of the submission form.
4. A headshot In color, 500 x 500px at 300ppi, JPEG; upload as part of the submission form.
For the graduate student forum, your submission should include:
1. 200-word abstract that illustrates the research aspect of the project.This abstract should be submitted as a PDF and based on the Decipher submission template (available here).
2. A 140-character ‘Submission Brief’This text will be requested as part of the submission form.
3. Draft of the poster
- Posters should have a dimension of 36” x 48” (vertical)
- Both initial and final posters should be submitted in PDF format
- Design research works-in-progress should be at least 60% complete for the initial submission (see deadline below)
- Final version to be submitted upon acceptance
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EQUITY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Design Educators Community, DARIA, and Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design want to ensure that this conference is informed and enriched by many perspectives. The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design will provide ten $1,000 travel grants to actively support more diverse participation at Decipher.
Faculty, graduate students, and practitioners who identify as members of underrepresented groups (see list below), have interest in pursuing design research, and who submit successful conference proposals are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Candidates will be selected to attend Decipher, the 2018 Design Educators Research Conference at Stamps School of Art & Design, University of Michigan, September 27–29, 2018.
Scholarships include conference registration, and up to $1,000 toward lodging at the conference hotel and travel to and from Ann Arbor.
Decipher Equity Scholarship applicants should identify as a member of one or more of these underrepresented groups:
- Indigenous people of North America
- Asian
- Black/African American
- Hispanic/Latino
- Middle Eastern/North African, and/or
- Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
- LGBTQIA+
- Rural
- First generation college-bound
- Historically-underrepresented or other non-traditional groups in higher education
Keynote Speakers
SEE ALL
Ariel Waldman
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts / Science Hack Day
Ariel Waldman makes “massively multiplayer science”, creating unusual collaborations that infuse serendipity into science and space exploration.
Ariel Waldman sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, a program that nurtures radical, science-fiction-inspired ideas that could transform future space missions. She is the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences report on the future of human spaceflight and the author of the book What’s It Like in Space?: Stories from Astronauts Who’ve Been There.
Ariel is the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways for anyone to participate in space exploration, and the global director of Science Hack Day, a grassroots endeavor to prototype things with science that is now in over 25 countries. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science.
Jessica Bellamy
GRIDS: The Grassroots Information Design Studio
2017 Adobe Creative Resident and Motion Infographic designer Jessica Bellamy, tells visual stories using data and personal narratives. As a Design Justice advocate, Jessica started her design career working with nonprofits and community groups to create compelling explainers that break down complex service and policy information. In 2015, she created a small design agency called GRIDS: The Grassroots Information Design Studio in Louisville, KY. In 2017, she created a hands-on workshop called Infographics for Social Change: A Graphic Ally Hackathon. Since then, she has given workshops at universities such as Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, Yale, and has presented at conferences around the country. This year she was featured in The Great Discontent and Communication Arts Magazine. What’s next for Jessica? She will be traveling to both Germany and Canada to continue to share her unique design tools and equity-centered approach to information design.
Jon Kolko
Modernist Studio / Austin Center for Design.
Jon is a Partner at Modernist Studio and the Founder of Austin Center for Design.
He was previously the Vice President of Design at Blackboard, the largest educational software company in the world. He joined Blackboard with the acquisition of MyEdu, a startup focused on helping students succeed in college and get jobs.
Jon has also held the positions of Executive Director of Design Strategy at Thinktiv, a venture accelerator in Austin, Texas, and both Principal Designer and Associate Creative Director at frog design, a global innovation firm. He has been a Professor of Interaction and Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he was instrumental in building both the Interaction and Industrial Design undergraduate and graduate programs.
Jon is the author of six books, including his most recent, Creative Clarity.
You can read some of Jon’s writing at http://www.jonkolko.com
Ruki Ravikumar
Director of Education
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Ruki Ravikumar is the Director of Education at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. She loves being a design educator and leader of a dynamic team that inspires, educates and empowers people through design. Her team offers educational programs nationwide for audiences of varying backgrounds, ages and levels of exposure to design. She has served in leadership roles on the Oklahoma chapter board, national design educators steering committee, diversity and inclusion taskforce and national board of AIGA, the professional association for Design. In 2015, she was awarded the title of Fellow by AIGA Oklahoma for her advocacy and leadership as a design educator. When she is not teaching, leading her team, speaking or consulting, she is experiencing the world through travel and food.
John Zimmerman
Professor
Carnegie Mellon's HCI Institute
John Zimmerman is an interaction designer and researcher, and Professor of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon. Zimmerman teaches courses on interaction design, service innovation, design theory, and human-computer interaction (HCI) methods. His research falls into four areas: interaction with intelligent systems; designing for the self; public service innovation via social computing; research through design. His research is concerned with the process of making things as the mechanism to explore possible futures. Zimmerman studies how design inquiry can be integrated with scientific and engineering inquiry. His academic contributions are seminal in the field of HCI, primarily, in matters concerned with research through design and interaction design. Zimmerman is the author of the book Design Research through Practice.
Jane Prophet
Associate Dean for Research, Creative Work, and Strategic Initiatives
Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan
Jane Prophet is the Associate Dean for Research, Creative Work, and Strategic Initiatives at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan. Her practice-based research and writing emerge through collaborations with life scientists such as neuroscientists, stem cell researchers, mathematicians and heart surgeons. She works across media and disciplines to produce objects and installations, frequently combining traditional and computational media to produce apps, objects, and installations. Her research foci include the apparatus of contemporary neuroscience experiments, and blended online/offline identities via augmented reality and ubiquitous computing. Prophet’s papers position art in relation to contemporary debates about new media and mainstream art, feminist technoscience, artificial life and ubiquitous computing.
Schedule
Travel
VENUE
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Decipher 2018 will take place at multiple locations across the University of Michigan campus. Thursday and Friday, all sessions and events will be at several locations downtown and on Central Campus. Although Decipher is sponsored and hosted by the Stamps School of Art & Design, due to Fall semester class schedules the only day we will hold sessions at Stamps (North Campus) will be Saturday. There will be several transportation options to North Campus and we will provide detailed information about them at the conference. The Graduate Ann Arbor, our designated conference hotel, is within easy walking distance of all sessions on Thursday and Friday.
THURSDAY
North Quadrangle Residential and Academic Complex
105 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
Rackham Graduate School
915 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Hatcher Graduate Library
913 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA)
525 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
FRIDAY
Rackham Graduate School
915 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
SATURDAY
Stamps School of Art and Design
2000 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
HOTEL
Holiday Inn & Graduate Ann Arbor
While the original conference hotel (Graduate Ann Arbor) filled quickly, we reserved a second block at the Holiday Inn, near the University of Michigan. This hotel is next to North Campus. The Holiday Inn will provide a shuttle service to downtown. It is possible also to get downtown via bus, Lyft, and Uber. Book your room via this link.
The Holiday Inn room block closes on Sept. 12, 2018
We understand that many of you are on tight budgets, and some folks have asked us about the possibility of sharing a hotel room with another Decipher attendee. Please join the AIGA DEC discussion group on Facebook and do a search for other Decipher folks there if you’re looking for someone to share accommodations with you. (Note that there’s a brief survey to join the group; please complete it and mention the Decipher conference.)
* Link https://facebook.com/groups/AIGAdec/
Holiday Inn
3600 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
877-666-3243
Airport
Detroit Metropolitan International Airport (DTW) is only 20 miles from Ann Arbor. AirRide is available for transportation to the airport from Ann Arbor, the shuttle runs 13 times daily and picks up at Blake Transit Center and the Kensington Court Hotel. One way tickets are $15, however, with advanced reservations, the fare is $12. Visit MyAirRide.com for info & reservations.
Ann Arbor Buses (TheRide)
TheRide operates public transportation services in the greater Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. For bus fares, click here.
Transport between Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and the Airport
Check The Michigan Flyer website for more information.
Parking in Downtown Ann Arbor and on the UM Campus
Check the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority website to learn about parking options downtown, and take a look at the University of Michigan website for campus parking information.
Play Guide (To-do Lists)
Vist Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor Observer (Daily Events)
Observer Website
– Afternoon Delight (Breakfast, Lunch)
251 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Cozy, bustling eatery known for its eggs Benedict also boasts an extensive salad bar.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Ama Bistro (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
215 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Elevated diner fare including French toast, burgers & Albanian stews in a cozy, bright space.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Aventura (Dinner)
216 E. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Tapas, paella, wine & cocktails offered in a stylish, contemporary space with rustic touches.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Blue Tractor BBQ and Brewery (Lunch, Dinner)
207 E. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Warm brewpub offers house craft beers paired with BBQ, smoked meats & biscuits amid live music.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Cafe Zola (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
112 W. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Eclectic fare & global wines are served amid a rustic space with high ceilings & exposed brick.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Chipotle Mexican Grill (Lunch, Dinner)
235 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Fast-food chain offering Mexican fare, including design-your-own burritos, tacos & bowls.
Price Range: under $10
– Comet Coffee (Coffee/Snacks)
16 Nickels Arcade, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Hip java house with coffee drinks, locally made pastries, latte art & branded merchandise.
– Espresso Royale (Coffee/Snacks)
322 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Laid-back coffeehouse chain featuring fair-trade coffee, with some proceeds going to charity.
322 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
– Frita Batidos (Lunch, Dinner)
117 W. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Stark white space with picnic table seating serves colorful cuban street food & tropical cocktails.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Ginger Deli (Lunch)
303 S. Division St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Simple modern spot with a patio (no indoor seating) for updated Vietnamese staples such as pho & banh mi, plus iced tea.
Price Range: under $10
– Grange Kitchen and Bar (Dinner)
118 W. Liberty Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Market-fresh, upscale American fare & artisanal cocktails are served in a welcoming, refined space.
Price Range: $31 – $60
– HopCat (Lunch, Dinner)
311 Maynard St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Woodwork-filled brew pub with a massive beer list offers creative pub fare & brunch items.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Jerusalem Garden (Lunch, Dinner)
314 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Snug, quick-serve option with a patio offers hefty portions of Lebanese fare plus Turkish coffees.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery (Lunch, Dinner)
311 S. Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Local chain known for truffle fries serves upscale pub fare & pints of rustic craft beer.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Knight’s Downtown Ann Arbor Steakhouse (Lunch, Dinner)
600 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Full-service restaurant & bar with traditional steakhouse dishes, and potent drinks.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Lab Cafe (Coffee/Snacks)
505 E. Liberty St # 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Light-filled cafe known for pour-over cups & colorful bakery fare showcases local art & musicians.
– Literati Coffee (Coffee/Snacks)
204 S. 4th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Counter-serve, Californian coffee shop located above popular local bookstore, hung with author photos, featuring pastries, salads & panini.
– Logan Restaurant (Dinner)
115 W. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Inventive New American dishes & wine served in a chic, modern space with mustard-colored walls.
Price Range: $31 – $60
– Mani Osteria and Bar (Lunch, Dinner)341 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104Wood-oven pizza & Italian small plates plus bar with old-world wines & local beer in an open setup.Price Range: $11 – $30
– Pacific Rim (Dinner)
114 W. Liberty Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
American- & French-inspired Pan-Asian fare alongside a curated wine list.
Price Range: $31 – $60
– Panera Bread (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
777 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Counter-serve bakery/cafe chain serving sandwiches, salads & more, known for its bread & free WiFi.
Price Range: under $10
– Potbelly Sandwich Shop (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
300 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Retro-style counter-serve chain known for made-to-order toasted sandwiches, salads & baked goods.
Price Range: under $10
– RoosRoast (Coffee/Snacks)
117 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Chill, comfy hangout featuring coffee, cold brew & espresso, plus breakfast bites & pastries.
– Sava’s (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
216 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Contemporary bi-level eatery serves eclectic, locally sourced fare.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Slurping Turtle (Lunch, Dinner)
608 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Industrial-chic Japanese choice with long communal tables for tapas, noodles & sushi, plus sake.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea (Coffee/Snacks)
604 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Local chain serving coffee, tea & shakes, plus pastries & light eats, in a stylish, relaxed space.
– The Broken Egg (Breakfast, Lunch)
221 N. Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Bustling corner breakfast & lunch cafe serves hearty classic fare in a quaint, down-home atmosphere.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Tomukun Korean BBQ & Noodle Bar (Lunch, Dinner)
505 E. Liberty St #200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Upmarket noodle house dishes up udon, ramen & Pan-Asian mains amid a rich wood interior.
Price Range: $11 – $30
– Zingerman’s Delicatessen (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
422 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Locals line up for generous deli sandwiches at this funky, longtime market with specialty groceries.
Price Range: $11 – $30
Registration
The conference is sold out. Registration is closed.