1. Drifting

In this book, we deal with the epistemology of design. Epistemology is one of the grand terms of philosophy, where it means discourse about knowledge — usually about certainty, whether we can trust our senses, thoughts, and other pieces of knowledge. For us, two design researchers, the concept is more specific. We deal with epistemology in one particular context, constructive design research, in which design artefacts are vehicles of knowledge creation. In our work we have identified four epistemic traditions in constructive design research: (1) experiential; (2) methodic; (3) programmatic; and (4) dialectic. These are described in Chap. 3. Our aim is not to contribute to philosophy; our aim is to clarify how knowledge works in constructive design research. Rather than tightening the bridle this book is our attempt to maximize the freedom of research as it happens in constructive design research. The descriptions and methodologies provided in this book is our attempt to give research legitimacy to a cherished design practice we call drifting — however, drifting by intention.