Drama, play-making and ambiguity in the early stages of design

摘要

A number of techniques from drama and theatre have been appropriated for use in design to stage performances with and about users. In this paper, we address how drama and play-making can benefit design at moments other than staging. Building on the work of drama-in-education scholar Gavin Bolton, we articulate design-relevant learning qualities of using drama in design. We recognise that significant moments of learning about human conditions and technology take place in making and managing staged performances. We point to how significant but often implicit design decisions are taken in the making of a play and study their conditioning effect on the continuation of a design process. The focus of our inquiry is on the development of an oblique angle and its indirect directive qualities as a pre-set framing for using drama in design as well as an emergent framing that follows from using drama in design.