EMMA Glossary
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The product is consistent. It is the degree of internal integration of the end product, to what extent main line and elaboration of all aspects form a consistent whole. It is a quality, concept or essence, in the sense of the sum being more than all its aspects.
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Relevance, well-argued, meaning. It has quality and value in relation to a wider context. It is deepening a focus, a design vision or research question in relation to the professional, scientific, ‘design’, historical, philosophical, ethical and / or socio-cultural context.
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Development, fleshing out, extensiveness. It addresses a relevant number of aspects and the degree to which they are resolved. It is the extent to which both aspects and main line are worked out, also in relation to each other.
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Accuracy, efficacy, and evidence-based. The information, facts and deployed design / research techniques and tools are adequate. They are based on or emerging from accepted (professional) knowledge and know-how, and they make sense in relation to each other. Innovative methods and new knowledge developed or applied in the project must be grounded and substantiated either empirically or theoretically.
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Imaginativeness. Transcending the design task through creativity, original contribution, personal interpretation. Holding the attention or interest through enrichment or/and excellence. Design and research products vary in this respect from coming up with a ‘craftsman’s piece of work’ in a specific, unique, complex, vague and open-ended situation to an innovative aspect or artefact, in the sense of surprising and unfamiliar combinations and unexpected ideas.
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All kind of professional well-established knowledge and experience, in the form of theory, principles, patterns and tools. It is effective precedent study, interpretation and processing to come up with a qualitative good product in a specific unique situation at hand. In the end the product itself enriches the professional culture of knowledge and know-how.
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Studying, generating alternatives, testing, trial-and-error, trial-and-reflection. It includes the whole palette of overseeing from different perspectives, thinking out of the box, investigating knowledge and new developments, learning about an issue at hand by experimenting.
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Careful consideration, arguing, thinking thoroughly and critically. Observation, comparison, evaluation, valuing, and positioning aspects in relation to each other and in a broader context. Reflection takes place on different scales: on making decisions as part of the process of coming up with a design or research product, on the personal way of working and on positioning the product in relation to a broader professional, scientific, ethical, historical, philosophical, social, cultural context.
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Explanation and reflection on all relevant issues, regarding main line (focus, position, significance and innovativeness) and all relevant aspects of design / research products (elaboration and correctness). Aspects are: clarity of structure, readability of text, drawings and schemes, appropriateness of reasoning and arguments, positioning your personal way of working and design/research product in relation to a broader professional, scientific, historical, philosophical, socio- cultural context. Including the use of adequate presentational means:
- To express the aspects and scale levels of the design product: a set of different, complementary means, such as 2- and 3-dimensional sketches, spatial, functional and technical drawings on all relevant scales (such as perspectives, plans, sections, facades, details), models and oral text.
- To express the research product: oral and written text, schemes, tables and drawings to illustrate.