Design Research Society (DRS) held an international conference with a theme ‘Catalyst’ hosted by University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology on 25-28 June 2018. The conference explored “emergent themes at the intersections of design research, design practice, design education and design policy”. Professor Martyn Evans presented a paper in the Design Innovation Management track for the Design Action Plan project.

The paper is reviewing what an action plan is and what design can learn from how action plans are utilised in other areas. This understanding can then be employed to inform the process of developing an action plan, as well as key elements that constitute and are essential for action plans to be effectively implemented. Thus, by having framed the important aspects to consider in actions plans it will be possible to propose actions for design.

Drawing upon Nagy and Fawcett (2003) ‘VMOSA’ strategic planning process, the paper systematically analyses six European Design Action Plans (DAPs) to better understanding the key components required of action plans. The analysis demonstrates that while DAPs vary significantly in their format, structure and articulation of actions, the insights generated directly inform understanding of how these plans can effectively support the strategic use of design in public and private sectors in the UK.

The conference paper can be found in the proceedings of the conference (Volume 2, pp. 780-791) here.

Conference Website: http://www.drs2018limerick.org/