ABSTRACT
Looking over the Design theses from the Lisbon School of Architecture’s Ph.D. in Design course we noticed that the research design diagrams were similar regardless of the investigations were theoretical or practiced- based. The common template prescribes a sequence of steps that places the research process along a predetermined path in which the design project takes a secondary role. This observation raises questions concerning the research through design paradigm. Using a roadmap is a contradiction to the kinds of research that unfold through the practice of design, which are open-ended and exploratory in nature. The implications of having a template for all kinds of design research needs examination. In this paper, we build on this analysis and explore an alternative we termed Grounded Research Design.
