ABSTRACT
Simulation data are sometimes treated with suspicion, with preference given to analyzing examples of work as it is done “in the wild” (e.g., Crabtree et al. 2012; Szymanski & Whalen 2011; Hutchins 1995). For example, in the context of design studies, McDonnell and Lloyd (2009) have recommended that attention be paid to “authentic design activity as it is practiced in the wild.” ey argue that “credible analysis relies on studying design processes and outcomes which have not been initiated by the researcher and where researcher intervention is minimised.” McDonnell and Lloyd do not specically exclude the possibility of studying design activities in the laboratory, but clearly, if we are to focus on “authentic design activity,” then the contrivances inherent in laboratory simulations are problematic.
