"Doing design": notes on the social organization of studio life

This thesis discusses and employs the use of ethnographic approaches to design practices. General arguments concerning the use of ethnography within design research are advanced. Empirical findings, derived from the employment of ethnographic methods to a design studio setting, are used to support specific claims concerning the nature of the design process. A social/collectivist conception of the design process and design practices is offered as an alternative to individualistic/psychological accounts.