research subjects

Our research subjects

01. Agroecological transition, infrastructuring, and sciences to society

 The axis aims at exploring and analyzing the capacity of design methods, models, and practices to produce the intellectual and practical framework necessary for agroecological transition.

We want :
– to evaluate the extent to which we can rely on co-design to support the building of living infrastructures,
– to build the theoretical and methodological framework that enables digital agroecological farming and that contributes to define the new terms of engagement and responsibility,
– to organize feed-back loops between theory and practices that can change the way stakeholders look at agro-digital innovation.
– to accompany the change of reasoning about agricultural production and food consumption.
– to support scientists, farmers, distributors, and consumers, with responsible digital services.

02. Emerging eco-systems

 The new scales of innovations require a detailed understanding of intra- and inter-organizational strategies as well as a novel observation methodology to involve heterogeneous stakeholders but also to include many “unknowns”, as emerging systems are not fully defined. We want to explore the tools, representations, media that support the alignment of actors and their capacity to organize a common view of emerging eco-systems and the articulation of their knowledge and activities.

03. Design for territories

This research proposes to examine a new form of design that claims to be the design of territories. We want to identify the tools, methods and limits of these design practices and the way the actors use it and claim it. We assume that behind this unifying name there is a diversity of practices and justifications of public action. Comparing different structures should allow us to identify specificities and contribute to a typology of designs of territories.

04. Design and inclusion

 This axis is devoted to addressing the many levels of inclusion: from technical, practical solutions to organization and urban development up to the design of inclusive public policies. The goal is to test how design can go beyond innovation at the object level and how codesign methods can address the different levels of inclusion.

This participatory research looks at the methodology of inclusive codesign and its impacts on the empowerment, enhancement of the social roles and inclusion of people with disabilities. In the light of visual impairment, new challenges arise for participation and codesign:

– Challenges for a more effective and “complete” participation.
– Challenges related to accessibility and the inclusive dimension of codesign.
– Sensory issues: toward a design of experience beyond and not centered on the visual, to develop an ethnography and a design of sensory experience.

    Ongoing thesis

    • Design, autonomy and inclusion stakes. (started in 2022)
    • Territories design. (started in 2022)
    • Organisation’s sustainable transition through design. (started in 2023)
    • Transition design with and for organizations: a study of the specific methodologies and media that support the exploration and design of sustainable ecosystems. (started in 2023)

    Ongoing research projects 

    • Agro-ecologial design and transition with l’INRIA and ’INRAE (PEPR) : Expected results in Autumn 2022.

    • Design and new formats of interdisciplinary training with LPI, Cité du Design de Saint Etienne (Horizon 2020 – New European Bauhaus): Expected results in autumn 2022.

    • Proposal for a research chair with EPAM Group, negotiations underway.