Reflective drawing as a tool for reflection in design research

Calvo, Mirian (2017) Reflective drawing as a tool for reflection in design research. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 36 (3). pp. 261-272. ISSN 1476-8062

Abstract

This paper explores the role of drawing as a tool for reflection. It reports on a PhD research project that aims to identify and analyse the value that co-design processes can bring to participants and their communities. The research is associated with ‘Leapfrog’, a three-year project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It aims to transform public engagement through activating participation using co-design practices. The paper reports on the analysis of initial research findings arising from a series of workshops with members of non-profit organisations on the Isle of Mull, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, in which co-design practices were used. The paper reflects on the use of drawing used as a tool to capture the author’s reflections and her own personal development as a researcher. In this study the term reflective drawing refers to the use of drawing as a tool to support the research reflection process within an ethnographic approach to the fieldwork. Reflective drawing is used in two different stages of the reflection process: (i) to record data during fieldwork enabling reflection-in-action, complementing field notes and disclosing visual and kinaesthetic learning; and (ii) to recall lived experience during the reflection sessions conducted after the observed activity, which helps to establish a bridge between theory and practice. Reflection is defined as an intuitive process that enables the understanding of oneself within a context of practice. Hence, understanding reflective drawing requires exploration of the reflection process.