DSN202 · Projected vision

Projected vision

Projected vision is based on the work of Caroline Hummels and Diane Vinke and the annotated portfolio (cf. previous course).

Introduction

Projected vision, a proposal inspired by the personal development plan (Hummels & Vinke, 2009), structures and engages a designer, craftsperson or artist in making decisions about their positioning in relation to the type of practice, projects, and societal stance they intend to take. The objective is to conduct a reflection that forms a horizon, from which one can organise arguments useful for making decisions about future actions and positions to take. Projected vision is therefore essentially programmatic: while drawing on past experiences, it contributes to sketching a desirable horizon, and a path towards it. And as with any horizon, reaching it remains a very uncertain event (in fact, probably undesirable). It is the journey that matters, and most often it will evolve as the path unfolds.

Structure

A corpus of projects

Creating a projected vision is based on a corpus of projects to be ordered. For this, we draw inspiration from the annotated portfolio (Gaver & Bowers, 2012) which enables such work. The selected projects can be those carried out by the person working on the projected vision. If there are many, only those that have had a significant impact on the development of competencies, on the worldview and understanding of design, on the relationship to design practice… in short, those that “mattered” are selected. Projects by other designers, craftspeople, artists… can also be selected. Priority is given to projects that have had a deep impact on the relationship to design, that have deeply inspired the practice, that have caused a rupture in practice or vision… once again, those that “mattered”. In all cases, the selection of any project must be clearly justifiable and written down. The objective of the corpus analysis is to identify descriptors and dimensions that are either common to these projects or, on the contrary, specific to one or few projects. What is common allows identifying constants or trends. What is specific allows detecting unique experiences, possibly ruptures of vision or practice. These ruptures can be perceived positively or negatively. A positive view of the rupture will be constructive of the targeted horizon and will resonate with it. A negative view will be limiting or in opposition to the targeted horizon and will be in dissonance with it. A selection of these descriptors and dimensions then makes it possible to highlight the structure of a space in which the designer intends to evolve, establishing what is inside and outside this space. Its boundaries are thus drawn.

A synthetic reflection

Describing what this space contains becomes material for putting the space itself into perspective. A synthesis of this content then makes it possible to characterise what constitutes the experience of the person working on the projected vision.

From this synthesis, two constitutive elements of the projected vision can be extracted. First, a horizon, which describes what one wishes to tend towards in terms of type of practice, place of practice, design object, and societal positioning. This horizon therefore more or less directly describes one’s identity as a designer, craftsperson or artist, one’s situated practice, and the targeted fields of application. Then, a discernment of what is achievable in the short term, of what needs to be put in place already to achieve it later, and of what remains in the realm of the horizon.

• For what is achievable, a series of actions will be determined to begin the journey. This involves considering what is already in place, what is almost in place (e.g., perfecting a skill, writing a statement of intent), what can be strategically planned operationally (e.g., readings, meetings, visits, events…).
• For what needs to be achieved later, it will be a matter of seeing what can still be done in the short term, and what must remain on standby to potentially seize any opportunity that arises. For the rest, what remains in the realm of the horizon, it is mainly a matter of creating a narrative that completes the vision.

This narrative is all the more important as it will determine, when an evaluation of the vision is made, the consequences of a potential difference between the envisaged path and the one actually travelled.

Finally, a date must be set for evaluating this projected vision as formulated. This date can be a day on the calendar or a day linked to an event, e.g., the end of a major project, a less intense period, an evaluation period…

And afterwards

This date is essential for maintaining the effectiveness of the projected vision. This evaluation is paramount. Not only does it allow appreciating the path travelled and returning to the path if necessary, but it also and above all allows “reforming the horizon”. With the path travelled, one can legitimately wonder whether the horizon itself has not changed, whether the vision has not evolved, whether the objectives and means to achieve it are still relevant. It is then a matter of updating the annotated portfolio, enriching it with past experience, to keep, or even reinforce what remains, to modify what needs to be, and eventually to remove what no longer has reason to be.

In light of the opportunities that present themselves in the near future, the analysis will certainly change to both evolve the space where the vision is forming, which is the essence of the document, and then redraw the horizon and the path leading to it. The consequences for updating the actions to take will be obvious.

Format

There is no predefined format for a projected vision, although it is necessary to follow a working constraint: the traceability of analysis and reflection. This traceability is essential to be able to correctly evaluate it before updating it. One must indeed be able to distinguish between the thinking at the time of forming this projected vision and the retrospective thinking at the time of its evaluation. This difference can be the object of a reflection to enrich the vision. But its format is not arbitrary either. As with any design, craft or art work, form is also text! Its form must therefore be the expression of its author, and the sign of their ambition.