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Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

A Cross Disciplinary Design Research Journal

Aim and Scope
Mission
Aims
Scope

Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal
A Cross-Disciplinary Design Research Journal

Mission  Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal is committed to advancing rigorous and critically engaged design discourse, positioning design as a field of knowledge, practice, and societal contribution. Situated within and in dialogue with Asia and the Global South, the journal foregrounds diverse and pluralistic design knowledge from historically underrepresented contexts, supporting research that brings forward alternative histories, practices, and ways of knowing. The journal recognises design not only as a creative act, but as a mode of inquiry that generates knowledge through analytical, empirical, and practice-led approaches. It embraces interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary perspectives, fostering intersections between diverse knowledge systems, methods, and practices. Maintaining an open and inclusive global outlook, the journal encourages critical dialogue, comparative perspectives, and knowledge exchange across regions and disciplines. By connecting design research, education, practice, and industry, it supports a broad community of scholars, educators, practitioners, and emerging researchers, contributing to the advancement of design as a dynamic, contextually grounded, and globally relevant discipline.

Aims

The Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal is an international academic journal dedicated to advancing the exploration, development, and dissemination of pluralistic design knowledge across diverse domains of inquiry. The editorial aim is to publish high quality scholarly work that engages a broad audience of researchers, educators, practitioners, and industry professionals. The journal welcomes original research that examines, informs, and advances design through theoretical, methodological, historical, and practice-led perspectives, supporting inquiry into the processes, contexts, and outcomes of design across its many applications. Positioned within, and in dialogue with, Asia and the Global South, the journal contributes to expanding and rebalancing global design discourse by foregrounding diverse knowledge systems, cultural contexts, and practices. At the same time, it maintains an open and inclusive global outlook, encouraging comparative perspectives, critical dialogue, and knowledge exchange across regions and disciplines. The journal establishes a distinctive position by integrating research about design, for design, and through design, fostering a dynamic relationship between critical inquiry and applied practice. It supports discourse across a wide range of design domains and contexts, engaging both established and evolving areas of design research, practice, and innovation. Through this, the Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal advances design discourse through the following aims:
  • Advancing Design Discourse in Asia
  • Position the journal as a leading platform for design research emerging from Asia, contributing to global knowledge by foregrounding regional perspectives, histories, and contemporary practices within an international dialogue, while supporting the development of design as a rigorous field of inquiry through theory, methodology, and critical analysis.

  • Engaging with Vernacular Knowledge and Practices
  • Support research that investigates indigenous, local, and vernacular knowledge systems as critical sources of design insight, recognising their role in shaping culturally grounded and contextually responsive practices, and contributing to more plural and situated understandings of design.

  • Recognising the Role of Design Subcultures
  • Encourage inquiry into diverse and often underrepresented design practices, communities, and subcultures, acknowledging their role in shaping alternative narratives and evolving design identities, while supporting integrative and cross disciplinary modes of inquiry and practice led and experimental research.

  • Strengthening the Creative Economy through Research and Practice
  • Promote research that connects design with industry, production, and innovation, supporting the development of the creative economy through meaningful engagement between research, practice, and entrepreneurship, while critically examining the broader social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of design.

Scope

The Integrated Design Research (IDR) Journal seeks to expand the boundaries of design knowledge by encouraging submissions that challenge conventional frameworks and contribute to evolving design discourse. The journal embraces a wide range of design domains and approaches, unified through its commitment to integrative, cross-disciplinary research and critical inquiry. It welcomes contributions that engage diverse cultural, contextual, and methodological perspectives, reflecting the plural and evolving nature of design. The journal welcomes contributions across the following thematic areas:

1. Society and Culture Explores design as a cultural and social practice, examining how it reflects, shapes, and critiques identities, narratives, and social systems across diverse contexts.

  • • Design and cultural representation
  • • Social design and community engagement
  • • Design for inclusion and participation
  • • Identity, storytelling, and communication
  • • Sociocultural transformation through design

2. Vernacular Knowledge and Practice Engages with indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge systems as vital sources of design insight, practice, and innovation, contributing to contextually grounded and plural understandings of design.

  • • Indigenous and craft-based practices
  • • Material culture and traditional technologies
  • • Heritage, preservation, and design
  • • Informal and community-based systems
  • • Embodied knowledge and knowledge transmission

3. Economy and Industries Examines the role of design within economic systems, production networks, and industries, with a focus on innovation, value creation, and the development of the creative economy.

  • • Design and the creative economy
  • • Design management and entrepreneurship
  • • Branding, packaging, and product systems
  • • Industry-driven design innovation
  • • Design policy and economic development

4. Design Pedagogy and Thinking Focuses on design education, learning environments, and the development of design thinking and cognition across diverse educational and professional contexts.

  • • Design education and curriculum development
  • • Teaching and learning practices
  • • Design cognition and thinking processes
  • • Interdisciplinary learning environments
  • • Future-orientated design education

5. Design Across Technologies Explores the relationship between design and technological systems, including digital, computational, and emerging technologies, and their implications for practice and society.

  • • Interaction and user experience design
  • • Service and systems design
    • Digital and computational design
  • • Design for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
  • • Media, communication, and technological interfaces

6. Circularity and Sustainability Addresses environmental and sustainability challenges through design, focusing on circular systems, material innovation, and responsible futures.

  • • Sustainable design strategies and systems
  • • Circular systems and material innovation
  • • Ecological and environmental design
  • • Resource efficiency and lifecycle thinking
  • • Design for resilience and climate futures
About IDR

Integrated Design Research (IDR) is the research platform of the Department of Integrated Design at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. It serves as a space for advancing design knowledge through collaboration across design research, education, practice, and industry.

IDR seeks to foster critical inquiry, innovation, and dialogue on design as a global and culturally situated practice. While it highlights design in Asia, vernacular practices, and contributions from regional design subcultures, IDR welcomes scholarship from diverse cultural, disciplinary, and geographical contexts. The journal and conference encourage submissions that explore design as a catalyst for creative economies, social transformation, and technological innovation.

Through a strong emphasis on theory, methods, and practice-based research, IDR aims to expand the discourse on design science, design thinking, and interdisciplinary knowledge creation. Its mission is to contribute to both local and global conversations on design, bridging academic research with professional practice to advance the field.

IDR provides two primary publishing avenues:

IDR Conference: an annual double-blind peer-reviewed conference held since 2022. The conference proceedings are published with ISSN 3021-694X and eISSN 3021-6958.

IDR Journal: a biannual double-blind peer-reviewed journal established in 2024, published with ISSN 3030-7139 and eISSN 3030-7147.

  • Issue 01 accepts submissions from January to March and is published in June.

  • Issue 02 accepts submissions from April to June via the IDR Annual Conference (held in November) and is published in December. 

Selected papers from the conference will be published in this issue, while—with the authors’ consent—some papers may be scheduled for publication in Issue 01 of the following year.

For more information, visit the Submit page. All publications, including conference proceedings and the IDR Journal, are accessible via the website.

Aim & Scope

Integrated Design Research (IDR) is dedicated to advancing knowledge and critical discourse in design by fostering dialogue between research, education, practice, and industry. It aims to highlight the cultural, social, and technological dimensions of design while embracing diverse perspectives from across the globe.

IDR particularly values scholarship that explores vernacular practices, regional design cultures, and contributions from design subcultures, while remaining open to research that engages with broader international and cross-cultural contexts. The journal and conference welcome original theoretical, empirical, and practice-based studies that address contemporary challenges and opportunities in design.

The scope of IDR encompasses, but is not limited to, the following thematic areas:

  • Society and Culture – examining how design responds to evolving cultural narratives and societal complexities.
  • Vernacular Knowledge and Practice – exploring indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge systems as vital sources of creative insight.
  • Economy and Industries – analyzing the role of design in innovation, value creation, and transformation of industries.
  • Design Pedagogy and Thinking – investigating emerging methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches in design education and practice.
  • Design Across Technologies – studying the intersections of design, digital technologies, and innovation.
  • Circularity and Sustainability – addressing sustainable practices and responsible design for future societies.

Reflecting its multidisciplinary ethos, IDR publishes research across a wide range of design domains, including (but not limited to) Architectural Design, Ceramic Design, Communication Design, Design Education, Engineering Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Jewellery Design, Landscape Design, Lifestyle Design, Packaging Design, Product Design, and Urban Design.

IDR encourages contributions that not only expand academic understanding of design but also connect theory to practice, supporting the advancement of design knowledge locally and globally.

Readership and Publication

Integrated Design Research (IDR) Publications are Open Access. All articles can be downloaded free of charge. All IDR publications are deposited in the University repository and can be accessed via IDR website. The journal does not charge any fees at submission, reviewing, and production stages.

  • Self-archiving Policy Integrated Design Research (IDR) Publications allows authors to deposit Publisher’s version/PDF in an institutional repository and non-commercial subject-based repositories or to publish it on the Author’s personal website (including social networking sites, such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.) and/or departmental website, at any time after publication. Full bibliographic information (authors, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages) about the original publication must be provided, and a link must be made to the article’s DOI.

  • Copyright Authors retain copyright of the published papers and have the right to use the article in any subsequent book, article, or other scholarly work of which they are an author or an editor, provided that appropriate credit is given to Integrated Design Research (IDR).

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama
B.Des (Hons) (SL), MA Design (Singapore), Ph.D. (SL)
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture,
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
Email: sumanthris@uom.lk

Editorial Board
Advisors

Prof. Gerry Leonidas
University of Reading,
United Kingdom
g.leonidas@reading.ac.uk

Prof. Rathna Ramanathan
Head of Central Saint Martins and
Pro-Vice Chancellor of
the University of the Arts
Professor of Design and
Intercultural Communication
r.ramanathan@csm.arts.ac.uk

Prof. Petra Černe Oven
Academy of Fine Arts and Design
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Petra.CerneOven@aluo.uni-lj.si

Team

Dr. Sumith Gopura
Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering,
University of Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka
sumithg@uom.lk

Prof. Girish Dalvi
IDC School of Design,
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
girish.dalvi@iitb.ac.in

Dr. Indra Mahakalanda
Department of Decision Sciences,
Faculty of Business,
University of Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka
indram@uom.lk

Prof. Sreekumar.G.V.
IDC School of Design,
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay,
Mumbai, India
gvsree@iitb.ac.in

Dr. Dilina Nawarathne
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture,
dilinaj@uom.lk

Dr. Kamal Wasala
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture, 
kamalw@uom.lk 

 

Prof. Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam
IDC School of Design,
Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India
d.udaya@iitg.ac.in

Prof. Tarun Deep Girdher
Principal Faculty, Graphic Design,
National Institute of Design Ahmedabad, India
tarundg@nid.edu

Prof. PVM Karunaratne
Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering, University of Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka
virajinik@uom.lk

Dr. Inoka Samarasekara
Academic, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney,Australia
 k.samarasekara@unsw.edu.au

Prof. Ann Bessemans
Research coordinator and
researcher at
READSEARCH – MAD Research
info@readsearch.be

Dr. Pedro Amado
Faculty of Fine Arts of the
University of Porto / i2ADS Research Institute in Art,
Design and Society (FBAUP / i2ADS)
pamado@fba.up.pt

Dr. Sagara Jayasinghe
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka
sagaraj@uom.lk

Reviewers
Contact

Dr. Kamal Wasala
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture, 
kamalw@uom.lk 
+94716947520

Dr. Sagara Jayasinghe
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture,
Email: sagaraj@uom.lk
+94 77 731 0177

Dr. Dilina Nawarathne
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture,
dilinaj@uom.lk
+94767341429

Ms. Chathurangi De Silva
Department of Integrated Design,
Faculty of Architecture,
chathurangid@uom.lk
+94 773487276