In a paper that we recently made available, we presented a mapping of theory functions such as explanation and prediction on a (generalized) design process. Thus identifying ‘uses’ of theories for design professionals and accordingly ‘demands’ or ‘standards’ resulting from those uses. A question we often get when presenting this work is how generally applicable our mapping is. In other words: do other professions, such as health care professionals, teachers or managers use theories for the same functions?

The short answer is that we don’t know. It seems plausible that other professions have other basic structures identifying different functions of theories as central to the field. But do such mappings exist for other professions? Hope you can put us on track.

Article A Practical Take on Theory in HCI (A White Paper)

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