Autrefois enfermés à l'intérieur des écrans, les médias numériques s'invitent aujourd'hui au cœur même du quotidien. Informatique ubiquitaire, objets connectés, dispositifs de réalité «mixte» et «augmentée» ... font advenir de nouveaux modes d'expérience spatiale. Pourtant, la portée de cette rupture est encore mal comprise, soit parce que l'on confond expérience esthétique et démonstration technique, soit parce que l'on peine à dépasser les registres traditionnels de la fonction, de l'information et de la fiction. Quelles conséquences pour le design d'espaces? La première partie de cette thèse analyse la terminologie en usage afin de montrer qu'elle ne permet pas de rendre compte de l'expérience esthétique qu'il s'agît de décrire, et propose la notion d'entr'espace comme outil susceptible de la caractériser. Les enjeux sont déplacés depuis le champ strict du numérique vers le cadre plus large de l'histoire du design en vue de mettre en évidence la manière spécifique au design de se saisir des questions soulevées par ces moments de rupture. La deuxième partie explore les tensions qui traversent l'entr'espace en partant du paradigme baroque. Alors que ces dispositifs numériques sont souvent conçus sans prendre en compte les relations spatiales que pourtant ils articulent, l'hypothèse développée est que c'est précisément au niveau de ces relations, considérées dans toute leur épaisseur sensible, que se situent les principaux enjeux. La troisième partie, enfin, propose des axes de réflexion prospectifs en explorant la manière dont l'entr'espace transforme notre expérience de l'habiter à travers les notions de matière, interaction, vie et existence. / Formerly confined inside computer screens, digital media dwells today at the very heart of everyday environments. Ubiquitous computing connected objects, «mixed» and «augmented» reality ... bring about new modes of spatial experience. This breakthrough, however, has not yet been fully acknowledged. Dominant lines of thought either mistake aesthetic experience and technological demonstration, or struggle to get beyond traditional notions of function, information and fiction. What are the consequences for spatial design practice? The first part of this thesis discusses current terminology in order to show its ineffectiveness in describing the precise nature of the aesthetic experience, and proposes the notion of interspace as a conceptual tool to characterize it adequately. The stakes are shifted from the sole realm of the digital towards the larger frame of design history in order to show the specific way that design as a discipline has taken to size the questions rose by analogous technological breakthroughs in the past. The second part explores the tensions that run through interspaces departing from the Baroque paradigm. Whilst such digital devices are often designed without consideration for the spatial relationships they nevertheless organize, the main hypothesis is that it is precisely at the level of such relationships -their fullest sensorial wealth considered-that the highest stakes are. The third and last part introduces prospective lines of thought by exploring the way interspaces transform our experience of dwelling through the notions of matter, interaction, life and existence.

Sustainable materials are prevalent within design, but industrial design lacks mass-manufactured product examples. This research explores this gap in knowledge to understand the influences affecting the selection of sustainable materials and how UK industrial designers could be better supported. A comprehensive literature review explores the selection of sustainable materials within the context of industrial design. Existing tools and resources designed to support industrial designers are analysed to understand the support provision and requirements. The research approach explores individual attitudes, and the influences towards and against selecting sustainable materials. Four UK companies were studied to understand how sustainable materials are considered and utilised for mass-manufactured products. Two frameworks were designed to support and facilitate sustainable material selection. The first depicts the overarching support requirements whilst the second presents the considerations and strategies. Both frameworks were evaluated by experts and previous participants. A workshop with designers evaluated the efficacy of the second framework when used as a tool The majority of industrial designers were aware of general issues of sustainability but rarely considered selecting sustainable materials. All four companies had experienced significant changes recently, including increasing resources and internal initiatives towards the use of sustainable materials. The market for sustainable materials is improving, but risks exist, such as fluctuating availability and market instability. A lack of awareness and understanding has meant that, in order to succeed, some companies have designed methods to educate stakeholders whilst designers have requested support to educate clients. Personal interest of the individual is a key driver, creating champions who raise awareness and boost confidence amongst colleagues. There is a need, not only for greater education and support, but also to improve engagement with sustainable material selection amongst industrial designers and others involved in the process.

Growing recognition of the profound topics affecting society; including population changes, social issues, and environmental crisis; is emphasising the need for industrial designers to address additional goals beyond those associated with purely commercial targets. Industrial design consultants, however, have a myriad of complex and inter-related elements influencing their work. This thesis investigates those influences and offers a portrayal of what affects industrial design consultants addressing more responsible design goals within their commercial remits. It reviews the literature relating to the nature and role of industrial design, and its relationship with society s larger needs. From this, it expounds the methodology underpinning the investigation, and describes the phases involved. Two main studies were undertaken to pursue the research objectives: an explorative workshop involving 19 participants from design practice and academia; and a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews involving a total of 31 industrial design consultants, leading academics, and design-related strategic consultants. From the analysis of the data, three sets of key observations and theory are presented in the thesis. The first set of findings examines the range of influencing factors acting on the consultant and their work by depicting the characteristics of the main elements constructing the product creation context. The second and principal set of findings identifies what determines the possibility for consultants to incorporate responsible design goals within their work. Using a framework derived from the analysis, and drawing on interview data for empirical backing, it expands on six key areas, identifying a critical determining factor for each. The third set of outcomes combines the findings from the primary data with existing knowledge on design actions and behavioural theory, to depict the formation of an industrial design consultant s behaviour and their tendencies towards responsible design. In this way, the research offers a thorough investigation of what affects industrial design consultants addressing more responsible design goals, by considering the characteristics of their circumstances; the determination of their possibility to act; and what shapes their individual behaviour.

Les modèles théoriques proposés par les STIC ont été à ce jour révisés par les protagonistes des Design Studies. Ils proposent entre autres de vérifier leur validité et leur viabilité comme modèles de communication pour les systèmes, services, biens et situations de plus en plus complexes. C’est dans cette lignée que nous inscrivons notre projet. L’idée étant de construire un modèle interprétatif constituant un nouveau cadre théorique. Il aura comme principal objectif de saisir le potentiel communicatif des produits au carrefour de leurs potentiels d’actions, d’habitudes et de croyances matérialisés en eux. Notre cadre théorique et notre outil analytique s’articuleront autour de l’approche sémiotique peircienne et de la théorie systémique (dénommée seconde systémique par Morin) qui permettra aussi de développer une perception écologique de l’objet comme système cohérent et interactif avec son environnement. / The theoretical models proposed by STIC (Information and Communication Sciences) have been revised to date by the protagonists of Design Studies. They suggest among others to check their validity and viability as communication models for the systems, services, goods and situations, which are getting more and more complex.It is in this vein that we register our project. The idea is to build an interpretative model constituting a new theoretical framework. The main objective is to seize the communicative potential of the products at the crossroads of potential actions, habits and beliefs embodied in them. Our theoretical framework and our analytical tool will revolve around the peirce semiotic approach and the systemic theory (second systemic as called by Morin), which will also develop an ecological perception of the object as a coherent and interactive system with its environment.

« Le design : une attitude pas une profession », selon le mot de László Moholy-Nagy, est un champ d’éclosion des objets et environnements, qui, aussi bien sur le plan de sa pratique que sur celui de sa théorie, n'est pas sans poser quelques difficultés quant à sa définition. Ce constat liminaire soulève la question des manières de produire les artefacts qui viennent à prendre place — parmi nous — au sein d'un monde déjà ouvré. Tandis que l'absence d'assignation arrêtée et l'attitude a-disciplinée, à laquelle le mot « design » renvoie historiquement, mettent en crise — de façon problématique mais plutôt heureuse — les attendus de la société marchande, la lecture de L'invention du quotidien (de Certeau) ouvre la possibilité d'une enquête sur les différents modes opératoires de la culture ordinaire, désignés plus largement par l'expression « manières de faire ».Concomitamment, que fait au juste le design ? Où et comment opère-t-il de manière vive, foncièrement utile, plus que simplement efficace et créative ? Il s’agit de faire accueil aux pratiques qui traversent et débordent les cadres spécifiques couramment admis de l’agence, du bureau d’étude, des médias ou encore de l’école; déjouent les stratégies, et œuvrent, incidemment, par « coups tactiques ». Ces innombrables faits anonymes ont déjà été appréhendés, thématisés, récupérés. Une considération critique, une mise en perspective conceptuelle et une étude historique de certains cas et textes doit permettre de faire valoir à la méditation du designer, mais aussi d'authentifier pour un plus large public, la part non-négligeable, non-héroïque, mais toujours fabricante de ces ars. / « Designing is not a profession but an attitude », as de László Moholy-Nagy wrote, is an object and environment growth field, which, both in terms of its practice and that of its theory, is not without some difficulties in its definition. This preliminary finding raises the question of the ways in which producing the artifacts that come to take place — among us — at the heart of a world already designed. While the absence of fixed classification and the non-disciplined attitude, from which the word « design » historically refers, put in crisis — problematically yet nevertheless fruitful — the expectations from the consuming society, the reading of The Practice of everyday Life (De Certeau) opens the possibility of investigating the various procedures of ordinary (and every day) culture, known widely as « ways of operating » or « arts of doing ». In keeping with this idea, the question raised is : what does design concretely do? Where and how does it operate vividly, in a more fundamentally useful manner, than just in an effective and creative way? It's about accepting and even embracing the practices that cross and transcend specific frameworks commonly accepted in places such as offices, firms, media or even by academia; thwarting recognized strategies, and working, incidentally, by « tactical tricks ». Those innumerable anonymous facts have already been apprehended, themed, recovered. A critical consideration in setting a conceptual perspective and historical contexts, considering some cases, should allow to assert the meditation of the designer, but also to authenticate to a wider public, the non-negligible and non-heroic, but always productive part of those ars.