Translational Design: Enabling impact in complex multistakeholder research

Translational research seeks to apply knowledge generated through fundamental research into tangible impact outside academia. Designers are increasingly involved in complex multi-stakeholder, impact-oriented research projects, acting as ‘translators’ across disciplines. Designers draw on the rich history of practice in design research to synthesise, integrate, and bridge disciplinary knowledges into practice outcomes. This editorial introduces the papers of the thematic track ‘Translational Design: Enabling impact in complex, multi-stakeholder research projects through design’ presented at the DRS2024 conference. 12 papers were selected from 44 submissions and classified into three groups: ‘Designers as interpreters, mediators, and facilitators between disciplines,’ ‘The translation of research knowledge into and through artefacts,’ and ‘Translational design in PhD research.’ These papers present descriptions and case studies that help to make explicit the implicit translational roles, tools, and methods of design researchers in academic and multidisciplinary contexts. The track invites researchers to explore an expanding role for practice-based design research as an explicit tool for research translation.