Method for Design Materialization (MDM)

In June 2025 I joined the Materializing Design research group as a product engineer. I've been part of the group as a student since its inception four years ago, I've seen the method be developed, I built Reflective Surfaces illustrating the inadequacy of conventional publication modes when it comes to publishing game design research or really any form of interactive media research. I practiced it for my own MA thesis.

What I wanted to do was build an assistant to help people practice MDM. But a very 'engineer' mistake here would be to assume I know what designer-researchers need to practice MDM. More importantly, MDM itself is a research method under construction, so it would be very unproductive to build something that takes MDM as is; understanding MDM and its elements absolutely crucial, understanding what need each element is fulfilling, what the full loop of an MDM cycle is. The creation of this "Assistant" that I wanted to make was intertwined with how I (we) see MDM, its products, and its value.