Base Diseño e Innovación is the academic journal of the School of Design at Universidad del Desarrollo, featuring a refereed research section accessible through an open OJS platform. Its mission is to highlight the role of design as a catalyst for innovation, driving processes that enhance quality of life and create social, economic, and cultural value. The journal fosters interdisciplinary academic dialogue, engaging key stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil organizations, as well as professionals and scholars from all areas of design. It seeks to spotlight emerging areas of design research and facilitate global collaboration among researchers.
As a fully bilingual journal (Spanish-English), Base Diseño e Innovación bridges language barriers and promotes knowledge exchange between Spanish- and English-speaking audiences. Besides, special issues, led by guest editors, enhance collaboration among academics from various countries and institutions, establishing the journal as a platform for international scientific cooperation.
Published twice a year, Base Diseño e Innovación provides open, immediate, and free access to all content, contributing to the democratization of knowledge and global intellectual exchange. That is, there are no embargo periods and readers do not need to register to access and download content.
The International Editorial Board plays a key role in supporting the editorial team by shaping editorial strategies and enhancing the journal's scientific reputation. Board members contribute by suggesting themes, proposing special issues, recommending reviewers, evaluating manuscripts, and promoting calls for papers as well as the journal's published content.
DISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK
Building on the definition proposed by the World Design Organization, Base Diseño e Innovación understands design as a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation in both public and private sectors through the creation of products, systems, services, and experiences in physical and digital formats. Design is inherently transdisciplinary, integrating technologies, needs, and meanings to address complex challenges. It leverages creativity to define problems and co-create solutions, aiming to improve aspects of economic, social, cultural, and environmental realities.
Base Diseño e Innovación understands design research as a systematic, verifiable, replicable, and communicable process of inquiry aimed at addressing theoretical, methodological, or empirical questions within the field of design. Its goal is to contribute to the advancement of new knowledge. As Nigel Cross (1999, p. 9) explains, “thewholepointofdoingresearchistoextractreliableknowledgefromeither natural or artificial world and tomakethatknowledgeavailabletoothers in re-usableform.” The object of study in design research can encompass designers, users, products, services, and processes. And research initiatives may be driven by the public sector, the private sector, or academic institutions.
SCOPE AND FOCUS
Base Diseño e Innovación publishes original research articles that explore design from three perspectives: for design, about design, and through design. Research for design—also known as design research or action research—typically involves focused case studies whose findings can be applied to similar scenarios. Research about design examines the discipline itself, including its products, processes, methods, actors, and its societal, economic, or cultural impact. Research through design uses prototypes as research tools, focusing on their role in generating knowledge (Frayling, 1993; Herrera, 2010; Frankel & Racine, 2010; Glanville, 2023).
THEMATIC COVERAGE
Base Diseño e Innovación publishes articles across all areas of design, including product design, materials, spaces, systems, experiences, services, digital interaction, fashion and apparel, and visual communication. It also explores topics related to design education at all levels, encompassing both formal and informal systems, from school and university education to professional development.
The journal addresses a broad range of questions, including but not limited to the following:
What are the economic, environmental, social, and cultural impacts of design, its products, and processes? How can design evolve toward greater sustainability?
How do geographical, economic, productive, and cultural contexts shape the understanding, demand, and processes of design?
What dilemmas does design face in today’s world, and what scenarios might it encounter in the future?
What tools and methods are most effective for different stages of the design process and design research?
How do designers think, create, plan, produce, and evaluate their work?
How do designers collaborate in interdisciplinary contexts, and what are their key strengths and challenges?
How can the teaching and learning of design be improved at various levels and across different educational systems?
By tackling these and related questions, the journal fosters critical discussions that advance the understanding and practice of design.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Base Diseño e Innovación publishes special issues curated by guest editors, as well as individual manuscripts submitted throughout the year. The journal welcomes original, unpublished manuscripts that report on:
Research
Teaching research
Systematic literature reviews
Theoretical articles
Case studies or projects
EDITORIAL PROCESS
Manuscripts are only accepted through the journal’s OJS platform. To submit a manuscript, authors must register on the platform and follow the submission steps outlined.
The review process begins with a preliminary evaluation by the editor to ensure the manuscript meets the publication requirements. If the manuscript meets these standards, it is then sent for a double-blind peer review, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other, including their identities and institutional affiliations.
Two or three academic reviewers are assigned to provide constructive feedback, suggest revisions, and recommend whether the manuscript should be accepted or rejected. In cases where reviewers disagree, the editors will make a decision.
Once the evaluations are received, the editors decide whether the manuscript is accepted without changes, requires revisions, or is rejected. These decisions, along with feedback from the reviewers and editors, are communicated to the authors through the platform.
Authors who wish to continue the process are given a period to make the necessary corrections and submit them. Afterward, the editors review the changes and make a final decision on whether to accept or reject the manuscript, notifying the authors through the platform.
Accepted manuscripts are then translated (from Spanish to English or vice versa) and sent for graphic production to be formatted according to the journal’s design guidelines. Once the layout is complete, the articles are sent to the authors for final approval before publication.
All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. This license allows authors to share their work with the following conditions:
Attribution (BY): Credit must be given to the author(s) by including their names, the title of the work, and a link to the article.
Non-commercial (NC): The article may not be used for commercial purposes.
Non-derivative (ND): The article may not be modified, transformed, or used to create derivative works. It can only be shared in its original form.
International (4.0): The license is valid globally, with a legal framework that is designed to be recognized and enforceable in any jurisdiction.
FUNDING
Base Diseño e Innovación operates on a fully open-access model, charging no fees to authors or readers. It is entirely funded by the Design School at Universidad del Desarrollo and does not rely on advertising revenue. The journal covers all expenses related to translating its content in full and producing the graphic design of its articles.
Davis, M. (2024). What is a Researchable Question in Design? In The Routledge companion to design research (pp. 131-139). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003182443-3
Frankel, L., & Racine, M. (2010). The Complex Field of Research: for Design, through Design, and about Design. In D. Durling, R. Bousbaci, L. Chen, P. Gauthier, T. Poldma, S. Roworth-Stokes, & E. Stolterman (Eds.) Design and Complexity - DRS International Conference 2010, 7-9 July, Montreal, Canada. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2010/researchpapers/43
Frayling, C. (1994). Research in art and design. Royal College of Art Research Papers, 1(1). https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/384
Glanville, R. (2024). The Sometimes Uncomfortable marriages of design and research. In The Routledge companion to design research (pp. 10-23). Routledge.https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003182443-3
Herrera Batista, M. A. (2010). Investigación y diseño: reflexiones y consideraciones con respecto al estado de la investigación actual en diseño. No Solo Usabilidad, 9. https://www.nosolousabilidad.com/articulos/investigacion_diseno.htm
