Social innovation : understanding selected Durban-based interior designers' perceptions of socially responsible interior design
Authors:   ,   Durban University of Technology, Ndovela Xolisa 
Published: June 2021

In a world with pressing social issues that require the collaboration of multiple stakeholders to solve them, this research sought to find out through the views of interior design practitioners how social innovation might be integrated into interior design for socially responsible design. The research sought to find out from the perceptions of the participants whether social innovation practices could be integrated into interior design as an ethos for professional practice, rather than fragmented, erratic projects. The research postulates that interior design practices are similar if not complementary to those of social innovation. Both interior design and social innovation focus on the human dimension and understanding of human behaviour to construct realities that people occupy and offer an enhanced human experience. The aim was to establish whether interior design practitioners saw social innovation as a tool for more socially responsible design and whether they have engaged in social innovation and socially responsible design in their practice. The research followed an exploratory qualitative research approach positioned in the interpretive paradigm. The research used semistructured participant interviews and thematic analysis to explore in-depth insights into the perspectives and experiences of 13 Durban-based interior designers and their perceptions of social innovation integration for socially responsible design. Through a literature review, the researcher studied social innovation, design for social innovation, socially responsible design, interior design's social compact and interior design's value proposition. The conceptual framework put forward a plausible sequence of activities that can be carried out for interior design to interact with social innovation for socially responsible design. Doing so could contribute to the interior design social compact. The thematic analysis was employed to structure the research and explore the current level of understanding and engagement of interior designers in social innovation for socially responsible design. What emerged were challenges and opportunities for integrating social innovation for socially responsible design as an interior design ethos. Guided by the conceptual framework in the research, five themes emerged in the data analysis guided by the conceptual framework: Social Problem Identification, Interior Design Process, Social Innovation Process, Socially Responsible Design Process and Social Value. The findings revealed that the selected interior designers were largely unaware of social innovation and last interacted in a socially responsible design during a once-off university project. Although the participants' comprehension was at times muddled, the aggregate of their perceptions demonstrated a general grasp of what social innovation and socially responsible design are. It was interesting to note how difficult it was for interior designers to conceptualize the terms "social," "social innovation," and "socially responsible design." The majority of participants distinguished between social innovation and socially responsible design as differing concepts. Even with a basic knowledge of social innovation, most participants expressed confidence in implementing and leading teams based on socially responsible and socially innovative programs. The participants believed that their potential could only be constrained by finances, personal security, a lack of education and expertise in the cultural context of the social innovation project. The designers believed that social innovation for socially responsible design should be required in interior design and monetization, professional body, education and the other components of socially responsible design are crucial in doing so. Of the advantages of integrating social innovation for socially responsible interior design communicated by the participants, the most significant was the change of collective expectations of interior design by the general public and other business professionals. The participants shared that social innovation would favour the discipline by demonstrating to the public and other practitioners that it was about more than shallow design aesthetics. Interior design is, however, about substance and complicated problem-solving. The participants shared their challenges and methods, which could help integrate social innovation into interior design for socially responsible design.