Design, produção e uso dos artefatos: uma abordagem a partir da atividade humana

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to introduce a product design approach using the Activity Theory as a reference. We focused the study on the relations between the conception, the production and the use of artifacts, using some antagonic approaches about the nature of industrial design – either emphasizing artistic or productive issues. The main point is the activity of design, because the above mentioned relations happen in the scope of design practice, during the project development phase. We start by presenting a review of literature of two main areas: product design and Activity Theory. In the sequence, some activitytheorethical concepts are used to structure a discussion within the universe of product design addressing the mutual relations between the activities of design, production and use of artifacts.