Becoming a design professional through coping with value-based conflicts in collaborative design practice

Abstract

Junior designers may experience struggles with collaborative partners (e.g clients, managers, and stakeholders) who may prioritise values differently and which may yield frustration, conflict, and stress. Particularly, junior designers may find coping with value-based conflicts challenging as support is lacking. Senior designers can develop effective ways of coping to promptly reduce frustration. Design schools and professional development courses could offer support to address and facilitate learning from valuebased conflicts. This study aims to answer the following question: how can junior designers cope more effectively with value-based conflicts in collaborative design practice?