From Knowledge to Action: A Grounded Theory Framework for Design for Emergencies

Contemporary societies face increasing climate, health, and humanitarian emergencies demanding rapid coordinated responses. Design plays a crucial role in immediate response, prevention and reconstruction. Yet, designers lack shared operational frameworks to translate resilience principles into practice. This study adopts a constructivist Grounded Theory approach to model how scientific knowledge and local know-how become coordinated action. Through open, axial, and selective coding plus comparative memos, we derive a five-stage process model — Know–Communicate–Decide–Act–Learn (K–C–D–A–L) — and a communication pipeline — Visibility–Comprehension–Action (V–C–A) — linking information architecture, validated symbols, and executable procedures under degraded conditions. Findings highlight the centrality of validated information design, coordinated governance, and adaptable technological and logistical solutions in accelerating decision-making and sustaining service continuity under disruption. Operational outputs — including a deployable canvas, symbol libraries, and offline-first kits — can enhance usability, inclusivity, and resilience. The contribution bridges theory and practice through an interdisciplinary framework, empowering designers and communities to act decisively in emergency contexts.