Design thinking and Design Process

Design thinking and Design Process

Introduction

We usually criticize and evaluate the end-products in design area including architecture. So in

architectural history and criticism area most articles are about not design process but end-products,

in that, buildings. But these articles are focused on not the end-products but design process itself,

and research results about design process and thinking are reviewed. At first I reviewed these 3

articles briefly, and compare these articles and present my opinions. I think that research of design

process is important to design computing area. Because we have to understand design thinking and

design process for researching in design computing area.

How Designers Think

Key words; Approach methods to design problem / Technologies in design process/ Design as skill

This article is focused on not end-products but design process unlike Beaux Art Education. So the

author, Bryan Lawson gave an attention to why the design processes are different in other areas, for

example engineering and designing dress. He said that it is not because design problem is different

but because approach method to design problem is different. In other words various design process

can be appeared, because designers approach to design problems in different ways.

In design process an understanding of technologies which is necessary in designer’s specific field

is definitely good to designers, but it is not sufficient condition. Because besides technical

knowledge designers need aesthetic experience unlike the aesthetic appreciation in art, in that, they

have to understand user’s experiences. Such being the case, design activities are the well-organized

mental process with making various information based on art, society and technology to a coherent

set, and show the designer’s thoughts. And design process is a skill to have to learn like sports or

musical instruments. The method of good design is to design with thinking least about his

techniques like a practiced golfers and well trained flautists. But it is necessary to practice some

skill in beginning stage.

Design in Mind

Key words: design process/ research design thinking/ design process as “sequence of cognitive

operations”; assimilation-analysis-synthesis-evaluation-communication / understanding of user’s

feeling / technology

Like the above article, this article put the more emphasize on design process than on end-product,

too. To understand design process, the author said that we have to use all methods we can do;

analyzing the task and propose logical structures and processes, observing designers at work,

conducting lab experiments on designers, and asking designers to tell us what they do.

The author regard design process as “sequence of cognitive operations”; assimilation-analysissynthesis-

evaluation-communication. This design sequence is repeated with feedback loop to

generate solution.

In design process an understanding of user’s feeling is necessary to designers, and technologies

can have some affect on design process.

Research in Design Thinking

- edited by Nigel Cross, Kees Dorst, Norbert Roozenburg

Design Computing Theory

Arch 587A

Oct. 16. 02. Yeonjoo Oh

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Key words: Design process/ research design thinking/ 3 patterns of in design process; Problem

Formulation-Solution Generation-Cognitive Strategies/ major solution concept/ ill-defined problem/

solution-focused cognitive strategy

Design process, in that, how people do design, is the major part in design research. The purpose of

this article is reviewing research methods and research results about design thinking.

There are 6 ways to research design thinking; interview with designers, observations and case

studies, protocol studies, controlled tests, simulations trials, and reflections and theorizing.

interview with designers

Asking to expert designers about their reflections

on the design process

observations and case studies

Recording process and development in project by

participant and non-participants

protocol studies

Thinking-aloud, stringent requirements of

recording the protocols

controlled tests

Recording subject’s performance under controlled

lab conditions, psychology research

Empirical

Research

Method

simulations trials Simulate human thinking through AI techniques

Theoretical

Method

reflections and theorizing

Theoretical analysis, reflection upon the nature of

design thinking

Through this research methods researchers got the result that there are 3 patterns in design process;

Problem Formulations, Solution Generation, and Cognitive Strategies. At first in design process, the

nature of design problem can be got through analyzing a set of proposed solutions (alternative

solution conjectures), because the relation of between problem and solution is “conversational”

(Schon) like ill-defined problem. Next, designers narrow the solution space by adding some

constraints called as “missing ingredient” In this process uniquely design task goal continues to be

changed and constraints continues to be redefined. But designers hold “major solution concept” as

long as possible. In that, changing goal and constraints continuously is for the purpose of avoiding

the difficulty of starting with new concept. Finally designers think design problem is ill-defined,

and they use solution-focused cognitive strategy unlike problem-solving strategy in science.

n Comparison and My Reflections

* Design Process

We cannot deny design has artistic or aesthetic characters, but we have to keep in mind the fact

that design is not art, in design process we have to consider user’s feelings, and practical aspects. In

these 3 articles a series of design process is considered as the relation of “design problem –

solution” The reason that there are various design processes is because there are various approach

methods to design problems.

The second article “Design in Mind” and the third article, “ Research Design Thinking” have

different expressions about design process in that in the former article it is “sequence of cognitive

operations”; assimilation-analysis-synthesis-evaluation-communication, and in the latter one it is

Problem Formulations - Solution Generation with cognitive strategies.

But I think they are similar opinions in part, although they use other words or expressions.

Table1. Research Methods

Design Computing Theory

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Oct. 16. 02. Yeonjoo Oh

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Because in all 2 papers the relations of design problem and solution which is appeared in design

process are “conversational”, and design process is the repetitive process of finding new solution

with feedback or evaluation activities of designers(the former) or with narrowing solution space

changing design goals and adding new constraints-missing ingredients. But in the last paper the

important thing is paying an attention on the fact that designers try to find solution with changing

task goal and design constraints continuously with holding “major solution concept” as long as

possible. This is to avoid the difficulty of starting with new concepts in design process.

In my opinion there are things in common with two different arguments: one is design process is

interactive and iterative process, the other is a kind of analysis procedure is necessary. In other

words, whatever you define design process as “design problem-solution” or “sequence of cognitive

operation”, designers have to analyze and evaluate their design, and design process is interactive

and iterative until they could find the final design.

 

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