Abstract
This paper reports on work in progress in a programme of highly innovative cross-disciplinary collaborative research into design thinking. This research programme departs from current reductivist theoretical approaches to design including computational and neuroscience models; instead the programme uses empirical methods from behavioural and cognitive psychology, social anthropology and neuropsychology to study elite designers at work. Designers are usually characterised as creative individuals who work alone and autonomously, and design education is almost universally oriented accordingly. In practice, however, designers also typically work in two other key environments: in design teams and in interaction with computers in CAD environments. Pilot studies indicated that differing thinking processes are required for elite design performance in each of the three environments, and this research programme is developing comparative models of the thinking processes of designers working at elite levels in each of these three key environments. This research programme promises to achieve a significant “break through” to a new understanding of the complex psychological processes of designers, particularly elite designers, at work in their work environments, and the comparative models derived from this research will provide a new basis for recognition and education of designers and management of complex design environments.
Keywords
design, creativity, thinking
Citation
Cowdroy, R., Ostwald, M., and Williams, A. (2006) A New look at Design Thinking: Research in Progress, in Friedman, K., Love, T., Côrte-Real, E. and Rust, C. (eds.), Wonderground - DRS International Conference 2006, 1-4 November, Lisbon, Portugal. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2006/researchpapers/76
A New look at Design Thinking: Research in Progress
This paper reports on work in progress in a programme of highly innovative cross-disciplinary collaborative research into design thinking. This research programme departs from current reductivist theoretical approaches to design including computational and neuroscience models; instead the programme uses empirical methods from behavioural and cognitive psychology, social anthropology and neuropsychology to study elite designers at work. Designers are usually characterised as creative individuals who work alone and autonomously, and design education is almost universally oriented accordingly. In practice, however, designers also typically work in two other key environments: in design teams and in interaction with computers in CAD environments. Pilot studies indicated that differing thinking processes are required for elite design performance in each of the three environments, and this research programme is developing comparative models of the thinking processes of designers working at elite levels in each of these three key environments. This research programme promises to achieve a significant “break through” to a new understanding of the complex psychological processes of designers, particularly elite designers, at work in their work environments, and the comparative models derived from this research will provide a new basis for recognition and education of designers and management of complex design environments.