Abstract
An important part of design expertise is the ability to design objects that produce aesthetic affection. To shed light on the relationship between design expertise and aesthetic experience, this paper proposes a model of how aesthetic preferences are developed and understood. The model is derived by using a distinction between conscious and subconscious mental processes, which produces the four processes of "affection," "attention," "reflection" and "internalization." These processes can be seen as occurring in cycles, during which aesthetic preferences and understandings of such develop. Since the cycle of four processes only represents an idealized perspective of reality, possible deviations and their sources are clarified. The usefulness of the model is investigated through interviews with four experienced architects. Although four cases are not enough for statistical generalization, the studies indicate that the model is a useful means for understating how aesthetic preferences are developed and understood. In fact, the interviewed architects seemed to believe that the kind of cycle described in the model may be the main source for gaining design expertise with regard to being able to create designs with aesthetic qualities. Other main findings include that the interviewed architects: (1) seem to have completed more full cycles of the proposed model than non-experts; (2) acquire a "catalog of means" for creating aesthetic designs by carrying out the cycles of the model; and (3) are highly aware of contextual factors to such an extent that they may be almost immune to being misled by them. As well as serving as a means for understanding how aesthetic affection for design objects develops and how understandings of such affection are achieved, the model may provide a frame of reference for future investigations of the nature of design expertise, as well as the effects of contextual factors on aesthetic affection.
Keywords
aesthetic experience; aesthetic affection; design aesthetics; design expertise; design theory
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2013.107
Citation
Haug, A.(2013) Aesthetic Experience and Design Expertise, in Nimkulrat, N., Niedderer, K., Evans, M. (eds.), EKSIG 2013: Knowing Inside Out – Experiential Knowledge, Expertise and Connoisseurship, 4–5 July 2013, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2013.107
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Aesthetic Experience and Design Expertise
An important part of design expertise is the ability to design objects that produce aesthetic affection. To shed light on the relationship between design expertise and aesthetic experience, this paper proposes a model of how aesthetic preferences are developed and understood. The model is derived by using a distinction between conscious and subconscious mental processes, which produces the four processes of "affection," "attention," "reflection" and "internalization." These processes can be seen as occurring in cycles, during which aesthetic preferences and understandings of such develop. Since the cycle of four processes only represents an idealized perspective of reality, possible deviations and their sources are clarified. The usefulness of the model is investigated through interviews with four experienced architects. Although four cases are not enough for statistical generalization, the studies indicate that the model is a useful means for understating how aesthetic preferences are developed and understood. In fact, the interviewed architects seemed to believe that the kind of cycle described in the model may be the main source for gaining design expertise with regard to being able to create designs with aesthetic qualities. Other main findings include that the interviewed architects: (1) seem to have completed more full cycles of the proposed model than non-experts; (2) acquire a "catalog of means" for creating aesthetic designs by carrying out the cycles of the model; and (3) are highly aware of contextual factors to such an extent that they may be almost immune to being misled by them. As well as serving as a means for understanding how aesthetic affection for design objects develops and how understandings of such affection are achieved, the model may provide a frame of reference for future investigations of the nature of design expertise, as well as the effects of contextual factors on aesthetic affection.