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The Influence of Expertise upon the Designer's Approach to Studio Practice and Tool Use

2014; Routledge; Volume: 17; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2752/175630614x13915240575942

1756-3062

James Self, Mark Evans, Hilary Dalke,

Product Development and Customization

ABSTRACTIndustrial design is characterized by the embodiment of design intentions. From conceptualization through to design specification, the designer employs a variety of design tools to externalize and develop design solutions to often ill-defined design problems. Surveys of student and practicing designers synthesise existing theoretical and empirical studies of design practice to analyse designer attitudes towards tool use and effectiveness. The survey studies illustrate the influence of expertise upon the designer's attitudes towards tool use during studio practice. Results indicate a relationship between limited experience and the designer's perceptions of and approaches to iterative exploration and design divergence. The use of certain designerly tools appear to compound a tendency for design convergence and fixation.KEYWORDS: industrial designdesign toolsdesign activitydesign expertise Additional informationNotes on contributorsJames SelfBiographiesDr James Self (Primary author) is Assistant Professor of Design at the School of Design and Human Engineering (DHE), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea. Before completing his doctoral degree in industrial design practice he worked for several years as a professional designer and model maker. His research interests explore the designer's approaches to and use of designerly tools in support of a thoughtful, reflective design activity. His research interests explore the designer's approaches to and use of designerly tools in support of design activity. Research findings continue to be disseminated through international conference papers, invited seminar talks and peerreviewed academic journal articles. Dr Self is a member of the DRS (Design Research Society), DRN (Drawing Research Network) and an Assistant Editor of the KSDS (Korean Society of Design Science) journal, Archives of Design Research. He is a peer reviewer for the international ACM SIGCHI conference and acts as a committee member and reviewer for the DRS EKSIG (Experiential knowledge) Special Interest Group.Mark EvansMark Evans is a Reader in Industrial Design and leader of Loughborough University's Design Practice Research Group. Prior to joining Loughborough he was a corporate and consultant designer with clients that include British Airways, Bosch, Honda and Boots. A PhD supervisor and examiner for 22 candidates, research activity focuses on the development of tools/resources and understanding the impact of emerging digital technologies on creative practice. Overseas appointments include International Scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and visiting professor at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Research funding has been received from organizations that include the Department of Trade and Industry, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Research Councils UK (AHRC/EPSRC), Hewlett Packard USA and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Recent research outputs have been the iD Cards print production/app-based design tools and Design Practice Research Case Studies website to support the use of visually creative design practice within the PhD.Hilary DalkeProfessor Hilary Dalke has built an internationally recognized centre of excellence on colour design and lighting. Dalke is active in knowledge transfer as a designer, educator and leader, and at Kingston University she was a Professor of Design until 2013, now Director of Cromocon Ltd. Professor Dalke is an expert in accessibility, sensory design and the healthcare sector and specializes in colour contrast for the built environment. Her professional advice is sought by architects, manufacturers and developers of healthcare projects; for example in Seattle, USA, Ettelbruck, Luxemburg, Wales, London and Kingston. Dalke is regularly invited to give CPD lectures and seminars to architectural practices; these have included Norman Foster Partners, Anshen Allen, HOK, Wiesner Hager, many borough councils and the Museum of Fine Art, Boston. She was invited to speak at the RIBA Journal conferences and The Building Centre on colour in the built environment and been a regular presenter at the international ‘Include’ Conferences at The Royal College of Art, Helen Hamlyn Research Centre conferences.