Designers

1
Designers

• Humans information processing system

2
Designers

• Implication of the cognitive model
• Short-term memory has little capacity
• Things get forgotten very quickly
• Take notes to remember (dont interrupt)
• Make sketches - expand the short-term memory
• We can only compare one or two constraints at a
  time
• Information representation in memory
• Chunks of information
• My telephone number is 725-3261 !
• Brains power in storing information efficiently
• Visual encoding of mechanical information
• Encoding based on function

3
Problem Solving Behavior

• Understanding the problem
• Extract chunks of information regarding the major
  functional requirements.
• Compare to long-term memory (possible solutions)
  for comparison or validity.
• Generating a solution
• Compare the main function to the information
  stored in long-term memory. Function is the
  primary indexing method.
• Retrieve visual images that may solve the
  problems.
• If new design, decompose into sub-problems and
  solve each one by retrieval of possible
  solutions.

4
Problem Solving Behavior

• Designers problem solving styles
• Introvert
• Reflective, quiet, thinks and speaks, likes to
  have time alone to solve problems - Has
  difficulty thinking while under pressure.
• Must be encouraged to speak in teams.
• Extrovert
• Speaks before thinking, does not listen,
  sociable.
• 75 of people, 48 of engineering students.
• Must be encouraged to listen in teams

5
Problem Solving Behavior

• Fact-oriented people
• Literal, practical, realistic, deal with detail,
  sometimes lose the big picture.
• 75 of Americans, 66 of top executives, 34 of
  engineering students.
• Must be encouraged to see the big picture, plan
  ahead, set goals, and participate in brain
  storming.
• Possibility-oriented people
• generate ideas, dont like to work on details,
  are not specific, do not stick to one issue.
• Must be encouraged to work on details once
  decisions are made and end idea generation.

6
Problem Solving Behavior

• Objective approach
• Logical, data-based, analytical decision makers.
• 51 of American, 68 of engineering students, 95
  of top executives.
• Must be encouraged to pay attention to gut
  feelings of other team members - feelings are
  often right and must be explored.
• Subjective approach
• Make decisions based on what appears to be right.
• Must be reassured that their contribution is
  appreciated. Must be reassured that discussions
  about ideas are not personal attacks.

7
Problem Solving Behavior

• Decisive decision maker
• Makes decisions without stress. Jumps to
  conclusion quickly without thinking through.
• Must be encouraged to express their decision
  making process. Let them organize data
  collection and review.
• 50 of Americans, 64 of engineering students,
  and 88 of top executives.
• Flexible decision makers
• Finds sticking with decisions difficult,
  procrastinates, goes with the flow.
• Must be encouraged to decide and live with it.
  Must be given time and deadline to decide. Must
  be helped by decisive decision makers.

8
Creative Designers

• Creative better solution
• A solution that solves the problem and is
  original.
• Think of a very creative design.
• Creativity and other attributes
• Design-ability and intelligence No relationship
  
• Design-ability and visualization ability
  Creative designers show high degree of ability to
  easily manipulate images in their minds.
• Design-ability and knowledge To be creative in a
  specific domain, one must be knowledgeable in
  that domain know the elements. Otherwise ideas
  can not be adequately evaluated.

9
Creativity

• Design-ability and risk taking
• Better designs may be a result of wild or
  seemingly unworkable ideas. Take risk,
  experiment, explore, persist.
• Design-ability and conformity
• Obstructive non-conformist It does not work
• Constructive non-conformist Here is a better
  idea
• Design-ability and technique (persistence)
• Seeks other alternatives, seeks other ways of
  thinking about the solution. Does not give up
  easily.
• Design-ability and environment
• How many truly creative designs have been
  accidentally discovered?