| Design Theories, Methods, and Practices |
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Design Theories, Methods, and Practices (DTM&P) is an interdisciplinary area of study of the theoretical foundations of designing objects, buildings and environments, the cognitive processes designers use when they explore, generate and evaluate possible ways to meet the goals these objects and environments ought to accomplish, and the methods they use to explore, develop, and communicate their solutions. DTM&P is concerned with questions such as: What is Design? How is it done? What mental and cognitive processes guide it? What knowledge do designers rely upon? What methods can they use to obtain reasonable solutions to design problems within a given resource framework (time, money, etc.)? What methods and theories that were developed in other disciplines are relevant to design (e.g., computer science, cognitive science, engineering, social sciences, etc.)? How can they be adapted to design problems? Common to all these inquiries is architectural design, which is unique in that it provides a very rich domain of investigation and poses problems whose solution relies upon judgment, creativity, and integration of a multitude of cognitive skills. The assumption that underlies the research in this area is that ultimately the answers to all these questions will form a coherent theory of design, and the basis for tools and techniques which will be applicable in the practice of design in many disciplines. Modes of Inquiry DT&M research uses a variety of modes of inquiry to explore the process of design. They range from theoretical and empirical research to prototypical applications in actual design projects. These modes of inquiry include observation of designers in action, studying the knowledge designers use and the means of acquiring and representing it, investigating the modes of reasoning designers use to infer new facts from existing data, observing how they represent design goals and solutions and how they manipulate information in general. One of the most important research tools used in DT&M is the computer, which is both a kind of cognitive laboratory and a practical design tool. As a laboratory, the computer offers researchers a means to experiment with new theories, methods and techniques in an objective, rational manner. As a tool, the computer facilitates the visual and analytical representation of data and knowledge, and acts as a generator, evaluator and repository of information. It helps to check the consistency of design solutions proposed by designers and their compliance with codes and specifications, and explicate the physical, social, economic, and other implications of their decisions. Examples of other subjects of investigation within the area:
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