initially
on
‘problem
structuring’,
with
periodical returns to this. He then moved to
In short, the patient simply could not perform
Like other forms of intelligence and ability
the elatively simple design task.
it may be possessed, or may be manifested
‘preliminary design’ and on to ‘refinement’
in performance, at higher levels by some
and ‘detailing’. The graph of the control
In this unhappy case we can see exposed some
people than by others. And like other forms
subject clearly showed a controlled but
of the considerable complexity that there is in
of intelligence and ability, design intelligence
complex pattern of activities, with overlap
normal design thinking, and evidence that the
is not simply a given ‘talent’ or ‘gift’, but can
and quick transitions between activities. In
brain has high level cognitive functions that
be trained and developed. Otherwise, what
contrast, the patient subject spent a huge
control or process activities that are essential
would be the point of having design schools?
amount of time on attempting ‘problem
aspects of design ability and that contribute
structuring’, and only small amounts of time
to design thinking as a form of intelligence.
on ‘preliminary design’ and ‘refinement’. Studies of brain activities have identified The experimenters reported that:
specific areas of the right hemisphere of the brain as being active during design
The patient understood the task and even
thinking.12 The two hemispheres of the
observed that ‘this is a very simple problem’. His
brain, right and left, appear to have different
sophisticated architectural knowledge base was
cognitive specialisms. Neuroscience studies
still intact and he used it quite skilfully during
tend to confirm that the right hemisphere of
the problem structuring phase. However, the
the brain is more specialized in spatial and
patient’s problem-solving behaviour differed from
constructional tasks, in aesthetic perception
the control’s behaviour in the following ways: (1)
and emotions. The left hemisphere is more
he was unable to make the transition from problem
specialized in language abilities and verbal
structuring to problem solving; (2) as a result
reasoning. Damage to the left hemisphere
preliminary design did not start until two-thirds
often results in the loss of some speech
of the way into the session; (3) the preliminary
functions, whereas damage to the right
design phase was minimal and erratic, consisting
hemisphere, as we have seen, can result in the
of three independently generated fragments; (4)
loss of design ability.
there was no progression or lateral development of these fragments; (5) there was no carry-over of
A view of design thinking as a distinct form
abstract information into the preliminary design
of intelligence does not necessarily mean that
or later phases; and (6) the patient did not make it
some people ‘have it’ and some people do
to the detailing phase.
not. Design ability is something that everyone has, to some extent, because it is embedded in our brains as a natural cognitive function.
1 L. Bruce Archer, ‘Whatever Became of Design Methodology?’, Design Studies, vol. 1 (1979) no. 1, 17-20; and Nigel Cross, ‘Designerly Ways of Knowing’, Design Studies, vol. 3 (1982) no. 4, 221-227. 2 Bryan Lawson, How Designers Think (Oxford: Architectural Press/Elsevier, 1980). 3 Peter Rowe, Design Thinking (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987). 4 Herbert A. Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1969). 5 Donald A. Schön, The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action (New York: Basic Books, 1983). 6 R. Davies and R.J. Talbot, ‘Experiencing Ideas: Identity, Insight and the Imago’, Design Studies, vol. 8 (1987) no. 1, 17-25. 7 Ibid. 8. Nigel Cross, ‘The Nature and Nurture of Design Ability’, Design Studies, vol. 11 (1990) no. 3, 127-140. 9 Nigel Cross, Designerly Ways of Knowing (London: Springer-Verlag, 2006). 10 Howard Gardener, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (London: Heinemann, 1983). 11 Vinod Goel and Jordan Grafman, ‘Role of the Right Prefrontal Cortex in Ill-Structured Planning’, Cognitive Neuropsychology, vol. 17 (2000) no. 5, 415-436. 12 Katerina Alexiou et al., ‘Exploring the Neurological Basis of Design Cognition Using Brain Imaging: Some Preliminary Results’, Design Studies, vol. 30 (2009) no. 6, 623-647. Figures 1 & 2 from: Vinod Goel and Jordan Grafman, ‘Role of the Right Prefrontal Cortex in Ill-Structured Planning’, Cognitive Neuropsychology, vol. 17 (2000) no. 5, 415-436
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