anchoring the design process: A framework to make the designerly way of thinking explicit in architectural design education

This thesis proposes a framework to address the design process in design education. Building upon the assumption that teachers, being professional designers, do not discuss the design process in the architectural design studio and do not have a vocabulary to do so, five generic elements or anchor points are defined which represent the basic...

Crossing Cultural Chasms: Towards a culture-conscious approach to design

This thesis concerns specifically the discipline of product design, and the main question is how can designers be supported in understanding the culture of their intended users. The reason for this study is that designers are experiencing difficulties and uncertainties with regard to their intended users, as these users live in cultures with...

Method Usage in Design: How methods function as mental tools for designers

Methods are means to help designers achieve desired change as efficiently and effectively as possible. Methods can be used to do so in the context of learning - to help teach students how to design on a professional level. Methods can also be used in the context of performance - to help designers perform better at what they already do (well)....