Feelings in Design – A Neuroevolutionary Perspective On Process And Knowledge

Abstract

This paper advances an alternative perspective on the perennial debate over design method, design decision-making and the design process. Its fundamental contention is that advances in a number of scientific fields indicate that our decision-making processes are not as amenable to introspective scrutiny as conventional wisdom would suggest. On the contrary, we appear to be remarkably oblivious to the decision-making strategies that we engage in. This is not denigrating design decision-making: rather, it places the locus of operation largely outside of consciousness. Neurological and evolutionary evidence is presented that suggests a process of high sophistication, but one that questions fundamental assumptions in this field. As practical illustration, the Act of Designing and the notion of Design Principles are examined.

KEYWORDS:

• design process
• decision-making
• emotion

Additional information

Notes on contributors

T. W. Allan Whitfield

BIOGRAPHY

T. W. Allan Whitfield (PhD) is Research Professor and Director of the National Institute for Design Research in Melbourne. He has published extensively in both the psychology and design literature, including, in the former, the British Journal of Psychology, Perception & Psychophysics, and Vision Research, and in the latter, Design Studies, Design Issues, and The Design Journal.