Understanding the Cognitive Processes of Designers During Collaboration Through Computerized Text Analysis

• In Event: Designer Decision-Making and Implementation

Abstract

Design often unfolds in collaborative settings and depends on verbal communication such as conversations, email messages, or other written or spoken exchanges. Computerized text analysis (CTA) is a method for identifying patterns in speech or text that may enrich our understanding of collaborative design. This study investigates the cognitive processes of learning designers by analyzing the vocabulary they used during design meetings with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC2015), a validated CTA program. Approximately 12-13% of all words spoken by participants reflected underlying cognitive processes with insight, tentativeness, and differentiation as the most common subtypes. Our second phase of analysis will examine patterns of cognitive vocabulary by speaker. Implications for design research and design educators are discussed.

Authors

• Alisa Hutchinson, Wayne State University

• Monica W. Tracey, Wayne State University

• Dawn Aziz, Wayne State University

• Sara Elizabeth Kacin, Wayne State University