Imagination in design thinking: Tracking through representation

Abstract

The thesis investigates the physical and mental factors on which the designer relies in the context of imagination, including the designer's design approach, design process, and design actions. In this context, imagination is explored through mental and external representation, both as a cognitive process and as a behavioral response, by playing an active role in design thinking. The potentials provided by this multi-layered and triggering structure of imagination establishes the motivation of the thesis for the establishment of tracking imagination through representation in design thinking. In this regard, the thesis aims to reveal the place of imagination in design thinking, the relationship it establishes with representation tools, and the commonalities and differences that occur in the design process depending on imaginative approaches. It is thought that the thesis will contribute to architectural education by opening new ways of approach in the context of imagination and creative approaches to architectural design thinking through representation. As a result of the literature review, imagination is defined as "the ability to create images and ideas that are not present or real, mentally formed and expressed in the physical world". The dialogue of imagination with concepts such as memory, perception, aesthetics, representation and creativity enables the thesis model to be built over four different functions. Accordingly, the functions of imagination are examined as associative, iterative, experiential and transformative. The thesis study aims to analyze the question of how these imagination functions are involved in the design process, and in this context, it is questioned whether there are design approach patterns under the influence of imagination. Examining the associative function of imagination that connects concepts, the iterative function that provides the generation of ideas with alternative approaches, the experiential function that incorporates experiences into ideas, and the transformative function that enables the production of the new by focusing on change, establishes the thesis model and research method of it. The non-linear and undefined, multi-layered and cyclical state of the design process is seen as one of the main motivations for the study on the effect of imagination that is tracked through design representation. The representation of imagination in mental world focuses on schema theory. With the schema theory, in which the production of knowledge is examined as a process and the dynamism of the mental representation phenomenon is at the forefront, imagination includes the stages of activation, association and alteration in the design process. Accordingly, the external representation acts as a bridge between the designer's mind and the physical world, plays a dialogic role to convey ideas, and acts as a trigger for the crystallization of the idea. External representation, which is divided into verbal and visual, is examined together with different tools and methods within the scope of the thesis. External representation tools analyzed as keywords, definitions, formulas, metaphors, narratives, reminders, plans, sections, perspective drawings, collages, diagrams, storyboards, videos, physical models and digital models are included in the design process through design actions. Design actions which are examined as behavioral representation are studied as researching, analyzing, conceptualizing, creating spatiality, developing the idea, and conveying the idea. Within the scope of the thesis, the relationship between external representation, mental representation and design actions with imagination functions is revealed. As a result, diagrams showing the relationship between design actions and imagination functions were produced and determined in order to carry out the case studies.. First phase of case studies was conducted in which the design diaries produced by the first year students of Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture were examined in the project course in the 2020-2021 Spring semester. With content analysis, it is explained with examples how students include external representation tools in the design process and examined in the context of their relations with imagination functions. The representations examined in the design diaries indicate that there are certain patterns in the design approaches of imagination functions, as well as differences and common behavior groups. The question of how imagination is involved in design thinking is followed by disassembling the design processes of the students beyond what is conveyed in the design diaries. For this, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with architecture students. In order to examine their use of imagination and design approaches, 15 first-year students were included in the interviews. In addition to this interview group, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 fourth-year students, who were at the last stage of their architectural design education, in order to make comparisons. All of them were asked to describe the design process they went through during the term. The design processes of the students are analyzed by coding the interviews according to the representations used and design actions. With this analysis under the name of imagination mapping, design process charts are created in which the keywords that students focus on, imagination function intensities associated with the actions, and the representation tool, action and imagination functions can be followed together. When imagination mapping is examined, it is seen that imagination functions create common behavior groups, common design approach patterns and differences in design thinking. While it has been determined that associative and iterative functions, which are among the functions of imagination, are heavily involved in the design process, design actions and representations that come together are considered as phenomena specific to design thinking of the students. Imagination functions that enable the formation of common patterns also reveal six different behavior groups. The differences in design approaches and design processes of first and fourth year students also make it possible to follow the approach offered by architectural education. These patterns and groups, which can be examined in architectural design education, enable the questioning of educational approaches and searching for potentials for triggering creative processes offered by imagination. Identified patterns and groups attribute the dialogical, organic and dynamic nature of imagination to the design process. As a result, within the architectural design practice, imagination is involved in every moment of the design process with its different functions and is considered as a creative potential that diversifies design approaches.