Investigating Triple Process Theory in Design Protocols

DS 116: Proceedings of the DESIGN2022 17th International Design Conference

Year: 2022
Editor: Mario Štorga, Stanko Škec, Tomislav Martinec, Dorian Marjanović
Author: Sonia Vieira (1), Udo Kannengiesser (2), Mathias Benedek (3)
Series: DESIGN
Institution: 1: Politecnico di Milano, Italy; 2: Johannes Kepler University, Austria; 3: University of Graz, Austria
Section: Design Theory and Research Methods
Page(s): 61-70
DOI number: https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2022.7
ISSN: 2732-527X (Online)

Abstract

This study presents a coding scheme for design protocols that is derived from Triple Process Theory postulating the existence of three categories of cognitive processes: spontaneous, deliberate, and metacognitive. We applied the coding scheme to think-aloud protocols of designers engaged in an open design task. Results show that all three types occur during designing. The scheme we propose has the potential to ground accounts of Triple Process Theory for design in empirical studies. We explore the relation between design sessions outcomes and shifts between cognitive processes.

Keywords: process analysis, metacognition, design cognition, design theory, design protocols