Caroline Hill

Personal Bias: The Influence of Personality Profile on Residential Design Decisions

Abstract This study explored the relationship of self to the three-dimensional, or built, form of the home by comparing the MBTI personality profiles of 91 design students with the form and spatial characteristics of homes they designed. From 2001 to 2004, students in a third-year interior design studio were assigned the task of designing a home for themselves. Each student completed a Myers-Briggs personality profile and read literature on the relationship between home and self. Students then presented research reports identifying meaningful aspects of home and design attributes they wanted to include in their project. The design attributes they were asked to draw upon were formal organizing principles defined by Ching (1979) and Clark and Pause (1996) and pattern languages as defined by Alexander, Ishikawa and Silverstein (1977). Five research questions addressed whether or not certain personality types could be significantly linked to particular design choices. The results revealed statistically significant relationships between personality type and design suggesting that designers may instinctively integrate personality theory concepts into their projects. An understanding of this link between personality and design may empower designers, educators, builders and developers to make conscious design decisions that are both more conceptually robust and meaningful to their clients and end-users.