Theodore Zamenopoulos

Involvement of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in ill-structured design cognition: An fMRI study

In ill-structured tasks, the problem to be solved is poorly specified and there is no unique correct solution. Most evidence on brain mechanisms involved in dealing with such tasks comes from neuropsychology. Here, we developed an ill-structured design task suitable for testing in a functional neuroimaging environment and compared it with a matched well-structured problem-solving task using fMRI. Consistent with prior neuropsychological results, the design task was associated with greater activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with problem solving. This differential activity was specific to the problem studying phase rather than performance. Furthermore, the design and problem-solving tasks differed not only in overall levels of brain activity but also in patterns of functional interactions between brain regions. These results provide new evidence on the role of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in ill-structured situations, such as those involved in design cognition. Additionally, these results confirm the suitability of functional neuroimaging for studying such situations.

Imaging the Designing Brain: A Neurocognitive Exploration of Design Thinking

The paper presents a functional magnetic imaging study (fMRI) aimed at exploring the neurological basis of design thinking. The study carried out brain scans of volunteers while performing design and problem solving tasks. The findings suggest that (ill-structured) design thinking differs from well-structured problem solving in terms of overall levels of brain activity, but also in terms of patterns of functional interactions between brain regions. The paper introduces the methodology and the developed experimental framework, presents the findings, and discusses the potential role and contribution of brain imaging in design research.

Rethinking the cybernetic basis of design: the concepts of control and organization

Purpose – Even though design as a purposeful activity naturally fits into the realm of cybernetics, the emphasis on control has limited the scope of using cybernetic principles in design. The idea of organization, another fundamental concept in cybernetics, has received less attention in design research and seems worthy of further exploration. The purpose of the paper is to review the two concepts and clarify their role and meaning in design. Overall, using insights from complex systems science, the paper attempts to recast the relationship between cybernetics and design.Design/methodology/approach – The treatment uses category theory as a language and methodological approach in order to formally express the concepts of “organization” “control” and “design” and then study the relations between them.Findings – Organization is defined using the mathematical concept of sketch, i.e. as a characterization of the complementary relation between theories and models. The paper demonstrates that the peculiarity of ...

Ambient displays: influencing movement patterns

Ambient displays are gradually augmenting the principal static elements of architecture, such as walls, transforming space into a dynamic and ever-changing environment. Does the addition of such digital elements influence peoples perception and understanding of space around them? If so, do ambient displays lead to behavioral changes like peoples movement in such environments? In this particular study, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate public interior spaces with embedded ambient displays. The findings are then presented showing how the presence of an ambient display through its visual depth affects and changes movement patterns. This study discusses the ability of an ambient display to refine navigation paths and suggests that its visual depth can enhance its effectiveness.

A complexity theory of design intentionality

Abstract The subject of this paper is design intentionality. The paper is concerned with the property of the mind to hold intentional states (its capacity to represent or reflect existing and nonexisting realities) and with the way that these mental states are constructed during design tasks. The aim is to develop a mathematical theory of design intentionality, capturing the structures and processes that characterize an intentional system with the mental ability to address design tasks. The philosophical notion of intentionality is approached methodologically from a complexity theoretic perspective. More specifically, the focus is placed on the mathematical characterization of the organizational complexity of intentional states and the type of phase transitions that occur on the mental states of an intentional system during design tasks. The paper uses category theory in order to build a framework that is able to mathematically capture the meaning of these notions.

A Complexity Theoretic View of Cities as Artefacts of Design Intentionality

Cities are perhaps the largest and most complex artefacts created by human activity. The characterisation of an object or system as an artefact assumes the existence of some form of intentionality behind its creation. Complexity science has been used to understand the formation of cities as products of self-organization and evolution, but it has paid little attention to the role of intentionality and design in the formation of cities. So in what sense are cities artefacts? Who is the design agent behind the creation of cities? Can societies be characterised as design agents? In this paper we unravel a view of design as a capacity that is derived from certain organisational principles, irrespective of whether these are realised in a brain, a cognitive system or a society. The essay brings together insights from design research, cognitive neuroscience and complexity to propose a theory of design intentionality that can be applied to cities.

Unearth Hidden Assets through Community Co-design and Co-production

Abstract This paper discusses main findings of a pilot study, which explored how co-design and co-production could support asset-based community development. Increasingly, community developments have shifted toward an ‘asset-based’ approach, which concentrates on uncovering and mobilising existing assets in a community to create new opportunities. The study experimented with different co-design techniques to investigate how they could help identify unrecognised assets. Four pilot studies were conducted with key stakeholders in four communities. The study brought together researchers and local communities with the objective to co-design, co-develop and co-analyse the pilots. The results suggested that co-design was perceived as empowering. In most cases, it was ‘people’ that were regarded the most important assets in a community. Engaging people in a creative process could help them appreciate their skills, knowledge and creativity, and recognise themselves as assets. This research advanced the knowledge in Social Design by demonstrating how co-design could support community developments.

Design and Creative Methods as a Practice of Liminality in Community-Academic Research Projects

Abstract This paper aims to explore the types of spaces and experiences that are created by design and creative practices. More specifically, it focuses on how design and creative practices can engender transformations in the mindset, knowledge, emotions and social relations of people who participate in such practices. To do this, the paper investigates the concepts of liminality and liminal spaces, and the relationships between design/creative methods and liminal spaces using insights from four case studies. The results reveal that design and creative practices may create liminal spaces in many ways, such as neutralizing the working environments, encouraging people to experiment with new ideas and helping them express themselves more freely.

Design creativity, technical execution and aesthetic appeal: a CAT with caveats (Part 2)

Abstract This study explores to what extent technical execution and aesthetic appeal may be related to assessments of graphic design creativity. These new research findings build upon Jeffries’ 2017 publication in the International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, and further underpin the caveats identified in relation to the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT). Eight professional graphic designers rated thirty-two artworks for a creative typographical task. Individual artworks were created by novices who had no experience of graphic design, through to professional graphic designers with 35 years of full-time experience. Written instructions to judges emphasised artwork be rated on creativity-only (without considering technical execution or aesthetic appeal), and this ‘creativity-only’ feature was verbally re-emphasised to judges by the researcher. Inter-rater agreement for creativity was a Cronbach’s alpha of .92; considerably higher than in previous studies, with implications that may relate to the use of the CAT as a measure of design creativity more broadly, and beyond graphic design.