Model of Design Thinking as Trial-and-error Process ー based on Vygotsky’s thinking unit

Model of Design Thinking as Trial-and-error Processーbased on Vygotsky’s thinking unit

Dr. Hisataka Noguchi

Hisataka Noguchi IASDR 2013 Tokyo

INTRODUCTION

Is our civilization going to have better balance between natural environment and artifacts?Perhaps answer is “No”. Because economic growth need unlimited expansion of consuming, and it has been destructed the earth environment.Why design, as a profession, has not been able to stop it?This may be a big issue of design research.However, it is too big problem to be treated in this presentation.For now, this presentation focuses in what is design originally as an essential ability of human being.

● Why Design Thinking now?


L. S. Vygotsky （ 1896-1934 ） was excellent psychologist of Soviet Union and famous as a competitor of J. Piaget in arguments on the developmental psychology.He proposed that the specific feature of human intelligent behavior is using medium between the subject and the objective circumstance for understanding and modifying it.This indirect relation makes him/her capable abstract thinking and communicate each other by managing language.

● Why Vygotsky now?


Subject Object

Medium


● Vygotsky’s “thinking unit”

Vygotsky proposed that basic human intelligent behavior can be represented as triangular relations of <Subject>, <Medium> and <Object>. This triangle forms “basic unit” of human thinking.The author tried to make a model of design thinking on the basis of this basic unit.

DESIGN THINKING AS A PROBLEM SOLVING

Internalworld

External worldhomeostasis


● Feature of biological life form

All life form of biological world is in seeking dynamic equilibrium (homeostasis) between circumstance and inside of cell.Most of creature overcome directly incompatibility between internal world and external world.


● Basic thinking unit of Human “problem solving”

Use M for solvingSearch means

Objective world (External world)

Solved (get compatibility)

Incompatible situation (O)

Recognize “problem”

Subjective world(Internal world)

Subject’s goal mind

(S)

Means to solve

problem(M)

Human problem solving can be said as finding process of means that has suitable function to be able to accomplish the goal. The functional relation between goal and means can be formulated as: m = f(g) Where m: means (tool) to solve the problem 　 g: assumed goal situation　 f: functional relation between goal and means In this case, word “function” includes not only physical function but also physiological function and psychological function.


● Functional relation between goal and means

Design thinking is core part of the human problem solving.(1) After the subject recognize incompatibility and represents it

as “problem”, at first, subject starts searching for means to accomplish goal in existing instances.

(2) If it cannot be obtained from existing instances, then he/she must create it and design thinking is started.

(3) The search for means is composed of bi-directional process. At first, the designer tries to generate an image of means in his/her brain, then he/she represents it to be recognizable.


● Design thinking as searching suitable means


Goal minded subject (Sg)

Tentative ApplyM=f(g)

Evaluate

Search and represent

Incompatible situation (Op)

(Objective world)

Recognize “problem”

(Subjective world)

Recognize Mr

Assumed result (Oa)

RepresentedMeans (Mr)

● Basic unit of design thinking

Represented problem requisition

Sp

Mp

Op

Describe Check coincidence

recognize

Problem find

Incompatible situation

Sa

Ma

Os

Make use

Realized means (designed object)

Physical action

Modified situation

Solved

Sg

Mr

Oa

Search and Recognize

Tentative apply

Represented tentative means

Goal seeking Assumed result

Evaluate

Abst

ract

ing

Embo

dyin

g

Design thinking


Problem Grasping

Producing

● The position of design thinking in human problem solving


FEATURE OF CREATIVE THINKING

● Paradox as a feature of creative thinking

Subject Object

Medium

Generative expressing

(Divergent thinking)

Applying (Convergent

thinking)

Verifying/Evaluating (Convergent

thinking)

Goal oriented thinking(Converging process)


● Strategy of overcoming the paradox

Internal world(personality=fixation)

External world(including

his/her sketches)

Internal world ⊂ external world

Design thinking can be grasped as core part of human problem solving which generally forms triangular relation with Subject, Object and Medium.

According to this grasp, design thinking can be described as searching suitable functional relation of goal and means in multi-ordered trial-and-error processes.

Also according to this grasp, creative thinking can be described as paradoxical thinking process for new solution between Subjective world and Objective situation.


CONCLUSION

If modern civilization is missing balance between artifacts world and natural environment, there may be miss orientation in grand designing of our society.

The author will try to analyze this problem and inspects background of it in next chance if I have.


CONCLUSION

Thanks for your attention !

[1] Yuji Yonemori: Peirce’s Semiology (“Pa-su no Kigougaku” in Japanese), Keiso Syobo Press, 1983.[2] L. S. Vygotsky: Thinking and Language (“Shikou to Gengo” in Japanese), Yoshimatsu Sibata trans to Japanese, Shin Dokusyo Sya, 2008.[3] J. S. Gero: I. Smith (ed.), Artificial Intelligence in Structural Engineering, pp.165-177, Springer, Berlin, 1998.[4] H. Noguchi: Intention and Creativity in Design (“Dezain ni okeru Ito to Souzousei” in Japanese), J. of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence (Special Issue of Wide Spectrum of Research in Intention) Vol.20, No.4, pp. 379-386, 2005[5] H. Simon: The Structure of Ill Structured Problem, Complex Information Processing Working Paper No. 234, 1973.[6] C. Alexander: Notes on the Synthesis of Form, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1964.


REFERENCES

[7] R. A. Finke, T. B. Ward and S. M. Smith: Creative Cognition, The MIT Press, 1992.[8] B. Lawson: How Designer Think (second edition), Butter-worth-Architecture, 1990.[9] M. Suwa, J. S. Gero and T. Purcell: Unexpected discovery and S-invention of design requirements; important vehicles for a design process, Design Studies, Vol.21, No.6, 2000, pp.536-567.[10] R. Oxman: The thinking eye - visual re-cognition in design emergence, Design Stud-ies Vol.23, No.2, 2002, pp.135-164.[11] G. Goldschmidt: On visual design thinking – the vis kids of architecture, Design Studies Vol.15, No.2, 1994, pp.158-174.[12] H. Noguchi and Y. Nagai: On the Implicit Intention in the Incubation and Pre-Inventive Structure of Creative Design Thinking, Proc. of Future Ground (Design Research Society’s International Conference), Vol.2, CD-ROM page 616f.pdf, Monash University, Melbourne, 2004.


Model of Design Thinking as Trial-and-error Process ー based on Vygotsky’s thinking unit

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