Comparison between Visual Thinking using Computer and Conventional Media - Essay Example

?Design and Technology: The Comparison between Visual Thinking using Computer and Conventional Media in the Concept Generation Stages of Design Introduction The utilisation of three-dimensional computer-aided design has developed into a routine practice in most design fields including architecture, engineering, archaeology and conservation. Besides these professions, computer aided design has also found much use in science, technology and medical studies (Smith 2009, p. 99). A comparison of the concept generation stage of design between computer-aided design and traditional design is a particularly interesting field of study. Research has been done into computer-aided conceptual design which has been undertaken with quite successful results adoptable to industrial design but the visual thinking undertaken when sketching has not been investigated to significant detail. A critical analysis of a study into the cognition and visual thinking of designers in computer-aided design and how this compares to conventional media concept generation is useful in development of headways in the design of online learning environments. The study analysed here-in compares and contrasts computer-aided and conventional media in concept generation in design and whether there are any performance differences when using the two. Background Narayan et al. (2008, p. 3) defines computer-aided design as any type of design activity that makes use of a computer to develop, analyse or modify an engineering system. The designer creates an image on the computer using geometric elements including lines and circles. Manipulations on the image can then be undertaken through magnification, reduction in size and rotation or other methods until the desired modification is achieved. The impact of computer-aided design on traditional design has been grand with new areas being opened up including shape grammars, database system design, expert systems and knowledge-based systems (Won 2001, p. 320). The traditional theoretical design models can be applied in computer-aided design, for example the Pahl and Beitz model in which the steps involved are clarification of the task, conceptual design, embodiment of the design and finally detailing of the design (Jaquero 2009, pp. 1-3). Much of the research that has been undertaken has focused on the application of computer-aided design on later stages of the entire design process. There is however need for study into the concept generation stage of computer-aided design. The work of Won and fellow researchers was based on computer-aided design and visual thinking with concept generation as the problem statement. A critical analysis of this study in terms of the statement of the problem, research questions, hypothesis, methodology, results and data analyses and finally the conclusion will be undertaken with an aim to obtain information that is important in the development and design of online learning environments. Statement of the Problem in the Study Won’s study identifies the lack of research into cognitive thinking of designers in computer-aided design as a major source of the problem statement for his study. The fact that computer-aided design is flourishing while research in sketching through conventional media-pen and paper is largely deficient is also identified as another major source of the problem statement (320). Research Questions A review of the study reveals that the major research question that guided the work was “when designers use the computer as sketching media in the step of concept generation, will cognition and thinking be the same as when using conventional media? If there are differences between the two kinds of media, what kind of differences will there be?” The authors also formulated a minor question for the study; “if designers use these two kinds of sketching media in the conception generation stage, will there be design performance differences?” (Won et al. 2008, p. 320). Study Objective and Hypothesis The authors identify their main objective as a research into the cognitive phenomena of designers during concept generation through two tools; computers and traditional conventional media-pen and paper. The hypothesis raised by the researchers is that in the case where computers are used by designers to generate concepts, several visual cycles for instance S-I-D (Seeing-Imaging-Drawing) are bound to appear more frequently for the stronger visual feedback of the computer (Won 2001, pp. 320-321). Research Design and Methodology The research design was a comparative one consisting of two experiments in which the cognitive visual thinking in a conventional design and that in a computer-aided design were compared. The first experiment was performed using a subject (A) who was required to generate concepts with conventional media such as pen, paper and ruler. In the second experiment, subject B performed a similar task to subject A but this time using a computer in the concept generation (320). This study design is particularly strong since the two subjects are made to perform a similar task under the same conditions, with the only difference in the set up being the independent variables; the media used. As a result, the study obtains a valid measure of the cognitive visual thinking between the two subjects since that is the only parameter being determined also in a manner without interference from other variables. The only question regarding the validity of the results obtained using this design is the decision to use only two subjects which translates to a very small sample size. The small sample size denies the study of randomisation. The Experiments The first experiment is aimed at studying the cognitive visual thinking of designers who use conventional media in the concept generation stage of designing. The first activity was the selection of the participant; Subject A is an industrial designer with perfect concept generation ability using conventional media, and bears over three years practicing industrial design. The tools provided for use by subject A are papers, pens and rulers. Of the two types of transformations that exist in design, subject A is asked to use lateral transformation which is most common during concept generation; lateral transformation involves shifting from one idea to another. Subject A was asked to laterally sketch 5-7 sketches which are preliminary shadings. The demand of the experiment was explained to the subject, and thirty minutes given for thinking. After this concept generation stage, the subject was asked some questions about the sketches in half an hour, and an hour given for the actual sketching; thus a total of two hours. Subject A was recorded by a video camera, with a digital camera being used to capture the visual image per minute. Finally, subject A was required to answer some specific questions about the concept generation after the experiment was over. The second experiment follows the same format as the first one but here, subject A uses computer as the media since the aim is to study the cognitive behaviour of designers using computer-aided design. The consideration for selection of the subject is perfect ability to generate concepts using computer-aided design. The tool used in this case is a computer, the description of which is hardware; Pentium II 300 computer, a 19 inch monitor, a keyboard and a mouse, and software being Pro-Engineering. The time and recording were both similar to the first experiment (321). The procedures for the experiment are well thought out and capture the cognitive behaviours of the two subjects perfectly. The validity of the actual experiment is ensured by the video recording and the fact that the two are given similar conditions except for the tools for use during the concept generation stage gives the study a perfect basis to compare and contrast the cognitive visual thinking of the two subjects. Results and Data Analysis There are two sets of analytical data analysed from Won’s study, with the major one being the visual data recorded from the two experiments while the minor one is the verbal data obtained from the questions answered by the two subjects. Won uses three types of coding schemes to analyse the two sets of data; Seeing-Imaging-Drawing (S-I-D), Seeing As and Seeing That (SA-ST) and finally Total-Detail (T-D). The results from the first experiment show that 7 wireframe sketches were generated in the first 23 minutes, while the rest of the time was utilised in shading using conventional media. The answers from the subject indicated that the shading bore little relation to the visual thinking hence only the first 23 minutes were utilised in the analysis. From the second experiment, subject B generated 5 wireframe sketches in an hour but did not have to shade due to the auto-shading property of Pro-Engineering. The first 52 minutes and the third and fourth sketches were selected for data analysis in the second experiment to avoid the effects of tiredness and familiarity from subject A. A tabulated format was then used to produce the relationship between the coding result and the time for subject A and B. the tabulation aids in visualisation of shifting time and amount of cognitive behaviour by the two subjects, hence a comparison can be made. The data analysis is dependable since the author captures the entire cognitive behaviour of the subjects during the concept generation stage through visual and verbal aspects. The visual aspects are important since dependence on questioning the subjects while they were working could have interfered with their work especially with regards to subject B. on the other hand, sole reliability on the visual aspects of the experiments would have resulted in absence of some aspects of the concept generation that could only be offered by the subjects. Discussion of the Results The data analysis aids in presentation and comprehension of the results. From the S-I-D it can be shown that during the concept generation stage of design, subject A spent more time drawing than seeing and imaging while subject B spent more time imaging and drawing than seeing. The second aspect, SA-ST revealed that subject A spent more time seeing that than seeing as, and the time for seeing as was actually rarely long. For subject B, the time spent for seeing as and seeing that were roughly equal, although the time spent for seeing as was longer than that of subject A. The third aspect of analysis is T-D, where subject A was found to concentrate more on the total than on the detail aspect of the image, while at the same time the detail aspect was rarely profound. The time spent by subject B on the total and the detail aspects of the image were roughly equal, although the standing time on the detail aspect was always more than for total (Won 2001, p. 323). The convenience of pen paper enabled subject A to generate a rough sketch a lot more quickly than subject B, while the immediate visualised feedback of the computer allowed subject B to generate a more concrete sketch in a longer time. The use of conventional media makes a stable process out of concept generation and renders the cognitive behaviour of seeing, seeing that and attention to detail more important than imaging, seeing as and attention to the total aspect of the sketch. On the hand, the use of computer makes the cognitive behaviour of the designer more changeable, while attention is given to the total aspect, seeing as and imaging rather than detail, seeing that and seeing. The author is of the opinion that the difference in similarities f the cognitive behaviour between the two subjects is due to the difference in media used, and that the drawings or sketches bear distinct phenomena according to the type of media. Up to this point, it is obvious that Won’s study has not only identified differences in the cognitive visual behaviour when using conventional and computer media in the concept generation stage of design, but also the specific differences in the cognitive behaviour. Thus, the study sufficiently answers the first and second research questions which were concerned with the presence of difference between the two media and the specificity of the difference. The third question was on the difference in performance as a result of using either conventional media or computer-aided design. A clear conclusion cannot be arrived at in this case since conventional media generate more concepts than computer-aided design; but these concepts are not as refined as the computer generated ones. The Study’s Conclusion The author’s conclusion is that use of conventional media in the concept generation stage of design is accompanied by much simpler cognitive behaviour as compare to computer-aided design. Simple repeated cycles of thinking, drawing and imaging interlaced with shifts from seeing to seeing as and shifts from total to detail in terms of the sketch is followed when using conventional media in generation of concepts. In contrast, computer-aided generation of concepts or ideas is accompanied by a more complex cognitive behaviour. Similar repeated cycles also occur in this case, but the shift times from seeing that stimulate imaging are much stronger and frequent than in conventional concept generation. The shift between total and detail is also much profound and frequent than where conventional media is used. Other differences in concept generation when either using conventional or traditional media exists, the first being in terms of the number of concepts generated. Conventional media generate more concepts than computer-aided ones due to the inherent limitations of the computer. Another difference is the roughness of the sketches produced through conventional media as compared to the concrete concepts generated from computer-aided means, besides the immediate shading achieved through the computer. The critical point of discussion is the impact of the visualised feedback on the computer designer for formation of an image in the mind, thus influencing the cognitive behaviour during concept generation. The conclusion accepts the hypothesis that the cycles in S-I-D are stronger and more profound when using computer media in the concept generation stage of the design process. Application of the Study to Design of Online Learning Environments Clarke and Maher identify the two basic elements of virtual learning environments as being the computer technology and the education aspect (1-2). The current emerging issues in online learning environments are mainly centred upon promotion of interaction (Clark and Maher 2001, p. 2; Dillenbourg 2000, pp. 3-6) and the three dimensional computer-aided design is playing a key role in the development and design of interactive teaching tools and virtual learning environments (Smith, 2009 p. 99). Models derived from computer-aided designs describe the geometry and shapes and other attributes of physical objects and these are dynamically visualised through computer graphics. The findings of this study especially in relation to the influence of image formation in the mind, as a result of the visualised feedback when using computers, is particularly important in formation of models for online learning environments that are interactive. It aids in development of learner focused environments, as a sense of place is created enabling the learners to use the knowledge gained to construct external representations and images just as they would create artefacts in an actual room. References Clark, S & Maher, ML 2001, The role of place in designing a learner centered virtual learning environment, University of Sydney, viewed 11September, 2011 from . Dillenbourg, P 2000, Learning in the new millennium: Building new education strategies for schools, Workshop on Virtual Learning Environments, Eclipsys User Network (EUN), viewed 11September, 2011 from . Narayan, L et al. 2008, Computer aided design and manufacturing, Prentice Hall Learning Private Ltd. Jaquero, LV 2009, Computer-aided design of user interfaces VI, Computer-aided Design of User Interfaces, Springer-Verlog London Ltd Smith, M 2009, Curating architectural 3D CAD models, The International Journal of Digital Curation, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 98-106. Won, PH 2001, The comparison between visual thinking using computer and conventional media in the concept generation stages of design, Automation in Construction, vol. 10, pp. 319-325 . Read More