Empirical evidence of designers' cognitive behavior in a parametric design environment and geometric modeling environment

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary results from a protocol study of the cognitive behavioral differences of designers working in a parametric design environment and in a traditional geometry modeling environment. Eight architects participated in the experiment where they were required to complete two design sessions, one in each environment. The protocols are coded using the function-behavior-structure (FBS) coding scheme. Results show that the designers’ cognitive behavior is not significantly affected by the computer environment they are using.