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In product design engineering, ideation involves producing ideas for new products that fulfil functional requirements. Ideation is associated with activity in multiple regions across the brain. However, knowledge about how these regions interact is limited. In an fMRI study of professional product design engineers (n = 30), we examined neural regions activated during ideation compared with three control conditions (rest, working memory and visuospatial processing). Using Psychophysiological Interactions analysis, we identified increased functional connectivity between five regions of interest and other areas. This included functional coupling between regions of the executive control and salience networks, and the default mode and visual networks. Connectivity between the lingual gyrus and cerebellum also suggests an interplay of visual and motor imagery during ideation. • Design ideation activates the pre-frontal, visual and motor cortex. • Ideation also engages default mode regions involved in semantic/episodic memory. • Executive control and salience networks show increased connectivity during ideation. • Several networks show enhanced coupling with the visual cortex during ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towards addressing ontological issues in design cognition research, this paper presents the first generic classification of cognitive processes investigated in protocol studies on conceptual design cognition. The classification is based on a systematic review of 47 studies published over the past 30 years. Three viewpoints on the nature of design cognition are outlined (search, exploration and design activities), highlighting considerable differences in the concepts and terminology applied to describe cognition. To provide a more unified view of the cognitive processes fundamentally under study, wemap specific descriptions of cognitive processes provided in protocol studies tomore generic, established definitions in the cognitive psychology literature. This reveals a set of 6 categories of cognitive process that appear to be commonly studied and are therefore likely to be prevalent in conceptual design: (1) long-term memory; (2) semantic processing; (3) visual perception; (4) mental imagery processing; (5) creative output production and (6) executive functions. The categories and their constituent processes are formalised in the generic classification. The classification provides the basis for a generic, shared ontology of cognitive processes in design that is conceptually and terminologically consistent with the ontology of cognitive psychology and neuroscience. In addition, the work highlights 6 key avenues for future empirical research: (1) the role of episodic and semantic memory; (2) consistent definitions of semantic processes; (3) the role of sketching from alternative theoretical perspectives on perception and mental imagery; (4) the role of working memory; (5) the meaning and nature of synthesis and (6) unidentified cognitive processes implicated in conceptual design elsewhere in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifically on conceptual design cognition, aiming to answer the following research question:What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? We reviewed 47 studies on architectural design, engineering design and product design engineering. This paper reports 24 cognitive processes investigated in a subset of 33 studies aligning with two viewpoints on the nature of designing: (V1) design as search (10 processes, 41.7%); and (V2) design as exploration (14 processes, 58.3%). Studies on search focused on solution search and problem structuring, involving: long-term memory retrieval; working memory; operators and reasoning processes. Studies on exploration investigated: co-evolutionary design; visual reasoning; cognitive actions; and unexpected discovery and situated requirements invention. Overall, considerable conceptual and terminological differences were observed among the studies. Nonetheless, a common focus on memory, semantic, associative, visual perceptual and mental imagery processes was observed to an extent. We suggest three challenges for future research to advance the field: (i) developing general models/theories; (ii) testing protocol study findings using objective methods conducive to larger samples and (iii) developing a shared ontology of cognitive processes in design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-process theory categorises cognition into two types of processing: Type 1 which is intuitive, autonomous processing, and Type 2 which is reflective processing that burdens limited executive cognitive resources (i.e. working memory). A recent call for increased theory-driven research in the field of design has led to a framing of dual-process theory as a foundation for design research. This research note presents a roadmap for future dual-process theory-driven design research outlining three main stages: defining dual-process theory constructs, determining research focus, and selecting research methods. Across these stages, we offer a conceptualisation of dual-process theory for design researchers, outlining the main concepts of the theory. We then present how a research study design must consider the nature of design problems (complex, ill-structured, ambiguous), designers, and the practice of design. Finally, we outline the main methods employed in dual-process theory research: behavioural, physiological, and self-report measures, suggesting ways to adapt such methods to design contexts. Ultimately, this work presents how dual-process theory may connect with theories of cognition often considered in design and offers a path forward for dual-process theory-driven design research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]