Emotional Intelligence in the Interior Design Context

Abstract

This study seeks to initiate the emotional intelligence (EI) conversation within the context of interior design (ID) education and practice by expanding the body of knowledge in relation to ID students' EI and to place these observations in context with the EI of other university students. This study involved two aspects of research, an original component spanning two years that studied the EI of ID students utilizing the 33‐item self‐report Assessing Emotions Scale (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, & Dornheim, 1998) and, secondly, a comparison of ID students' test scores with ten other existing studies of college students. The findings demonstrated that ID students possess a statistically higher level of EI than their university student counterparts. The possibilities for future research involving EI and ID are numerous, with significant potential impact in the areas of design thinking, design process, project and personnel management, job satisfaction, perceived job control, job commitment, entrepreneurism, stress management and burnout, internship development, and possibly gender differences. EI training could be of particular interest to both educators and practitioners alike as they seek to train the next generation of leading designers. For educators, EI could prove particularly important as they seek to prepare students for the realities of entry‐level design positions as well as set their sights on long‐term leadership positions where they will be expected to manage multiple disciplines, people, and projects simultaneously. For practitioners, understanding of EI can provide insight regarding leadership and team dynamics in addition to becoming aware of the potential differences in EI between disciplines.

Design Failure in Indoor Shopping Structures: Unconscious Ageism and Inclusive Interior Design in Istanbul

“…According to Webber (2017), interior design students are more empathetic than students in other disciplines. On the other hand, younger people's conscious or unconscious ageist judgements do not help them to understand older adults' needs and may threaten the universal design approach.…”

Pedagogies for Democratic Participation in Design Studios: Towards More Inclusive Group Work among Interior Design Students

“…Although not directly measured in the findings of this research, stress is bound to negatively affect team dynamics, including stressed response to conflict. Pressure in design teams can lead to more frequent instances of conflict amongst members, which is why it would be useful for interior design educators to equip students with conflict management strategies (Webber 2017). Training for group work, however, should not be limited to conflict management.…”

Exploring Hiring Practitioner Preferences for and Assessment Practices of Prospective Candidates

“…Other evidence indirectly supports the relative significance of soft skills in the interior design workplace. For one, emotional intelligence is thought to form the base competencies from which soft skills are built (National Soft Skills Association, 2015), and Webber (2017) suggested the value of emotional intelligence within the practice of interior design, citing its significance in managerial contexts and collaborative practice. Moreover, while not explicitly required, soft skills are also ingrained in several Council of Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) standards, namely, Collaboration (5d & 5e), Business Practices and Professionalism (6h), and Human Centered Design (7d) (CIDA, 2018).…”