Visualised Frames: How Sketching Influences Framing Behaviour in Design Teams

Abstract

Framing is a crucial skill for connecting problem and solution spaces in the creative design process, both for individuals and teams. Frames are implicit in individuals’ cognitive thinking, but the creation of shared frames plays a vital role in collaborative design. Many studies have attempted to describe the framing process, but little is still known about how to support designers in framing, specifically in teams. This paper addresses this gap, by exploring the connection between sketching and framing within interdisciplinary teams. Following a qualitative and explorative approach, we have investigated the process and outcome of five interdisciplinary teams. We identified that sketching assists in the creation and elaboration of frames. Furthermore, in tandem with discussion and reflection, sketching helps increase the chance of a frame to survive within the design process. Our findings have practical and educational implications for improving the creative design process in interdisciplinary teams.

Visualising and Reverging: Understanding the Intersection Between Creativity and Visual Thinking

“…An interesting connection can be found when linking this to the knowledge-creation process introduced by Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995). The externalisation of tacit knowledge generated during the reverging phase by making it explicit through visualisations enables the expression and sharing of one's mental model (Goldschmidt, 1991;Yang et al, 2019). Later on, the externalised knowledge can be internalised by the same or other individuals, converting the explicit knowledge into tacit knowledge.…”

“…To ground -creation of common understanding: Sketches can assist in making (individual) frames or mental models explicit and visible. This facilitates the negotiation towards a shared frame or team mental model (Yang et al, 2019). Furthermore, visual representations provide clarity regarding ambiguous interpretations, inherently present in human communication (Cherubini et al, 2007).…”

“So whose are we doing?”: Design ownership and prolonged decision making in elementary engineering (Fundamental)

“…Sketching has been identified as an important skill for students to connect their own ideas to physical entities, and for students to better communicate their designs to each other and to instructors. Sketches may codify particular frames throughout the engineering design process [13], dictating which design ideas "survive" to the end. A sketch can represent an individual's idea, allowing a team to do work on it and adopt it as a shared team idea.…”

“…Students also have hesitations around sketches, viewing them as drawings that need to be perfect representations of the world instead of functional tools for communication. If students are left without sketching until later in the design process, they may miss out on the clarifying function of sketches; without the chance to visualize ideas as a team, they may fail to come to a shared understanding of their design idea [13], [14]. Choices around sketches and documentation have direct consequences for the kinds of design activities students may engage in.…”