Abstract

The proposal identifies tutorial design interactions as a rich domain for studying cognitive and perceptual behaviours between designers who may possess disparate levels of expertise. In particular, this relates to the employment of specific categories of Cognitive actions, i.e. ‘formulate’, ‘evaluate’ and ‘move’ actions, by design tutors and students within a series of tutorial sessions. Accordingly, the study offers means for measuring, analysing and discerning design productivity based on verbal data extracted from the dialectical trajectory of these design interactions. The results show significant differences in the patterns, frequency and intensity of certain Cognitive actions’ distribution recorded between the two groups of designers during studio tutorials. For instance, tutors significantly produced more ‘move’ actions than the students in spite of both groups’ relative ability in producing ‘formulate’ actions. Various analyses of ‘formulate’, ‘evaluate’ and ‘move’ actions from the perspectives of visual organisation and transformational factors also suggest discerning abilities in cognition and perception between tutors and students during tutorial interactions. The study expounds the role of design conversations as affective medium for communicating, constructing, disseminating and incubating design propositions within a conceptual phase of design. This underpins the design studio as an archetypical mode for educating ‘reflective’ profession like architects.