Emotion in decision making during the design process for undergraduate students

Abstract

Manipulating the design process can be a stressful learning experience for novice design students. Some students have difficulty deciding how to resolve their design problems. Although tutors provide students with useful guidelines for managing their design processes, some students still find the complicated design development process confusing and feel lost in their design projects. A number of scholars have developed techniques and strategies for managing the design process based on the working processes in the design industry. However, few studies have explored the effects of "intrinsic factors" on the design process, such novice students' emotional responses to their design problems. This study explores and illustrates the close relationship between emotion and the design process by using a number of proposed new models and perspectives under the umbrella of "design and emotion". The results indicate that a greater understanding of design and emotion would inspire novice design students to explore how emotion can affect their decision making and design processes. This, in turn, would enable students to develop methods to manage their emotions to make effective decisions and strengthen their ability to manipulate the design process. The subject of design and emotion thus provides a valuable research opportunity and the results of this study make a meaningful and valuable contribution to the "design and emotion" literature. Furthermore, as this study examines emotion in design studies from an undergraduate perspective, it will assist design educators in developing methods to help novice design students improve their design education.