Understanding mental imagery processes in creative design synthesis

在产品设计中，创造性综合是设计知识和概念的精神创造和组合，以产生功能性产品的想法。心理意象是这一过程的关键，使设计师能够在心理上可视化和操纵想法。然而，现有关于产品设计中心理意象的研究非常有限。研究的数量相对较少，他们倾向于使用小样本的定性方法。这些方法可以生成有关相关过程的丰富、详细的数据，但不能单独产生创建设计师作为总体的图像处理的科学模型所需的概括性结果。心理学家对创造性思维中的心理意象进行了研究，通常采用更大的样本和量化的表象能力心理测试。这些表明，不同的表象能力可能参与其中，包括生动、空间处理和控制。此外，心理学家已经证明，表象能力和对表象的主观体验--尤其是生动--在不同的人之间有很大的不同。还观察到一些人完全缺乏视觉意象(失语症)，包括动画师和漫画家等创意专业人员。本博士项目将结合设计学和心理学的定性和定量方法，对心理意象在创造性设计综合中的作用提供新的认识。所产生的知识将提供对支持创造性设计的革命性新工具的需求的洞察，并通过为基于图像的新方法和途径提供基础来影响设计实践和教育。

In product design, creative synthesis is the mental creation and combination of design knowledge and concepts to produce ideas for functional products. Mental imagery is key to this process, enabling the designer to mentally visualise and manipulate ideas. However, existing research on mental imagery in product design is very limited. The number of studies is relatively small, and they tend to employ qualitative methods with small samples. These methods can generate rich, detailed data on the processes involved, but cannot alone produce the generalisable results needed to create scientific models of imagery processing across designers as a population. Psychologists have conducted studies on mental imagery in creative thinking, typically employing larger samples and quantitative psychological tests of imagery ability. These suggest that various imagery abilities may be involved, including vividness, spatial processing, and control. Furthermore, psychologists have demonstrated that imagery ability and subjective experience of imagery - particularly vividness - varies considerably across people. A total absence of visual imagery (aphantasia) has also been observed in some individuals, including creative professionals such as animators and cartoonists. However, these aspects have not been systematically investigated in designers.This PhD project will combine qualitative and quantitative methods from design and psychology to provide new understanding about the role of mental imagery in creative design synthesis. The knowledge generated will provide insight into the requirements for revolutionary new tools to support creative design, and impact design practice and education by providing a foundation for new imagery-based methods and approaches.