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Abstract Information organization and utilization are integral to the design and development of creative ideas. However, navigating this often complex information space can be challenging, even for experienced designers. Therefore, deep analysis of how expert designers utilize and organize information is needed to provide qualitative insights into their information organization strategies. To address this, four professionals in the software design and development field were recruited for individual 3-hour design sessions. They were asked to generate ideas for a design challenge (reducing distraction-based pedestrian accidents) using information sheets specifically developed to contain different types of information, as identified by prior work. Results reveal individual differences in information approach and categorization, although these were motivated by similar underlying patterns of evaluating the relevance of information for its ability to inform the project constraints, resources or (user) requirements. Designer experience and use of design processes and knowledge transfer tools enhanced their ability to turn information into insights. 

Abstract Information acquisition, utilization, and communication are integral to the design process, but systematic investigation of information behavior is complicated by its variety and the ways in which designers engage with information throughout the design process. Our previous work developed a theoretical framework to categorize the various types of information used during the design process, known as the Information Archetypes Framework. This article explores how these information dimensions manifest in design practice, as reflected on by experienced practicing designers. Deep qualitative analysis of eight interviews with practicing designers revealed that the designers intentionally adapt their behavior to match situation specific needs and navigate the tensions between information dimensions through trajectories and loops. 

Shifts in policy and consumers’ awareness have raised the importance of sustainability in product design, inspiring the development of tools that support more sustainable design. However, such tools are not adopted as quickly as expected. To understand what tools designers consider useful, we explored how much control designers perceive over existing design strategies, and how much impact they think these strategies have. We used a survey (n = 42) and follow-up interviews (n = 12) to ask hardware product design professionals what areas they see opportunities in, and what functions they look for in tools. The findings reveal that designers perceive impact and control differently in different opportunity areas, so to increase the likelihood of adoption, tools should incorporate features that reflect those differences. Designers report the least control over aspects related to manufacturing, and also rate these as having low impact on sustainability. In contrast, designers attribute high control and impact to aspects related to their design practice and their organizations’ business model, which are tightly linked. To address these issues, designers pointed towards tools that improve information transparency, support decision-making, predict results, share knowledge, and discover user needs. Regardless of how much control designers have, they care about tools and strategies that are highly impactful. 

Abstract Information organization and utilization are integral to the design and development of creative ideas. However, navigating this often complex information space can be challenging, even for experienced designers. Therefore, a deep analysis of how expert software designers utilize and organize information is needed to provide qualitative insights into their information organization strategies. To address this, four professionals in the software design and development field were recruited for individual 3-hour design sessions. They were asked to generate ideas for a design challenge (reducing distraction-based pedestrian accidents) using information sheets specifically developed to contain different types of information, as identified by prior work. Results reveal individual differences in information approach and categorization, although these were motivated by similar underlying patterns of evaluating the relevance of the information for its ability to inform the project constraints, resources, or (user) requirements. Designer experience and use of design processes and knowledge transfer tools enhanced their ability to turn information into insights. 

Design can be seen as a series of decisions that are informed by information that the designer has gathered from the environment and transformed into actionable knowledge. The sheer volume and variety of available information compels designers to impose structure upon the desired information, which in turn may affect subsequent design activities. To better understand how information may inform design decisions, this study investigates the relationship between designers’ information organization behaviors and their generated ideas by recruiting eight professionals (four from software design and four from graphic design) for individual 3-hour design sessions. They were asked to generate ideas for a design problem (reducing pedestrian accidents in Nebraska) using the provided information. Results reveal that designers structured the information in three different ways (Clusters, Relations, and Nests), and both designer background and organizational strategy display different roles in the features generated in their ideas. 

The early phases of the product design process are crucial to the success of design outcomes. While information utilized during idea development has tremendous potential to impact the final design, there is a lack of understanding about the types of information utilized in industry, making it challenging to develop and teach methodologies that support the design of competitive products. As a first step in understanding this process, this study focuses on developing a framework of Information Archetypes utilized by designers in industry. This was accomplished through in-depth analysis of qualitative interviews with large software engineering companies. The results reveal two archetypes of information utilized by decision-makers within these companies during the development of new products and services. The findings of this study allow for future research that investigates the role of information during the product design process.