Investigating Conceptual Foundations of Design Ability: An Analysis through the Expressions of the Experiencing Mind
This paper aims to reveal conceptual foundations of design ability based on verbal expressions of students’ insights. A group, which consists of industrial design students who are newly graduated or in their last semester, was interviewed individually. The interviews were based on their experiences and the evolution of skills during four years of undergraduate education. Semi-structured interviews were used as the main data collection method and the data is analyzed using thematic analysis. Chunks of data are coded and codes are categorized under themes in a reductionist manner within several iterations. Three conceptual themes are generated and interpreted. Examples from four creative areas are given in order to broaden the field where the themes may be applied. As the final outcome, a model of fractal triangle simultaneously showing the findings is suggested.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/IFDP.2016.3126