Perceiving design processes as embodied experience

Designers in action deal with numerous information flows. In this paper, design processes are examined with an alternative view of embodied cognition. The feedback loops across mind, body, and environment are investigated using this lens. Aiming to understand how the interplay of internal and external processes is constructed, verbal data was collected through a think-aloud experiment with 12 novice designers who contributed to 24 forty-five-minute design sessions with three design environments. Comparisons between interplay in sketching and mental imagery sessions are presented. It is concluded that it is possible to extend the view of designing by elaborating mind, body, and design environment into the cognition mix. The notions such as cognitive self-stimulation, design affordances, design effectivities, and designers as self-structures possibly expand the possibilities to understand the role of designing and design tools.