Analogies as Creative Inspiration Sources in the Design Studio: The Teamwork

Analogical reasoning can be seen as an important aid in problem solving, and architectural design problem solving in particular. Analogical reasoning was found to be an important aid supporting architectural education. In this paper, we explored the use of visual and verbal analogies in the early phases of the design process when student designers work alone and as a team. In addition, we investigated the contribution of different types of analogy on the creativity of the final design outcome. In an empirical study the use of visual and verbal analogies were compared in regard to the question of how designers deal with different problem solving activities during the design process. Findings showed that the help provided by visual analogy was mainly successful in a definition of the problem, clarifications of ideas, and evaluations of solutions. Verbal analogy, on the other hand, was particular successful in generating design ideas. Both types of analogies contributed to the originality and aesthetic value of the final design outcome. Independently of the type of analogy used, working in team was found to be fundamental to enrich different aspects of the design activity. Implications for design education are discussed.