Professor John S. Gero

Designing is one of the most significant of the purposeful cognitive acts of humans. Surprisingly little is known about it. This research area draws from cognitive science and applied psychology and extends techniques used in those disciplines to make them more useful in the study and elucidation of designing. The primary tool is the protocol study or protocol analysis. Here the designer is studied while carrying out designing tasks, generally in a laboratory setting although increasingly in situ.

We have been examining the cognitive activities of designers using the Function-Behavior-Structure ontology that provides a framework for understanding what is happening in design terms. This is giving us insight into where designers spend their cognitive effort.

We have extended existing protocol analysis tools through the development of new coding schemes and have developed new analysis tools based on entropy measurements of design activities.

We examine fundamental cognitive behaviors while designing. Projects include:

fixation effects on designing

role of sketching in designing

role of imagery in designing

role of external representations in designing

role of experience in designing

team and collaborative behavior

effect of the introduction of varying levels of technology on designing

methods for acquiring knowledge from protocols

Home

Publications

Papers that describe some of the research methods and some of the main fundings

Bilda, Z, Gero, JS and Purcell, T (2006) To sketch or not to sketch? That is the question, Design Studies 27(5): 587-613 . (pdf)

Gero, JS and McNeill, T (1998) An approach to the analysis of design protocols, Design Studies 19(1): 21-61. (pdf)

Kan, J and Gero, JS (2008) Acquiring information from linkography in protocol studies of designers, Design Studies (to appear) (pdf)

Purcell, T. and Gero, J. S. (1998) Drawings and the design process: A review of protocol studies in design and other disciplines and related research in cognitive psychology, Design Studies 19(4): 389-430. (pdf)

Papers that describe this research in more detail

Bilda, Z and Gero, JS (2006) Reasoning with internal and external representations: A case study with expert architects, in R Sun (ed), CogSci2006, Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 1020-1026 . (pdf)

Bilda, Z and Gero, JS (2005) Does sketching off-load visuo-spatial working memory? in Gero, JS and Bonnardel, N (eds), Studying Designers'05, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, pp 145-159. (pdf)

Kan, J and Gero, JS (2005) Entropy measurement of linkography in protocol studies of designing, in Gero, JS and Bonnardel, N (eds), Studying Designers'05, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, pp. 229-245. (pdf)

Kavakli, M and Gero, JS (2002) The structure of concurrent cognitive actions: A case study of novice and expert designers, Design Studies 23(1): 25-40. (pdf)

Purcell, T and Gero, JS(1996) Design and other types of fixation, Design Studies 17(4): 363-383 (pdf)

Suwa, M, Purcell, T and Gero, JS (1998). Macroscopic analysis of design processes based on a scheme for coding designer's actions, Design Studies 19(4): 455-483. (pdf)

Suwa, M, Tversky, B, Gero, JS and Purcell, T (2001) Seeing into sketches: Regrouping parts encourages new interpretations, in JS Gero, B Tversky and T Purcell (eds), Visual and Spatial Reasoning in Design II, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, Sydney, pp. 207-219.(pdf)

Tang, M and Gero, JS (2000) Content-oriented coding scheme for protocol analysis and computer-aided architectural design, in B-K. Tang, M. Tan and Y-C. Wong (eds), CAADRIA2000, CASA, Singapore, pp. 265-275.(pdf)

For the rest you can scour my publications starting with those under In Progress.

People

The people who have or are working with me on this include:

Zafer Bilda

Ben Colbron

Manolya Kavakli

Jeff Kan

Elizabeth Matka

Tom McNeill

Terry Purcell

Masaki Suwa

Michael Tang

Barbara Tversky (through Masaki Suwa)

Peter Williams

Research Area: Cognitive Studies of Designing
	Designing is one of the most significant of the purposeful cognitive acts of humans. Surprisingly little is known about it. This research area draws from cognitive science and applied psychology and extends techniques used in those disciplines to make them more useful in the study and elucidation of designing. The primary tool is the protocol study or protocol analysis. Here the designer is studied while carrying out designing tasks, generally in a laboratory setting although increasingly in situ. We have been examining the cognitive activities of designers using the Function-Behavior-Structure ontology that provides a framework for understanding what is happening in design terms. This is giving us insight into where designers spend their cognitive effort. We have extended existing protocol analysis tools through the development of new coding schemes and have developed new analysis tools based on entropy measurements of design activities. We examine fundamental cognitive behaviors while designing. Projects include: fixation effects on designing role of sketching in designing role of imagery in designing role of external representations in designing role of experience in designing team and collaborative behavior effect of the introduction of varying levels of technology on designing methods for acquiring knowledge from protocols Home


	Publications Papers that describe some of the research methods and some of the main fundings Bilda, Z, Gero, JS and Purcell, T (2006) To sketch or not to sketch? That is the question, Design Studies 27(5): 587-613 . (pdf) Gero, JS and McNeill, T (1998) An approach to the analysis of design protocols, Design Studies 19(1): 21-61. (pdf) Kan, J and Gero, JS (2008) Acquiring information from linkography in protocol studies of designers, Design Studies (to appear) (pdf) Purcell, T. and Gero, J. S. (1998) Drawings and the design process: A review of protocol studies in design and other disciplines and related research in cognitive psychology, Design Studies 19(4): 389-430. (pdf) Papers that describe this research in more detail Bilda, Z and Gero, JS (2006) Reasoning with internal and external representations: A case study with expert architects, in R Sun (ed), CogSci2006, Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 1020-1026 . (pdf) Bilda, Z and Gero, JS (2005) Does sketching off-load visuo-spatial working memory? in Gero, JS and Bonnardel, N (eds), Studying Designers'05, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, pp 145-159. (pdf) Kan, J and Gero, JS (2005) Entropy measurement of linkography in protocol studies of designing, in Gero, JS and Bonnardel, N (eds), Studying Designers'05, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, pp. 229-245. (pdf) Kavakli, M and Gero, JS (2002) The structure of concurrent cognitive actions: A case study of novice and expert designers, Design Studies 23(1): 25-40. (pdf) Purcell, T and Gero, JS(1996) Design and other types of fixation, Design Studies 17(4): 363-383 (pdf) Suwa, M, Purcell, T and Gero, JS (1998). Macroscopic analysis of design processes based on a scheme for coding designer's actions, Design Studies 19(4): 455-483. (pdf) Suwa, M, Tversky, B, Gero, JS and Purcell, T (2001) Seeing into sketches: Regrouping parts encourages new interpretations, in JS Gero, B Tversky and T Purcell (eds), Visual and Spatial Reasoning in Design II, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, University of Sydney, Sydney, pp. 207-219.(pdf) Tang, M and Gero, JS (2000) Content-oriented coding scheme for protocol analysis and computer-aided architectural design, in B-K. Tang, M. Tan and Y-C. Wong (eds), CAADRIA2000, CASA, Singapore, pp. 265-275.(pdf) For the rest you can scour my publications starting with those under In Progress. People The people who have or are working with me on this include: Zafer Bilda Ben Colbron Manolya Kavakli Jeff Kan Elizabeth Matka Tom McNeill Terry Purcell Masaki Suwa Michael Tang Barbara Tversky (through Masaki Suwa) Peter Williams Home

Research Area: Cognitive Studies of Designing

Publications