Space as a resource in creative design practices

Abstract

Based on longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork in two industrial design departments and two design companies, we explore the role of spatial arrangements for supporting creative design practices within different design studios. From our results, we show that designers explicitly make use of the physical space for 1) communicating and inspiring design ideas, 2) exploring design solutions and 3) managing design projects. We believe that these design practices could bring insightful implications for developing ubiquitous technologies to support the design profession. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.