Introduction of design cognition

Abstract

Design is the human conception and planning of virtually everything in the world. All man-made design has as its fundamental essence that everything is driven by certain intentions and is accomplished by a series of actions to generate results. Design is process, artifact, and discipline. As explained in the American Heritage dictionary, to design, seen from the action point of view, is: (1) to conceive or fashion in the mind, invent; (2) to have as a goal or purpose, intend; and (3) to create or contrive for a particular purpose or effect. Synthesizing these definitions into an integrated conceptual framework, design can be described as to conceive a purpose, contrive a goal, and formulate a plan for a purposeful intention in the mind. On the other hand, design seen from the perspective of an entity, is: (1) a drawing or sketch; (2) a graphic representation; (3) a particular plan or method; (4) a reasoned purpose; or (5) a deliberate intention (American Heritage Dictionary 2013). Here, a purpose and an intention are both treated as entities, for they are the products of creative actions. Thus, design is a created object, a generated method, a developed purpose, or a conceived intention for everyday routines conducted through mental efforts. Design should be recognized as an essential part of human life—in fact, a critical component of human intelligence—and, as such, deserves critical discourse.