design thinking

Design thinking is introduced as a method to achieve innovation in conditions with high uncertainty and complexity. This feature has led this method to innovations welcomed by companies operating in unknown and turbulent markets. Nevertheless, the development of theoretical knowledge about design thinking has not been accompanied by its accelerated use and has created a lack in its sustainable implementation; A problem that has led to the superficial and cross-sectional implementation of this approach. In the meantime, the place of design thinking in knowledge-based innovation is one of the fields that, despite some studies, remains unknown. Considering the development of knowledge-based innovation in recent years, it is necessary to explain the effect of innovation models on it. Based on an exploratory approach, this research has tried to explain the mechanism of the effect of this method through the development of analytical, synthetic, and symbolic knowledge bases by analyzing the orientation of four kinds of design thinking to knowledge-based innovation. For this purpose, design thinking experts who have had a significant experience in connection with innovative companies implementing this approach were consulted, and information was collected with the help of open and semi-structured interviews. According to the research structure of multi-case study, the data were monitored through cross-case analysis to identify recurring views among the results of the interviews. Also, to achieve more accurate and reliable estimates of the results, the collected data were triangulated. The findings of the research about the impact of design thinking on knowledge-based innovation were presented in the form of four discussed types. The mechanism of the effect of design thinking on knowledge-based innovation can be expressed on two levels. At the first level, it is design thinking methodology that enables intuitive and speculative behaviors to identify what can be possible in four different approaches. By relying on the logic of abduction, design thinking develops a different form of encountering the surrounding world, which is different from conventional analytical approaches. This form can strengthen the exploratory capabilities of the organization. At the second level, design thinking with the ability to develop all three analytical, synthetic and symbolic knowledge bases through different types, affects the innovation of the knowledge base. Our findings showed that while the user-oriented type mainly enriches the analytical knowledge base, two types of acceleration and creative trust cause the development of the combined knowledge base. Finally, the innovation of meaning has a direct relationship with the development of knowledge of the symbolic base. The summary of the results shows that while design thinking has the capacity to influence knowledge-based innovation through different types, due to the limitations caused by the process structure, this view is not able to explain and guide the capacity of all the mentioned types in the path of innovation and needs to be revised. Considering the current research that tries to redefine design thinking through the lens of dynamic capabilities, we suggest expanding the studies of this theoretical current to overcome the mentioned lack.

Design is defined as the human capacity to build society, on the one hand, to satisfy needs and give meaning to life, and on the other hand, to create a product through empirical and analytical methods. In the process of creating a work, designers respond and shape the world in which they live and form themselves based on their perception of the culture of that world. Today, as the issue of the impact of culture on design is an undeniable debate. Therefore, addressing it can to some extent bridge the gap in this direction. The purpose of this article is an analytical-comparative study of cultural design from the point of view of Stuart Hall and his theory of representation. In this research, we try to select some Iranian handmade packaging as a case study of the effect of culture on product design and how to identify them. Therefore, the questions of the present study are: Design, in which group of definitions of culture? What is the relationship between designer, culture, identity and environment? Could Stuart Hall's theory of representation be a comparative study of culture-based design from the perspective of Christopher and Levy? What is the method and quantity of the identity of Iranian artisan packaging? The present study is an analytical-comparative method with a qualitative approach, which explores the relationships between the designer, culture, identity and the environment from a fundamental point of view. And it was done through the collection of documentary information (library texts) and context. After studying the text of the most important research and works in the field of the effects of culture on design, this research expresses the effect of each society's culture on designer and design, examining the position of design among the practical definitions of culture, comparing the views of Christopher Alexander and Raymond Levy with Stuart Hall's theory of representation. Finally, selecting the target population, which is 233 packaging samples available in the Iranian market, and selecting 79 samples of the target population by stratified and probabilistic sampling with a quantitative approach to investigate the extent and identity of Iranian artisanal packaging. In this perspective, it is therefore a sort of theoretical study and analysis of the visual content, which, according to Hall's theory of representation, deals with the discovery of fundamental meanings in the message and is based on arguments deduced from the data. The result of the research indicates that, based on the definitions of culture and identity that were formulated at the beginning of the research, it can be said that the design and production of the product fall into all four categories of historical, psychological, structural definitions. and descriptive of the culture. In discussing identity, it should be borne in mind that the identity of each product reflects the identity of the designer and the audience community. Therefore, in design, by designing and creating the product, a systematic media and symbolic communication is established. Hall defines the cycle of culture as production, consumption, norms, identity and representation. Finally, a place for design in Hall's theory can be placed in the reference designer-centered approach and in the public-centered structural approach; That his design-oriented approach may be consistent with Alexandria's point of view; These two points should be considered that first, designers subconsciously incorporate culture into their design, then when designing they consciously use cultural symbols in their design to adapt the product as much as possible to the culture of the company. Product. In the public-oriented approach, which can be considered in line with Levy's vision, in designing and producing the product, the public, its culture and society should be considered in order to maintain the meaning and identity that revolve. in the cultural cycle. it should be passed on to the next generation, education should be provided and the culture of that society preserved. Designers in this field, representing the cultural symbols of society in packaging, introduced the identity of Iranian craftsmanship. However, due to the lack of sufficient attention to the field of culture-oriented design and the lack of comprehensive content in this regard, the designers were unable to consciously encode cultural phenomena into a strong structure and use various Iranian cultural symbols in the design .Whereas 57% of the packages available on the market have Iranian identity, but the identification method in 83% of these packages is limited to plant symbols (arabesque, paisley, gilding) and geometric symbols. While the Iranian culture is rich and has many symbols that can be used symbolically in packaging design.

Designing new approaches have always been the focus of educational planners. Considering the place of cognition in architecture education, the approach of design thinking and the variables related to it are very important. The aim of the current research was to formulate a structural model of design thinking based on wisdom and creative styles with the mediation of self-directed learning in students. Therefore, the main hypothesis of the research suggests that the proposed model has a good fit with the research data. The research method was correlation and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this research included all architecture students of Hamedan Girls' Technical and Vocational University, numbering 600 people, who were studying in the academic year of 2001-2001. Sampling method, 255 people were selected in the available way. Ardelt's three-dimensional wisdom scale, Kerton's creative styles, Dosi's design thinking and Fisher's self-directed learning questionnaires assessment was used to collect information and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The results showed that the developed conceptual model had a good fit with the data. The results of the structural part showed that the direct effect of wisdom on self-directed learning and design thinking is positive and significant. The direct effect of Innovative style on self-directed learning and design thinking is also positive and meaningful. The direct effect of Adaptor style on self-directed learning is negative and significant, but not significant on design thinking. The direct effect of self-directed learning on design thinking is also positive and meaningful. Examining the mediating role of self-directed learning showed that self-directed learning has a significant mediating role in the relationship between wisdom and creative styles with design thinking. Therefore, it is possible to help promote design thinking in students by developing appropriate educational programs related to research variables.

Design thinking as a way of guiding innovation has attracted the attention of innovative companies in recent years. By studying the practice and thinking of designers, this method tries to identify their work method in problem solving and develop it for use by nondesigners. However, this approach has always faced criticisms in its implementation. The lack of empirical research in this field has led to relying on optimistic narratives about the success of large companies, and despite the lack of empirical evidence and houlistic theoretical foundations, design thinking is increasingly applied by various industrial organizations. This rapid diffusion of design thinking into practice has not been accompanied by a rapid and strong development of its theoretical underpinnings. The reduced understanding of design thinking as a method of process that is not able to tell all aspects of thinking and acting like a designer is one of the most important factors of this deficiency. onsolidation of design thinking as an innovation "process" consisting of "stages and tools" has been one of the results of this view, which has reduced the innovation capacity of this creative approach to facing problems in a step-by-step and gradual way of solving the problem. This superficial interpretation of the designer's performance, which has faced problems with its deep implementation as a way of attitude in the mindset of the organization, has faced reactions and criticisms. Based on this, a group of studies, in a deeper look, have found this way of expression and the level of intervention to be insufficient, and have noted the necessity of implementing design thinking at the level of the organization's mindset, strategy and culture. Nevertheless, these reactions suffer from the lack of a unified concept for rethinking in design thinking, and they have been less able to achieve a consensus to guide the flow of evolution in explaining design thinking. In this study, we have shown that a new stream of research has emerged in the pursuit of reconceptualizing design thinking in the framework of capability. The diagnosis of this emerging current was done through identifying the main currents related to design thinking in innovation and in-depth analysis of selected studies in the discussed field. Considering the strategic position of the concept of capability in the literature of the organization, we believe that this form of conceptualization is able to solve the gap in the implementation of design thinking at the level of the organization's mindset and mentality and to obtain a deeper reinterpretation of design thinking. However, the deep influence of the cognitivist paradigm in the popularized interpretation of design thinking is a major obstacle to this trend. The influence of this paradigm has caused the formation of a reductionist look at design thinking, which, flows again in this new trend while referring again to the scope of these studies. Therefore, our final suggestion against this problem is to refer again to designers as the main source of design thinking and try to re-study them based on the capability lens to extract and apply designerly capabilities.

Urban design as an evolutionary, multidimensional, and context-oriented process is the ground of multifaceted interactions of tendencies that shape the relationship between humans and the built environment in the public sphere over time. Also, this field derives the legitimacy of its theories from various intellectual roots and professional practices. Therefore, it is affected by a wide range of constraints, multiplicity of stakeholders, and complexities of making decisions in regard to the process of design. Some find dissatisfaction with the multiplicity of urban design due to its ambiguity, and some see it as a subset of a larger group such as the political economy of space, urban studies, urban planning, landscape design, sustainability, and architecture. Urban design requires a kind of interdisciplinary collaboration that the stakeholders in the position of design professionals, managers, investors, and space users can reach a common understanding of their activities. This common understanding comes about through the integration of science and methods in an integrated process. On the other hand, creativity is an integral part of the plan production process in urban design. Interpersonal creativity in this design process can be realized by creating a platform for the presence of creative people and creating shared creativity in an interactive way. This platform requires a collaborative design process; But currently, the plan production stage in urban design is often done in a partial and separate way by designers and without meaningful collaboration of other stakeholders. Meanwhile, the design production stage is a multi-dimensional, multi-level, and multi-factor stage. Urban design has been defined in the theoretical literature as a collaborative and transdisciplinary process for shaping the physical environment. In practice, however, the stage of the creation of idea and idea generation is led separately and in part only by the designer.  Therefore, no significant interaction with the other stakeholders is done. For example, in the Shahid Nawab Safavid Highway project in Tehran, the urban authority's power in preparing and implementing the plan by relying on municipal support, implementing the plan based on the pre-determined and totally inflexible plan, limited public participation, limited choice, a linear process, and lack of the intervention of the stakeholders shows the insufficient process. Thus, the design product is created with minimal interaction and with the " Elitism " and "design black box" approach. This is while the stage of creating an idea is itself a multi-dimensional, multi-level, and multi-factor stage. The purpose of this research is to provide a conceptual framework for creating a collaborative design process at the idea generation stage in the urban design process. For this purpose, in this research, an attempt is made to answer the question of what components are there in the realization of collaborative urban design in the plan production stage.   Considering the creative nature of design, how can the design production stage in the urban design process be formed with a scientific approach based on the interaction and collaboration between stakeholders? Also, in the case study, according to the nature of collaborative urban design, the question is answered, how the proposed process can be operationalized in a research case study? The purpose of this research is to provide a conceptual framework for the realization of the collaborative design process in the design production stage in urban design.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis methods have been used in this research. First, using the qualitative analysis method and the content analysis method in the creative/rational process of urban design, indicators, and components were extracted to compile the framework. These components include: diversity of stakeholders; limiting the number of stakeholders; power networking; validating the conversation; making collaboration meaningful; mutual learning; divergence of the discovery process; convergence of the problem-solving process; interactive learning; toolbox application; test and risk.

The results suggest the collaborative design process as a series of cycles of conceptualization, ideation, solution presentation, and evaluation as a result of the forces of power, which are networked in a spatial relationship with the collaboration of stakeholders. From the overlap of the design thinking process as a creative arm and collaborative rationality as a rational arm, the collaborative design process is formed in 8 steps. Each step of this process has interactive feedback that is revised by asking questions in case of a lack of informed consensus building.

In the proposed process Power is formed from the collaboration of interaction and mutual learning (learning through interaction), which can be considered the center of the sphere, which forms the cycle of interaction of stakeholders in one spatial dimension and the production cycle of design in another dimension.  Wherever the power of interaction and learning during the process is stronger on the design production cycle, the product of the design is driven to that superior power.

The proposed collaborative design process is proposed in 8 steps with criteria and sub-criteria. It needs to be implemented in a networked and integrated system in a set of data and hybrid methods and the details can be studied in another study.

Problem statement: 

In the agreed-upon model of Wallas (1926), The Art of Thought, the third stage is illumination, which has remained a problem for design thinking. Without the ability to understand problem solving and illumination now, design thinking cannot be understood. Due to the instantaneity of this illumination and the nature of general illumination, it is impossible to provide a proper understanding of it.Many different methods have been developed to negate the designer’s direct confrontation with the problem and refer it to previous instructions. This means that a direct understanding of the design situation is not possible. However, there is evidence that suggests a direct understanding of the design problem. The questions of the present study are as follows: Is it possible to have a direct understanding of the design situation? If so, what is the mechanism? What does it have to do with productive thinking? What effect could it have on architectural education?

The present study aims to examine the immediate and direct understanding of the design problem through practical observations of architectural design.

The present study is qualitative. To collect the data, the thinking aloud technique was used. This technique has long been used in the study of thinking. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were carried out with architectural design students. The data were analyzed using a modified version of Goldschmidt’s (1991) method. In addition, library sources were used.

The present study introduces a three-stage model of insight. The designer first notices the inherent gaps in the design problem. These gaps have signs of structural connections within them, and understanding these connections leads to the restructuration of the design problem. These stages can be linked in a sequential cycle. The insight model shows that the designer can directly understand the above steps.

Sequential process models play a core role in design thinking education, although design thinking principles ask for more adaptability and flexibility of design workflows than those models suggest. This paper explores how far there is a need for a design thinking process and suggests an alternative conceptualization that is both congruous with design thinking principles and viable for design thinking didactic.

Design with the aim of changing the world is a creativeand systematic process and has different stages with aclear, orderly and relational sequence. Design thinking,which has long been the subject of discussion by designresearchers, is a set of internal and external concepts andaspects that are used by designers in the design process.Therefore, it is important to conduct research that examinesthe design thinking style and creates a good understandingof it. During the studies conducted in this research in thefield of design thinking, the necessity of addressing thetheories of thinkers in this field about the intrinsic aspectsof design has been realized. The purpose of this research isto achieve the most important intrinsic and internal aspectsof design that are considered by prominent researchersin the field of design thinking, which is descriptive andbased on studies and studies conducted in the research andwritings of these five prominent designers in the field ofdesign thinking. They have mostly worked in this fieldand the book of design encyclopedia has been done witha qualitative approach and has been done by desk-basedstudy. After a preliminary study of the text of the researchesand writings of the selected researchers, and achieving theintrinsic and internal aspects of the design expressed bythem, this study examines the level of attention of eachresearcher that has paid to this aspect. Therefore, from thisperspective, it is a kind of theoretical study and contentanalysis and is based on the study and inference of topicsfrom data. The results show that researchers have pointedto seventeen inherent aspects of design in their studies,of which Brian Lawson and Nigel Cross have done themost. Also, the most attention of researchers has beenpaid to the intrinsic aspects of “creativity” and “sketch”,respectively, and the least attention of researchers has beenpaid to the intrinsic aspects of “sudden mental insight” and“schema”. Most researchers have dealt with the aspectsof “creativity”, “discovery or discovery”, “intuition” and“unconscious”, respectively, which show the importance ofthese aspects. Finally, this research is a step to start futurestudies in order to achieve the way of thinking of designersand provide the best model of design thinking based onthe intrinsic and internal aspects of design. Based on thefindings of the present study, the question arises: To whatextent do they create the product according to the inherentaspects of the design? And whether it is possible to providea suitable model for the design process according to themost important internal and intrinsic aspects of design forthe work creation process? Also, in the continuation of thepresent study, it is possible to study the in-depth positionregarding the content used in each of these intrinsic andinternal aspects along with environmental influences andpersonality traits and use factor analysis methods to expandthe results as much as possible.

The world is complex, and our tools have to adapt to that complexity, but things that seem very complex can seem very simple and things that seem simple can be very complex. We like products that are easy to use. But in addition to this feature, we expect it to be able to do what complex objects do. Therefore, the background of this research is from a design perspective and examines design thinking as a link between mind structures and complexity. The important issue here is the difference between complex and complicated. The word "complex" describes the state of the world, and the word "complicated" describes the state of mind. The challenge of design thinking is to mediate between complexity and the mind so that it is not complicated for the mind. A designer is faced with a complex situation; "Hence, the intricacies and movements of the designer, willingly or unwillingly, tend to results other than what was intended. Complexity is a quality or state that is complex and difficult to understand, do, or construct and has many interconnected parts or aspects. On the other hand, cognition is a practical and interactive activity. The whole cognitive system includes mind, action, and the world. Thinking and acting are in a physical environment. The designer's natural way of working involves that larger system by interacting with the temporary situational models he designs for it. The range of design thinking, including cognitive processes, strategic processes, and practical processes, enables the designer to "move toward the future of that particular use situation." These processes "make the world a part of cognition" and give the designer a set of "positioning strategies". Cognitive processes include attention and awareness, perception, memory and mental imagery, language, problem solving and creativity, decision making and Argument, intelligence. Strategic processes such as understanding everything, providing learning tools, grouping and organizing, meaningful communication, attractive conceptual model, signifiers, structure, modularization, automation, useful manipulation: forced operations, shaking and default, assistive devices Educational. And practical processes such as hand drawing, prototyping, scenario, model design, diagram, map, storyboard. These concepts make it clear that design thinking has certain positions and capabilities in the face of complexity.Accordingly, in this research, first by examining the research background on the concepts of complexity and mind from the perspective of science, management and then from the perspective of design, the basic concepts and structures related to complexity in four sections of simplicity, complicatedness, complexity and chaos are extracted.Then, the capabilities of design thinking in the face of these concepts and structures are examined.A comparison of the four concepts of complexity in design thinking with other sciences shows that solutions have been proposed in science and management to create simplicity, reduce complicatedness and deal with complexity. In the face of chaos, for example in the realm of management, it is that it accepts chaos or avoids it extensively.But design thinking has the ability to deal with confusion through abductive or productive reasoning.

The continuity of the two fields of reading and the creation of works of art always indicates that the promotion of each of them leads to the qualitative growth of the other field. The process of creating and evolving various artistic branches shows that proper reading and how to create works of art can promote future artistic creations. Assuming that genetic criticism seems to have the capabilities and components that can be effective in reading graphic design works, and as a result, a step is taken towards the qualitative growth of these works and consequently the visual culture of Iranian society, this query deals with this research and in its path, it will seek to find the answer to the main question: "Which capabilities and characteristics of the genetic criticism approach can act as an effective and key tool for reading and critique of Iranian graphic design artworks?" And two sub-questions: "What are the goals and usage of the genetic criticism process?" And "How is the process of creating graphic design and addressing the issue of graphic design works?" In the course of this research, they will be examined and answered.The present study is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. In the process of research, literature and theoretical foundations of the field of critical criticism on the one hand and the fields of graphic design, design thinking and consequently visual thinking on the other hand, through the study of written documents and sources, has been studied and the required data have been collected. In order to answer the research questions through a qualitative approach, the collected data in the field of developmental reading and graphic design were first analyzed and then evaluated. In this regard, a work from the branch of cultural graphics by Majid Abbasi, a contemporary Iranian graphic designer, selected as a study example, and reviewed in a developmental manner. The desired artwork is the cover of the novel "The Bread of Those Early Years" written by Henriche Bell, which was published in 2001 by Cheshmeh Publishing. Findings show that comparing the trend and matching the volume and type of documents and evidence that the graphic designer leaves in all stages of creating an artwork, as well as other factors affecting the process of producing and creating a graphic artwork, shows that the ability to form a rich developmental file for graphic artwork includes pretext, meta text, para text, and hyper text documents. As a result, the capabilities and functions of genetic criticism, such as focusing on the process and providing a better understanding of the text, the recognition author, his or her creativity and artistic imagination, performance methods and styles, are consistent with the path taken in graphic design and extracted results from the genetic approach can lead to qualitative growth of various aspects of future graphic design works.

Methodological design studies began in early 1950s. Primarily, these studies aimed at understanding design as a scientific discipline, but around 1970s, design methodology studies shifted toward recognizing design as an independent intellectual discipline. As a result of this change in research strategy, the next decades saw the emergence of a comprehensive, coherent and inclusive understanding of design in a way that this new understanding, aligned approaches and theoretical frameworks of the design studies, like a paradigm. In his noticeable book “Designerly Ways of Knowing”, Nigel Cross examines the dimensions of this paradigm and calls it “Design as a discipline”. This understanding of design is still appreciated by researchers and even today, most of design studies are guided by this paradigm; however, since the early years of this century, scattered researches have been conducted in various design areas that reflect the emergence of a new type of understanding design. However, this new understanding has not yet been analyzed and identified well enough. Hence, the purpose of this study is to identify this new paradigm and determine its theoretical framework. To this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted through gathering documents using descriptive method of research for content analysis. Primary sources as erll as those mostly cited texts available in the field of design methodology (since 1950 to date), were widely consulted, reviewed and analyzed. Content analyse phase concentrated on extracting analytical units pertaining to the theoretical framework, objectives, methods and contextual stimuli. Next, extracted contents and analytical units were classified in three categories: “Understanding design thinking”, “Understanding design problem” and “Understanding the problem solving process”. In the next phase, each of the analytical units of these groups were compared and contrasted, synchronically and diachronically. To better report on the research process, the article body first presents the literature review on design methodology and begins with describing the "science of design", with emphasis on Herbert Simon's researches made during the 1960s. Then, it presents a review of the critiques using Descartes method in the analysis of the science of design; those that led to the formation of the second generation of design methodology in the 1970s. The second generation of design methodology is based on Horst Rhyttle's viewpoints; however, in the 80's, the second generation was criticized and revised. After these reforms, the second generation of methodology achieved coherence of theory in 1990s. As mentioned earlier, in the remainder of this article, the contents of design theory as a discipline have been presented in three categories (i.e. thinking, problem, and problem solving). In the field of design thinking, the article indicates two types of contents generated in two study groups of empirical and logical studies. These contents have led to the recognition of the autonomy of design thinking. In the field of design problem, contents are focused on the concept of "wild problem". While for of problem solving, two types of contents have been identified. First and foremost, design problem solving is not a chain of regular and deterministic activities, and second, understanding the design problem requires having an initial solution. In the discussion section, the contents of the contemporary researches have been compared and contrasted with these content categories, and on this basis, some changes have been identified in each section. The result of these analyses indicates the change of assumptions on the definition of science, wicked problems, solution driven problem solving in design, and finally, it indicates the phenomenological contents in new studies. Based on these comparisons, three periods in design methodology are identifiable: 1. period of design science, 2. period of design as a discipline, and 3. the period of design as a combination of mental activities. Identification of the coordinates of this third group is the main finding of this study. According to the arguments presented in this article, studies following the paradigm of "design as an independent discipline" have been influenced by contextual and exogenous stimuli to overemphasize the autonomy of design while design methodology is free from those intentions, nowadays. More importantly, at the present time, using new findings in conducting research studies in design thinking, design problem and design problem-solving process; there is a new understanding of design: an understanding that considers design not as a closed system or an independent mental action, but a combination of mental activities. A strong trend in this period of research is the phenomenological tendency. This tendency, concentrates on the process of perceiving and familiarizing the design situation. It allows design to be identified in interaction with precedents and cognitive schematas. Overall, contemporary studies are in line with “design as a discipline”, but they explore the subject on a higher and more complex level and examine the subject using different intellectual principles and methods.

Although design thinking plays a fundamental role in all disciplines involved with design such as fashion design, graphic design, urban design and industrial design, however, it is a process that is not limited to such activities and its application benefits many other fields such as engineering, managerial, and entrepreneurial areas. The process of design thinking focuses on problem recognition, understanding and resolution and in this process, “Visual Thinking” is one of the main and most important stages. Visual thinking can include a cycle of imagination, discovering ideas and their visualization and in the process of design thinking, designers go through the visual thinking process over and over again until they reach the desired outcome and find solution to the problem. Although visual thinking is a term that emerged in the twentieth century, many historical evidences suggests that the stages of visualization of thoughts are not specific to contemporary era, because many artists such as Leonardo da Vinci have left us their thoughts and the outcome of their searches on their sketches and pictorial notes, and the review of these notes reveals their way of thinking. The process of visual thinking can be divided into different stages. The beginning or zero is the stage of problem formation, in which the basic requirement that the design process needs to address and resolve is defined and shared with the design team. Next step is problem recognition and in order to understand the different aspects of the issue, the designer begins studying. In the second stage, design thinking process enters the field of idea-finding; thus, the designer begins to design, draw and sketch and through visualization, s/he detects and records various solutions. Then, in the third stage, from among the proposed ideas and paths, s/he selects the most suitable idea for expansion and enters the fourth stage, which is the implementation of the solution achieved. Eventually, in the final stage, the implemented solution is examined and evaluated and its feedback determined. In the initial stages, in order to better understand the problem and its different dimensions, the designers use visualization and visual thinking and imagine the whole path of design thinking. When focusing in the second phase, which is the stage of thinking through the creation of drawing and sketches, the designer finds solutions and ideas through inner dialogue with his drawings. This study intends to identify the process of visual thinking and its features, as well as to identify its function in the design thinking process. The research process has been formed based on this question that “What are the influential indicators of visual thinking in design thinking?.  The present research is applied in terms of purpose and is descriptive-analytic in terms of method. Information and data required have been collected through the survey and review of written and electronic documents. Theories of scholars and researchers such as Donald Schön, Bryan Lawson and Paul Laseau in this field have been analyzed in order to identify the characteristics of visual thinking via reviewing the literature related to two topics of design thinking and visual thinking. Finally, the four indicators - dialogism, exploration, management of multiple ideas and reflection process– have been identified as influential factors in the process of visual thinking. Dialogism enables the designer towards interlocution and interaction with himself on one hand and negotiation with the design team on the other. Exploration paves the way for the unexpected discovery of new solutions. Management of multiple ideas prepares the conditions for the discovery of all ideas and the discovery of hidden relationships between them until they reach the creative and appropriate ideas. The reflection process plays a role in the development of the design process and conducts it in the right direction both during design layout and re-reading during the entire path of the thinking cycle. Having identified visual thinking features and following problem recognition through stages zero to five of the thinking process of design, the research reveals the function and key role of visual thinking. Visual thinking, as it has now become a crucial part of the conceptualization phase and has led to the discovery of various, creative solutions, is similar to the whole process of design thinking from the beginning to the end. Organizing and categorizing problem data and visualizing all stages of the project and their internal details has an important function which results in the development of guiding maps for the designer, the design team, and also facilitates the achievement of a satisfactory solution and result.

AbstractGenerally, design thinking has been defined as an analytic and creative process so that it provides opportunities for experience, creation, receiving comments, and redesigning. Design thinking is linked to the fields such as architecture, designing and art and is also discussed in many disciplines. Among various proposed paradigms, emphasizing on the academic-educational aspect and as one of its defined subcategories, designerly thinking is taken into account as a method based on reasoning which is related to teaching architecture. Due to the complex nature of both teaching and design thinking, their relation includes different delicacies. Although some studies have been conducted on design thinking as a type of thinking, its consideration, inclusion and presence in teaching architecture have not yet been mentioned completely and clearly. The present paper aims at defining the contribution of design thinking in the mentioned descipline through dividing conventional and situation-based thinking, and teaching introductory courses of architecture designing as the basic designing courses. To reach this aim, inference and content analysis of the results of the studies conducted on design thinking, teaching architecture designing to have a better perception of the characteristics, process, and differences between the novices and connoisseurs together with using successful experiences are all necessary things in this discipline. By applying content analysis method (coding process and defining the principal categories) and deductive reasoning, we analyzed the authoritative studies and in order to consider indigenous education and to enjoy the teacher’s opinions, the teachers and scholars’ responses in this regard were analyzed in the completion of the research data. The results of the procedure were explained in three categories: knowledge development, type of statement of the problem and teaching how to reflect (in three branches of self-observance, self-monitoring and self-assessment). Implementation of each category is explained in eight stages and then, the strategies were evaluated by designing a quasi-experimental study between the test and control groups from the students studying at the third semester of bachelor’s degree in the field of architecture. The results are presented in form of three groups including the main strategy, educational designing and monitoring of teaching and assessment for teaching basic designing courses which are significant to the researchers in the fields of teaching, architecture and design thinking.

Formation of designer characteristic and acquiring design skills are of the highest importance therefore paying attention to the architecture education process at architecture school are important. Considering the world experience in academic education and examining the local conditions accompanied to attention to research on analysis of traditional architecture education in this country all in all are helpful in fulfilling a desired architecture education. The present study analyzed the academic architecture education development in the world in three eras: before 1960s, between 1960 to 1996 and from 1996 on considering the importance of three factors of skill, knowledge and wisdom. Design knowledge as sub-branch of knowledge is an effective element in all three factors and design process is also the most prominent axis of architecture education teaching. Considering the capabilities of traditional education and examining academic architecture education process in Iran (more than 70 years) a comparative and contrasting examination between global processes and internal education is presented based on conducted research studies. By comparing three eras of academic architecture education, it is concluded that the first-generation emphasized on the design process and exact definition of how this passed as well as improvement of design knowledge, as artistic or technical way. In second generation, considering the experiences of first era and at the same time with huge research of design in this time, the importance of design process and thought on methodology became the most importance. As the science and technology improved, information networks and global communication become prevalent in third generation, and the concern for acquiring knowledge for design is being faded, applying knowledge design and design thought has gained importance. In addition to the analysis of each era of academic education in three mentioned sections, comparing this analysis and considering time, it can be concluded that proportionate to the role of architect in the professional world, the role of instructor in the design ateliers have seen changes, but not homogenous to the profession. The role of teacher as the complete dominance and power has changed and nurturing a self-centered architect changed to nurturing a facilitator who accept others` opinions and then made decisions. Lack of clear analysis in different phases of education, another point in the architecture process, is also important. Architecture education is to prepare the students for accepting the roles of the future architects as well as reinforcing better and more comprehensive understanding of the environment and community, thus reinforcing the design thinking must gain more attention. After examining three generations of architecture education and analyzing the power points and shortcomings, the present study found that investing on nurturing the design thinking in the students is the main point to fulfill the educational purposes and efficiency in the profession. The quality of investing and attentions to educational methods is really helpful to nurture the design thinking for the activists of the educational domain such as researches, planners, teachers and is particularly path finding for teaching design courses in three sections of basic, general and specialist.

This article provides an introduction to autism disorder and its social impacts and consequences; if not treated properly. This paper also compares therapies, being practiced in Iran, using mere psychological treatments and overseas; utilizing multidimensional interdisciplinary therapies in which designers and psychologists go hand in hand to treat the disorder. This study postulates that “Design Thinking” can be regarded as an opportunity for the betterment of the disorder. Though, it is not just a technique for treating autism. It also hypothesizes that if different people with varied specialties, work actively together, they would facilitate community participation in a way that the needs and wants of people with autism are also responded suitably.

When a design assignment is given to designers and non-designers, their way of thinking and dealing with the problem and solutions are totally different; thus the design processes will lead to different results. Even different designers may choose different approaches and strategies when dealing with the same problem. How far should a designer focus on the problem and detailed analysis of it before ideation? How should he/she use the problem, the information, the designer›s knowledge and initial ideas to
achieve more acceptable results? This paper, reviews the most important researches which have been done from 1970s and discusses briefly the results as problem oriented, information oriented, solution oriented, and knowledge oriented design strategies. In the following, the design thinking processes proposed by IDEO and Stanford School of Design,
are introduced which are based on solution oriented design. Finally some questions are proposed which could not find any any clear answers in recent researches, and can be followed in future studies, by those interested in the field of design and it›s methodology.