Distributed Design Thinking: Towards an understanding of design thinking through embodied cognition

Abstract

Design thinking is a term now used by various fields to describe different activities and practices. However, there remains something of a gap in understanding the role of design representation in design thinking. In this article I position distributed design thinking as theoretical foundation for enhancing our understanding of design thinking through design representation. To achieve this, I first present the limitations of our current understanding of how and why design representation is used in design thinking. I then introduce work from cognitive science and cognitive psychology as means to better understand design thinking, the role and use of design representation in design cognition. Namely, distributed cognition as concept related to the embodied theory of an extended mind is introduced. Relations between design process, distributed design thinking and reflective practice are also briefly discussed. Adopting distributed design thinking as an interesting foundation for a comprehensive understanding of thinking through design representation, I conclude by providing ideas and departure points for future work.