A Comparison of Design Thinking in Architecture and Industrial Design

Abstract

<p>The purpose of this study is to compare methods of design thinking in architecture and industrial design. Documenting and analyzing the methods and work processes of these two disciplines may help lead to improved understanding and collaboration between them. Through a survey of well-regarded written works in architecture and industrial design, many similarities and differences have been found and linked together to generate a common “map” of design thinking for both disciplines. Both disciplines’ design thinking processes are non-linear and often require revisiting a problem or a solution multiples times. They also tend to narrow big problems into smaller more defined problems. The main difference between the disciplines is in the final product that is produced. Architecture and industrial design solve different types of problems and therefore their end solutions are different; architects must come up with a final artifact that can not be changed once it is produced, whereas industrial designers can continue to refine and improve their artifacts even after an initial solution is found.</p>